inexplicable leading men

[Peter666]

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I'm amazed no one has mentioned Colin Farrel yet. Awful actor.

Alexander and Miami Vice were both atrocious.

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I don't think you get the point of this thread. It's not "bad actors who are stars WTF???"

It's actors (good or bad) who have been cast as leading men when they shouldn't be. Sometimes it works out to go against the grain - Dustin Hoffman, for example. But usually, a leading man looks like Tom Cruise. I mean, you wouldn't cast William H. Macy (as good as he is) as the lead in Top Gun, would you? That's what I mean.

Colin Farrell is definite Leading Man material, whether or not you think he's any good.

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Sorry I missed the nuance of the thread the first time around Dom. Here's my mulligan: Granted, he gave us Ash, but I'm still amazed he was cast in the first place. I present Bruce Campbell:



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He was the director's friend when both were broke, and he was willing to work crazy hours under difficult conditions -- for free.

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Actually, I think Bruce Campbell should have become an A grade leading man, and I don't know why he hasn't been offered better roles. He has good looks and star quality charisma. He has a devoted fan base and this is just from B grade movies and offbeat roles. It looks like no on in Hollywood has taken him seriously which is unfortunate.

[evolvedForm]

Klaus Kinski.

Using Dominic's logic, which isn't totally wrong in my opinion, Kinski should never be a leading man. Nonetheless he was perfect for Aguirre and Dracula. In Fitzcarraldo he was stiff and out of place, and that makes sense as it was a dramatic role.

As for looks, he looks like a Jack Nicholson who hasn't slept for a month.

[Peter666]

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Whoa there Trigger. Come back to the barn. Leo is a superb actor.

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I used to really, really dislike him. I thought he was absolutely awful. After watching Blood Diamond and The Departed recently, I've decided he's gotten much, much better. And believe me, as much as I hated him, it took some convincing. But being a good actor alone doesn't make him a "leading man". A lot of the actors I listed are good actors.

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I disagree on some of your choices. For instance, Samuel L. Jackson has been a good leading man for some time now, and he certainly has reliable acting chops. If by not being a good leading man you mean he doesn't have the looks that typically go with the role, I'd have to agree. It's hard to picture Sam as a romantic lead.

Re: Leo, he's a good example of the kind of guy who can be a good actor but have a tough time being a leading man. He's so conventionally boyish that he reminds me of Macauley Culkin. That kind of thing makes pulling off having the presence and gravity of a leading man extremely difficult.

It wasn't till Blood and Diamonds that I thought of him as less of a pretty boy and less ethereal(I can still see him playing an angel with wings etc. more easily than most roles). Maybe he can keep working around his boyishness successfully; he's certainly a giant star. But every time I see him, I wish he was more old-school Scorcese and less old-school Spielberg.

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Casting him in the lead of "Catch Me If You Can" was a terrible mistake. The real life character looked much older than his age, which allowed him to get away with stuff. DiCaprio looks like a 12 year in everything he does.

[Blarg]

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Klaus Kinski.

Using Dominic's logic, which isn't totally wrong in my opinion, Kinski should never be a leading man. Nonetheless he was perfect for Aguirre and Dracula. In Fitzcarraldo he was stiff and out of place, and that makes sense as it was a dramatic role.

As for looks, he looks like a Jack Nicholson who hasn't slept for a month.

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He's great for maniacs and monsters. He could open a movie, at least in Europe, but when he was in his heyday, America was hardly the place for truly scary looking anti-heroes in the movies. America tends to enjoy their leading men very clean cut and handsome, and he was neither.

[jester710]

If anyone mentions


then I'll have to cut you.

[Stagger_Lee]

Homosexual Patriot Man?

Is he trying to show off his potential?

[BaggyAnt]

One person who never plays leading Men and it wouldn't work if he did is Steve Buscemi. He always plays just this side of interesting which suits him perfectly but I could never imagine him as a lead in any Hollywood role (indie doesn't count!) whether it be Romantic, Action or comedy

[diamonddawg]

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NO. Do not disrespect Brendan Fraser.

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see "The Quiet American". ++!
fwiw, he is also the nicest guy ever, even though an actor (usually they are wierd and PITAs)

[CostaRicaBill]

The kid that played Darth Vader in the new Star Wars movies.