Actors you would pay to see in anything

Semi-inspired by a comment rufnek made in a recent post, I thought I'd start a thread where we can list (and/or second) the actors who we'd be willing to pay to see in just about any genre/circumstance.

For me, there are only a few obvious choices:

• Tony Shalhoub
• Don Cheadle
• John Turturro

Also, as much as I hate to admit it, I'd probably drop $5 just to see Will Ferrell eat a hamburger.

Another possible angle, of course, is that certain actors may persuade you to see a film simply because you find that they often make good career choices, and rarely accept roles in poor films. I've started another thread about that specific topic here: Actors who are always in good films.

What actors would you pay to see in most any film?

-Steve Buscemi
-Forest Whitaker

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Alfred Molina
Johnny Depp
Gael Garcia Bernal

Kate Winslet
Cate Blanchett

All of these would up my interest in seeing a film, because at the least, they'd be great. Odds are it's a good film too, if any of them are in it. But I've missed films with every one fo them in, so I guess my answer really would be "no one". :/

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Adrien Brody

Edit: Also, although he seems to stick to television rather than films, Anthony Head, who is always fantastic, even when he is in something not so fantastic.

Because I'm in love (with Maggie, not the potentially dangerous pet). Otherwise, I generally take a holistic aproach to movie-watching decisions...

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

He already does just about anything!...well I haven't seen any slap-stick comedy.

Daniel Day-Lewis
Wes Studi
Eric Schweig

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Micheal Madsen
Steve Buscemi
Harvey Keitel

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"Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything..."

The most obvious choice for me is Sean Penn. This guy is just remarkable. Chooses consistently off beat, challenging roles, knows how to place himself within the visions of some very talented directors (Terence Malick, Clint Eastwood), never seems to grandstand or put in a lazy performance, and has himself written/directed a few of the very best movies of the last decade (especially The Pledge). In fact, I would say he's one of the best of that class of actor-directors around, perhaps surpassing even Eastwood.

Here's a list (with the order weighted towards his performances, and not necessarilly the overall quality of the film):

Sweet and Lowdown
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Mystic River
The Thin Red Line
21 Grams
Casualties of War
All the King's Men
The Interpreter
The Game
The Weight of Water
Colors

A few average films, a few very good ones, and a few of the best that I've seen.

A few other actors who I'd be willing to see any movie just on the basis of their presence:

P.S. Hoffman
Chris Cooper
Johnny Depp

Actresses:

Shelley Duvall
Parker Posey
Julianne Moore

John Turturro was a great choice, Yoda. He revets attention in any scene.

Dustin Hoffman is another actor I'm always willing to take a chance on. I didn't care for the subject matter and I don't like Tom Cruise, but just because Hoffman was in it, I plunked down money for "Rain Man." Of course, I got my money's worth.

Lee Marvin was another actor with that quality--when I was a kid, I used to go to Randolph Scott westerns just to see Lee Marvin who often played a villain in them. Look at any Lee Marvin performance and you just know you're watching someone dangerous--especially if he's got a gun in his hand. As I've said before, many actors--especially the young ones today--carry guns on screen like they're just another prop--an umbrella or a cane. But those props became weapons in Marvin's hands.

Other standouts: Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson. I’m sure I’ll think of more later. Oh, yeah, Albert Finney and Gabriel Byrne.

It's weird but I've always been of the opinion that a fair few decent films have been made despite Sean Penn appearing in them...

With reference to my holistic approach to movie-choosing, I'd need to be grabbed by a few other members of a film's cast and crew before picking something that The Gurner appears in. But maybe that's just me.

To turn the thread slightly on it's head, does anyone ever find themselves in the video store, having seen all the new releases worth bothering about (and avoiding anything with II, III or IV in the title), looking at the orphaned collection of direct-to-DVD releases on the bottom shelf?

Only one man would make me even consider renting one of these poor unfortunates and although he's getting on in years and his days as one of Hollywood's major character actors have probably gone, the old fella's still got heart.

Step forward Mr Brian Dennehy!



I, and quite possibly no one else, salute you!

All of the above + and of course

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Nebbs...is that Toni Collette in the brides dress?


For me, I'd pay to see Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Greer Garson and Cary Grant in anything.


I can't say I'd pay to see them in absolutely anything (like a horror movie), but in almost anything...

Johnny Depp, Michael Caine, Kate Winslett, Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep.

I think there are also alot of actors (many already named above) that I would definatley reconsider seeing a movie that I wouldn't normally watch just because they were in them.

I can't imagine why, but which ones did you think that of. Also what do you think of the movies he's written and directed?

Someone I forgot to mention, and hesitate to add to my list only because the film roles he gets are usually so small that they can't help but disappoint (and usually in really unremarkable films too): Wallace Shawn.



Can't say I ever find myself scanning the straight to video shelf for appearances, but Vanya on 42nd Street and My Dinner With Andre establish him on my list of great actors. Good playwrite too.

And while I'm not sure I'd add her to my list, Tilda Swinton actually made Constantine worth my time, which is an impressive feat.

Originally Posted by Aniko

For me, I'd pay to see Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Greer Garson and Cary Grant in anything.

I agree--you can't beat the great stars from the classic years--Davis, Hepburn, Garson, Grant, and many others.

Michael Caine, however, has been in both some of the best and some of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, as had Lawrence Oliver. Apparently both men were willing to appear in anything that paid them. Not surprisingly, one of the best films ever made was Sleuth, which was virtually a two-man show for Olivier and Caine.

I haven’t cared much for Meryl Streep because her main schtik seems to be accents. But I thought she gave a real performance in The Devil Wears Prada.

Overwrought, unsubtle and a tad clumsy - that's what I think of Penn, to be honest. Some of the films you mentioned were almost ruined for me by his performances: Mystic River, The Bumping Off Of Tricky Dicky, 21 Grams in particular.

I didn't think he was terrible in The Game though, but I really rate it as a film and his role wasn't massive so maybe that's why.

As to Penn's directorial output - I think he's better behind than in front of the camera, true, but I'm yet to be convinced.

It's laudible, in a way, to base your acting style on DeNiro buy I'm mystified as to why Sean chose DeNiro in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as his particular template...

Then again, it's probably just me as I've been flogging this particular horse through a number of message boards over the years.

Good call. She's an extremely watchable actress.

Not to put the knock on your favorite actor, but while I haven't seen most of Penn's films, the ones I did see didn't empress me that much. HOWEVER, I was intrigued by the preview of his remake of "All the King's Men." I generally don't like modern remakes of B&W classics, especially this one that earned Broderick Crawford his Oscar. But I'm thinking of giving it a try just to see what Penn does with the role.

Fair enough and thanks for the explanation. Still disagree though...

I know he's named DeNiro as an influence, but I've never seen much similarity in their acting (to the extent that I can actually "see" nuances in acting without running the risk of generalizing/reading in my own nuances). To my mind his acting is most comparrable to DeNiro as Rupert Pupkin, which is my favorite of his performances. I also see him finding some humor in even his most pathetic roles, something DeNiro hardly ever seems to do. To that extent I would place him more with Wallace Shawn and maybe a little less perceptibly with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Depp (who I think you mentioned before you also don't like). Again, I'm not even sure I can detect these subtleties half the time but there you go. Still I think that humor is a lot more obvious in his writing and directing, especially in the Crossing Guard (which I just saw).

Human perception is a fascinating thing. In my view, Penn never seems to grandstand in the same way that Stevie Wonder never seems to smile.