The Hard Road to Nowhere: Five Actors Deserving Better Roles

You might remember some months back when I presented to you a list of five actors lacking the love of mainstream Hollywood they so rightfully deserve. Upon reflection, I felt as if I had left out a certain segment of the actor talent pool. The ones that are seemingly loved by Hollywood but are trapped in a never ending spiral to redundancy and mediocrity. These are the talented ones. The ones that have proven they have the chops to be more than that person standing behind the idealized mainstream idol. Their the apparitions that never go away, and for good reason - they're simply too talented... if only the roles they were handed matched their natural endowment.

Some are relatively new to the Hollywood scene, while some are very old. Still, I'm of the opinion that the world of cinema would be a far greater place, if they were featured more predominantly on it.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor has 'it.' If you don't know what "it" is, then I suggest you pick up a copy of one of the movies he's in and take a look. It's a natural essence. A characteristic of talent that just can't be pinned down into simplistic terms. That enduring charisma that gives life to the careers of those like Denzel Washington. The Shakespearean tongue from which Laurence Olivier wove so many wondrous soliloquies. All wrapped in the emotional range of some of our most beloved stars. So why is that he cannot escape the realm of being just another face in a series of crowded rooms? Salt. American Gangster. Inside Job. 2012. Children of Men. Love Actually. All blockbuster films, for their own part. Each time he's little more than a second pegging. In some cases the sole minority figure. In others, just that guy standing behind other more dominant figures.

Even in something as mentally degrading as 2012 he exhibits some sentiment of unique presence. An auteur quality that sets him apart from the fold. He demonstrates such command of emotion, and yet so many films bend of backwards to keep it at bay. Is it his name that keeps him back? Do they worry its individuality with respect to the collective norm will not be accepted by the 'average' fan? Surely it can't be something as trite and trivial as that. However, if Redbelt is really all Hollywood can muster up as a centerpiece film for him, perhaps they should be examining what they present as film to begin with?

Toni Collette

Toni Collette seems to be the quint essential 'that girl from the party' in the Hollywood circle. You know the one. The one that just after the party, everyone turns and says "she is brilliant! We should have her around more often!" Then when the next party comes around, nobody seems to remember to invite. Thus has become the staple of a career that has spanned everything from Shaft and The Sixth Sense, all the way on over to Little Miss Sunshine and Towelhead. For my own part, I first became aware of Mrs. Collette at a relatively young time in my movie watching maturity when a fellow neighbor friend introduced me to the film Clockwatchers, of which he was unhealthily obsessed. And despite the film featuring to whom at the time I merely knew as 'that girl from that popular TV show' and 'that annoying girl from Scream 3,' Collette stood head and shoulders above them all.

Now, I won't deny that in United States of Tara, Collette may have finally been given a role of her stature; but this is after all a movie centric blog, and thus I feel obligated to note the lacking in her cinematic counterpart. Perhaps it's the roles she goes for? Perhaps it's the way Hollywood views her? The archetypal everyday Plain Jane mother from down the street. All I do know is this - she definitely deserves a sight bit better than whatever the hell In Her Shoes was. Then again, what do I know? Some people really like that movie (*shrug*).

Jean Reno

Perhaps the most grievous crime committed by 1998's craptastic Godzilla is that ever sense then Jean Reno seems to be either playing 'that tough french guy' or 'that kind of goofy tough french guy.' And considering this is from a man whose career featured near fifteen years and twenty odd films prior to his US breakthrough with Leon: The Professional in '94, I think that's a bit unbecoming. He just can't seem to be break away from the stigma of being Hollywood's favorite french man. He's always either inexplicably still there (Pink Panther remakes, Flyboys, Rollerball), or thrown in for a bit of a swerve and then dumped off at the next stop (Hotel Rwanda, Da Vinci Code). Let's not even begin getting involved in the discussion of why he even bothers with some of the aforementioned. He probably enjoys them. They let him do whatever he wants, and he gets paid more than you and me will ever realize. Fair trade by most anyone's account...

Yet, every time I watch Leon, I see an untouched well of potential just waiting to be hosted at center stage. That same potential which echoes throughout the background of each role he inhabits. And I find it most unfortunate that until Hollywood wises up, that well will forever be plugged.

Jeff Daniels

I think it can be safely said that if Jeff Daniels and Greg Kinnear were to ever team up for a film as two brothers on a cross country trip, we'd have to name the movie Homeward Bound 3. It's that puppy dog, golden retriever facial expression that just makes you want to cuddle them. Then they burst through the screen with a role like Daniels' Lewis in The Lookout and you find yourself a two year old bouncing on the edge of the couch, desperately begging for more. Unfortunately that's when you also realize Daniels only other role that year was a sideshow part in RV and you question humanity's point in the universe. It's a harsh jump, but an understandable one. With great performances in films like Squid and the Whale, Good Night and Good Luck, and Pleasantville, you'd think Daniels name would be attached to more high profile role prospects.

Somehow I don't think a 'was that Jeff Daniels?' random-thon in Traitor, State of Play, and Away We Go don't quite cut the mustard. Toss Paper Man into the mix and you've got a starring role in a movie nobody will see. But please, please, don't mention his voice work in Space Chimps. Hasn't the man suffered enough? I mean, after all, he did My Favorite Martian. Which, coincidentally, could also be a key factor in why his career hasn't panned out. But I still hold hope for this veteran of greats of my youthful years in Speed, Dumb and Dumber, 101 Dalmatians, Fly Away Home, and the unforgettable Arachnophobia. Sure, they aren't all masterpieces. But that doesn't stop him from being fantastic in each and every single one.

John C. Reilly

I can't even quantify in any meaningful measurement just how much pain I feel when I have to say to someone "you know, the friend from Talladega Nights" when trying to discuss John C. Reilly's career. The only similar moment I can think of that you might relate to is that feeling you have just after you came downstairs for the third time this morning, and now finally remember what the hell it is you keep going upstairs to look for. That "gah, I feel like such an idiot" sort of inner anger. But every time I optimistically try and slide in with a "you know, the guy from Chicago, The Aviator, Magnolia, Gangs of New York, and Boogie Nights," all I get are vacuous stares more heartbreaking than watching Paris Hilton explain middle eastern politics.

These days Reilly is the poster boy for drama comedies you haven't seen, and out and out mainstream comedies you just won't see. Sure, his latest endeavors have finally earned him the minute sentiment of public outcry that dissipates just as quickly as it emerges, but these roles are no where near indicative of the caliber of skill he possesses. If anything, they've become a nuisance, depriving us all of his craft.


There you have it. Five Actors whom I'd love to see Hollywood take a deeper look at in the casting department. Sure, I know this post will not provide a necessary catalyst to their careers that ought to lead them onto the quick train to Oscarville they so rightfully deserve. Then again, that's not going to stop me from hoping anyways.

So, what are some of your favorite actors you'd like to see get some better roles?