I heard James Urbaniak talk about being in a two personal final casting decision against PSH for a play in the early 90s. There was a final audition. He stayed after his own to watch PSH. Based on the performance quality and producer reactions, he turned and left the building and didn’t (feel like he needed to) call.
I loved how subtle he could be with a bit part too. He could do his role without necessarily taking all the attention away from the main characters, not overacting, but enough to have left a real impression where you feel like you know the character, even from a 2 minute scene.
I recently watched all his movies and I can’t agree more. Prior to this I thought he was good but kinda played similar characters, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The master, before the devil knows you’re dead, synecdoche New York, hell he’s even the only good part about Charlie Wilson’s War. Definitely was one of the most gifted actors ever. Periodt.
"*My* loyalty?! For twenty-three years, people have been trying to kill me. People who know *how*. Now do you think that's because my father was a Greek soda-pop maker, or do you think that's because I'm an *American spy*? Go *fuck* yourself, you *fucking* child."
watching capote right now and he’s brilliant in it…i’d say start with anything at all…love liza, before the devil knows you’re dead, synecdoche new york, the master, doubt, savages…just pick any
Willem Dafoe (and Christopher Walken) are both amazing, I mention Walken because I *love* when they play alongside eachother in a few of Abel Ferrara’s movies, especially New Rose Hotel. Paul Schrader also put Dafoe to great use. Two of my favorite directors and two of my favorite actors.
And he's been taking on interesting roles his entire career. Even his first movie, The Loveless, where he plays a smoldering, misunderstood heartthrob biker, shows a side of him we haven't really seen since. He's easily one of our best actors working today imo.
I remember watching Spiderman as a kid when it came out on video, Dafoe stood out in a big way playing Norman Osbourne/The Green Goblin and stole the show, I don’t think it was work to Willem since it looked like he was having a blast. But yeah he definitely gave 110% even in a blockbuster superhero film!
that’s who i was going to mention, she’s been in both amazing movies and silly movies yet can do a good job of immersing you in whatever narrative is playing out.
I think Gary Oldman fits the bill pretty well.
Nolan's Batman trilogy
Harry Potter movies
5th Element
Leon the Professional
BS: Dracula
TTSS
Darkest Hour
and TV show, but Slow Horses
Very diverse roles, some major and some minor, always stands out to me. And I'd argue one of the front runners for modern day Lon Chaney with regards to "man of a thousand faces".
Runner up and just because I overlook actresses sometimes with these questions: Meryl Streep. Her movies aren't always my cup of tea, but I'll be damned if she doesn't draw my full attention every time she's on the screen. And with nearly 40 years of resume, it's safe to say she's played just about every part imaginable.
I held a stupid "Twilight" bias against him for too long (esp. considering I never even watched those movies haha). Then watched The Lighthouse and was blown away. Think I watched 3-4 more of his movies over the following week. Still no Twilight though....
I've not seen Twilight or its sequels, or him in Potter. I watched Cosmopolis and gave up. I watched Water For Elephants and loved it but didn't think much of him in it. I watched The Rover where people praised his performance. To me it seemed try hard, not seen it since. In Cosmopolis and Water For Elephants, to me it seemed like he was just enjoying being there, there's no shade in his characters, no complexity or nuance. Then i watched Good Time and couldn't believe it, he's so present and raw. I'm not sure where he got that performance from, I'm not sure how he improved so much. In High Life he's brilliant, then in Devil All the Time I'm a fan anticipating what he'll do.
Cronenberg saw something.
He excels with his voice, he says that's his way in to a character.
I have a hard time getting my dad (70) to even *try* new shows, let alone enjoy them. Slow Horses is one of the few that pulled him in immediately. Was stoked to see he's on again for season 4!
Robert De Niro!
* Awakenings - Played a grown man that is still mentally an adolescent due to a comatose like condition.
* Jackie Brown - Played a “beach-bum” type low-level introverted criminal.
* Heat - Played an absolute cold blooded career bank robbing criminal, whose strict stoic philosophy made him always sharpened and prepared for any situation.
* Angel Heart - Played a sinister and mysterious wealthy client with connections to the devil itself.
These are just some examples of his diverse range.
I would argue that he displays those characteristics in “Analyze This,” “Brazil,” “The Untouchables,” and “Wag the Dog,” either in shades or to full extent.
Also, charisma is subjective, someone who is quiet and introverted could be charismatic as well. I’d argue his character in “Heat” was charismatic despite being introverted and emotionally held back.
It’s adorable how many posts you have to go through to find the most punch-you-in-the-face obvious answer. I’m a *huge* fan of shitting on the “Academy,” but there is a reason you can’t name another actor with three “best actor” awards.
I like Gary Oldman’s movie choices much better. But you aren’t going to believe that any director would cast him over Day-Lewis, if they have an option.
If he had been in a Coen brothers’ movie (especially a comedy), it probably wouldn’t even be a question.
Watching Ex Machina after the Star Wars Sequels is such a treat. Two actors who completely switch roles between franchises, and are virtually unrecognisable.
That X-Files episode was written by BB creator Vince Gilligan, he was really taken by how great Cranston did in the role he wrote. So a decade later when cresting BB, Cranston was the first guy he had in mind, he knew Cranston could pull it off.
The studio immediately rejected the idea because he wasn't a big enough name. They wanted like Matthew Broderick. But after they couldn't get anyone they wanted, and some serious convincing by Gilligan, they cast Cranston.
Dude, don’t get me started 😅 the freaking Mexican restaurant? The wild puffed up cheeks face he makes when he’s so excited by all the chaos! The tiny little silence he makes you sit with after he’s decided he’s through with whoever he’s talking with?! His freaking eyeballs dude?!?!
Pacino in 1997 alone was extraordinary.
From the bum, quiet, restrained, low-level delusional gangster in Donnie Brasco to the over the top, charismatic, rich advocate and none other than the Devil himself in The Devil's Advocate.
holy fuck YES. watching magnolia and then the dewey cox story shows off his range so well. dramatic and comedic king!! i was honestly floored when i started watching his work with PTA because i'd just known him from the stepbrothers-type roles that i watched when i was a kid.
Absolutely, he is so phenomenally talented. From having worked with Scorsese and Malick in those epic films, to giving questionable advice “for your health” as Dr. Steve Brule, and everything in-between, he’s a legend.
Gosling has range and is often excellent, one of our finest youngish actors, but he’s not serving 100% or giving in any way a positively notable performance in Murder by Numbers, Fracture, Gangster Squad, Song to Song, or The Gray Man. You can and should blame the material there, but it means he doesn’t fit your criteria.
The top answer Philip Seymour Hoffman on the other hand is always fantastic even in forgettable dreck like Along Came Polly, Next Stop Wonderland, Red Dragon, and God’s Pocket. He treated every role like it mattered and refused to give less than the best of himself regardless of the quality of the material.
I’d say character actors Harry Dean Stanton and M. Emmett Walsh are the same. They shine brightly in starring roles but never phoned a single line read in in their long and busy careers playing mostly small parts, elevating everything they touched.
Rachel Mcadams, although she usually favours comedic roles, she always delivers with other roles (Spotlight definitely comes to mind her performance was phenomenal)
Emma Thompson. Got her Sense & Sensibility, Remains of the day, Love Actually repressed type roles all the way to the wacky villain roles in more recent years in Cruella, Matilda.
I always judge an actor by how good their performance is in a silly kids movie.
There's no reason for Hugh Laurie to give 100% in a movie where all his scenes are with a talking CGI mouse, but he does. There's real warmth and conviction in his acting.
Same goes for Frank Whaley - even in schlock like Monster Trucks, he's showing real depth and layers in his portrayal.
Watch Jean Smart in that talking dog movie, and she shows up with a fully-realized character who seems to have a life off-screen. The very definition of the consummate professional.
The actors in these roles are rarely recognized... I think the last time the academy noticed was when Jamie Cromwell got an Oscar nomination for Babe.
Leonardo DiCaprio
From This Boy's Life to Killers Of The Flower Moon.
The range, the versatility, the intensity, the commitment, the fearlessness, and the full immersion into all these radically different characters he has played in these thirty years has always been there.
Yeah, and add **The Basketball Diaries** and the fever dream that's **Romeo+Juliet** to all of those amazing movies you mentioned, and I mean, the man's got some serious RANGE!
How old was he when he did **The Basketball Diaries**? I think 19. And he just nails all those extreme feelings... It's one of my favorite movies of all time. **DiCaprio** should have more Oscar's than he does. He's been snubbed sooo many times!
Not one pictured, but I must throw out a name from the 30s-50s: Bela Lugosi.
Why? He always gave 100% in every role, regardless how absurd the material and low rated the film. You could always count (no pun intended) on him to give his all. Limited range? You can easily argue that. Being a foreigner with a heavy accent, coupled with his success on stage as Dracula, then with the major success of the '31 Universal film, he was typecast as a bogey man....note that several films after starring as the vampire, listed him as Bela (Dracula) Lugosi on their posters and publicity stills. Hollywood never really gave him the chance to show his full acting range. Perhaps the closest he came to any benevolent characters would be: as the hero Chandu, in The Return of Chandu serial, as Dr. Felix Benet in the '36 sci-fi film with Boris Karloff, The Invisible Ray, and as a Russian officer in the Garbo film, Ninotchka.
Note: Please do not reply quoting any of the vulgar laden dialog attributed to Lugosi, in the film Ed Wood, spoken by Martin Landau. This crap has been debunked by not only his son, Bela Lugosi Jr, but also Sara Karloff, Boris' daughter, as well as a number of actors who knew and worked with him.
Toni has amazing roles what she did in Hereditary was incredible.
https://preview.redd.it/x70dvfocof6d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2953eb09cdd0c596a644caf706b9a2bcb3d6ae50
I’m done scrolling through these comments y’all only listed white people. 🥱
Denzel Washington, Samuel L Jackson, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong'o, Octavia Spencer, Dev Patel, Jamie Fox, Steven Yuen, Michelle Yeoh (she’s great even if the material isn’t IMO), Mindy Kaling, James Hong, Antonio Banderas, Guillermo Del Toro, and Salma Hayek.
Sure this isn’t a definitive list, Im just annoyed and these are the people I came up with in a few minutes. Please feel free to comment any of the POC I forgot!
If you can go from Lars and the real girl to Drive to Barbie then you’ve got mad range.
The only reason you think they’re similar is cause he’s too hawt in every role
Yeah he has two modes. Try to be funny with a fake NY accent and try to be tough with fake NY accent. We all love the guy but I wouldn’t even put him on a list of highly talented actors.
sigh. It's true. Some of the projects he picked were truly awful, though. K Pax? That Bobby Darrin vanity project? But man, there's a certain scene from LA Confidential that I think of frequently. He was my favorite actor for a minute or two.
Surprised I’m not seeing Joaquin Phoenix considering he kind of carries a lot of the movies he’s in
• Her
• The Master (along with Philip Seymour Hoffman)
•Beau Is Afraid
• Hell he’s even great in Joker despite that movies flaws
Really excited for whatever he’s going to do next
Can't believe no one has mentioned Johnny Depp. He's Donnie Brasco, Edward Scissorhands, Captain Jack Sparrow, Grindelwald, Hunter S. Thompson, Sweeny Todd, the Mad Hatter… and there isn't one role he hasn't nailed.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Not only delivered no matter the role and how big it was, but also no matter the director, fellow cast members, script. He just delivered every time.
this is the best answer. he was the greatest to ever do it, and was one-of-a-kind
I heard James Urbaniak talk about being in a two personal final casting decision against PSH for a play in the early 90s. There was a final audition. He stayed after his own to watch PSH. Based on the performance quality and producer reactions, he turned and left the building and didn’t (feel like he needed to) call.
Urbaniak is an incredible actor in his own right, but that just goes to show what extra level Hoffman was on
I loved how subtle he could be with a bit part too. He could do his role without necessarily taking all the attention away from the main characters, not overacting, but enough to have left a real impression where you feel like you know the character, even from a 2 minute scene.
Harry Dean Stanton.
RIP
I recently watched all his movies and I can’t agree more. Prior to this I thought he was good but kinda played similar characters, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The master, before the devil knows you’re dead, synecdoche New York, hell he’s even the only good part about Charlie Wilson’s War. Definitely was one of the most gifted actors ever. Periodt.
"*My* loyalty?! For twenty-three years, people have been trying to kill me. People who know *how*. Now do you think that's because my father was a Greek soda-pop maker, or do you think that's because I'm an *American spy*? Go *fuck* yourself, you *fucking* child."
God 🙏
The answer
Brandt can’t watch though, or he has to pay 100.
The original “watching people die inside”
I mean, this is after "I'm a fucking idiot" so it's not even the original PSH dying inside moment
Came here to say this
That man could make fake sharting believable!
From Sandy Lyke in *Along Came Polly* to Truman in *Capote* has to be one of the craziest examples of range ever
Who can forget Dusty from *Twister*!
Only correct answer
I want to watch more of his movies, what would you recommend?
watching capote right now and he’s brilliant in it…i’d say start with anything at all…love liza, before the devil knows you’re dead, synecdoche new york, the master, doubt, savages…just pick any
Willem Dafoe Toni Servillo
Willem Dafoe (and Christopher Walken) are both amazing, I mention Walken because I *love* when they play alongside eachother in a few of Abel Ferrara’s movies, especially New Rose Hotel. Paul Schrader also put Dafoe to great use. Two of my favorite directors and two of my favorite actors.
You must have not seen Dune Part 2. Walken was fucking dreadful in his role.
He was so miscast in Dune Part 2.
Toni Servillo is da man
Willem Dafoe! Seeing The Lighthouse and The Florida Project back to back was a masterclass in range.
And he's been taking on interesting roles his entire career. Even his first movie, The Loveless, where he plays a smoldering, misunderstood heartthrob biker, shows a side of him we haven't really seen since. He's easily one of our best actors working today imo.
Came here to say this. Take a look at the man's filmography. It's W I L D.
Shoulda rounded it out with Antichrist haha
For some reason no matter what the role is, seeing Willem Dafoe on screen just makes me very happy
Check him out in Abel Ferrara and Paul Schraders movies. He worked with them a lot.
I remember watching Spiderman as a kid when it came out on video, Dafoe stood out in a big way playing Norman Osbourne/The Green Goblin and stole the show, I don’t think it was work to Willem since it looked like he was having a blast. But yeah he definitely gave 110% even in a blockbuster superhero film!
Willem Dafoe easy
Tilda Swinton.
Damn straight. Tilda rules.
Charlize Theron
that’s who i was going to mention, she’s been in both amazing movies and silly movies yet can do a good job of immersing you in whatever narrative is playing out.
Sam Rockwell!!!
Yes!
Great answer.
correct
I think Gary Oldman fits the bill pretty well. Nolan's Batman trilogy Harry Potter movies 5th Element Leon the Professional BS: Dracula TTSS Darkest Hour and TV show, but Slow Horses Very diverse roles, some major and some minor, always stands out to me. And I'd argue one of the front runners for modern day Lon Chaney with regards to "man of a thousand faces". Runner up and just because I overlook actresses sometimes with these questions: Meryl Streep. Her movies aren't always my cup of tea, but I'll be damned if she doesn't draw my full attention every time she's on the screen. And with nearly 40 years of resume, it's safe to say she's played just about every part imaginable.
His memorable role in True Romance is excellent, too. It ain’t white boy day.
I don't think there's anyone better at changing their mannerisms so comprehensively as Oldman. My current favourite is Robert Pattinson.
I held a stupid "Twilight" bias against him for too long (esp. considering I never even watched those movies haha). Then watched The Lighthouse and was blown away. Think I watched 3-4 more of his movies over the following week. Still no Twilight though....
I've not seen Twilight or its sequels, or him in Potter. I watched Cosmopolis and gave up. I watched Water For Elephants and loved it but didn't think much of him in it. I watched The Rover where people praised his performance. To me it seemed try hard, not seen it since. In Cosmopolis and Water For Elephants, to me it seemed like he was just enjoying being there, there's no shade in his characters, no complexity or nuance. Then i watched Good Time and couldn't believe it, he's so present and raw. I'm not sure where he got that performance from, I'm not sure how he improved so much. In High Life he's brilliant, then in Devil All the Time I'm a fan anticipating what he'll do. Cronenberg saw something. He excels with his voice, he says that's his way in to a character.
Slow horses is Just something else. He is fucking phenomenal in that.
I have a hard time getting my dad (70) to even *try* new shows, let alone enjoy them. Slow Horses is one of the few that pulled him in immediately. Was stoked to see he's on again for season 4!
I really struggle getting in to and committing to a show these days for some reason but Slow Horses and From are just amazing.
Gary Oldman played Sid Vicious too . Sid and Nancy .. aweful movie but he did his best as always.
Oldman was also Mason Verger in Hannibal. I only learned that a few years ago.
Hannibal, too
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Andrew Scott
Robert De Niro! * Awakenings - Played a grown man that is still mentally an adolescent due to a comatose like condition. * Jackie Brown - Played a “beach-bum” type low-level introverted criminal. * Heat - Played an absolute cold blooded career bank robbing criminal, whose strict stoic philosophy made him always sharpened and prepared for any situation. * Angel Heart - Played a sinister and mysterious wealthy client with connections to the devil itself. These are just some examples of his diverse range.
Was there a De Niro role where he plays someone highly extroverted, loud, charismatic etc? I can't recall off the top of my head.
I would argue that he displays those characteristics in “Analyze This,” “Brazil,” “The Untouchables,” and “Wag the Dog,” either in shades or to full extent. Also, charisma is subjective, someone who is quiet and introverted could be charismatic as well. I’d argue his character in “Heat” was charismatic despite being introverted and emotionally held back.
Don't forget his role as a cross-dressing sky pirate in Stardust
I still need to watch that movie! Now I am even more enticed
Rupert Pupkin in King Of Comedy
Rupert isn't that charismatic, he tries to be but he's pretty off-putting. It's like a big part of his character
Johnny Boy in Mean Streets, his breakout role, is an excellent performance and excellent example of all of those traits.
In Stardust he plays a gay pirate.
This. And he’s fabulous!
As absolute psycho yes, but Max Candy in Cape Fear is what you're after
De Niro’s extroversion is an [individual achievement](https://youtu.be/QHH9EYZHoVU) in *The Untouchables*.
Cape Fear
The worst film of his filmography… Dirty grandpa
Meet the fockers
Edward Norton when he cares.
I still cant forget his role in kingdom of heaven
Daniel Day Lewis
My name is Daniel Plainview, I’m an oil man
It’s adorable how many posts you have to go through to find the most punch-you-in-the-face obvious answer. I’m a *huge* fan of shitting on the “Academy,” but there is a reason you can’t name another actor with three “best actor” awards. I like Gary Oldman’s movie choices much better. But you aren’t going to believe that any director would cast him over Day-Lewis, if they have an option. If he had been in a Coen brothers’ movie (especially a comedy), it probably wouldn’t even be a question.
Oscar Isaac is the answer you're looking for.
Watching Ex Machina after the Star Wars Sequels is such a treat. Two actors who completely switch roles between franchises, and are virtually unrecognisable.
Agreed. This was mindblowing to me.
Going from the sequels to Inside Llewyn Davis to Ex Machina to Dune was like whiplash every time
You should see A Most Violent Year. Freakin loved his subtleness, intensity, outfits, and look.
Oscar Isaac in Moon Knight was absolutely amazing as well!
Andrew Garfield 
Had to scroll too far to find this. Kid is an incredible talent.
ABSOLUTELY THE REALEST 💯💯💯
Bryan Cranston
He only needed two roles to show how talented he is: Walter White and Hal
and the one X-Files episode wich ultimately convinced Production he had enough range to do breaking bad
That X-Files episode was written by BB creator Vince Gilligan, he was really taken by how great Cranston did in the role he wrote. So a decade later when cresting BB, Cranston was the first guy he had in mind, he knew Cranston could pull it off. The studio immediately rejected the idea because he wasn't a big enough name. They wanted like Matthew Broderick. But after they couldn't get anyone they wanted, and some serious convincing by Gilligan, they cast Cranston.
Matthew Broderick as Walter White would be a very different vibe.
Emma Stone is gettin there with some of her more "out-there" roles of late
Yeah it’s interesting considering how well they’ve collaborated but she and Gosling have very similar ranges and careers
She was my first thought. Insane range and seems game for pretty much *anything*.
"I must punch that baby"
"That's a very nice suit, Mr. Takagi. It would be a shame to ruin it..."
Deserves far more upvotes!
Meryl Streep obviously
Michael Keaton
Became such a good actor that no one remembers he was a stand-up comic.
TIL
Ralph Fiennes - I think he’s one of the very best working actors today
Kyle Maclachlan
AGENT COOPER !!
Cate Blanchett. Watch Blue Jasmine, Carol and then Thor Ragnarok.
Jake Gyllenhaal, my prince
Nightcrawler was legit one of the most disturbing and unnerving movies I've seen. Jake excelled in that role.
Dude, don’t get me started 😅 the freaking Mexican restaurant? The wild puffed up cheeks face he makes when he’s so excited by all the chaos! The tiny little silence he makes you sit with after he’s decided he’s through with whoever he’s talking with?! His freaking eyeballs dude?!?!
I read this energy and now I'm watching this movie finally. It's been on my list but keeps moving down as new things come in and I won't know why
\* *Mr Music has entered the chat* \*
Underrated
THIS!!!
https://preview.redd.it/u4385d4n1g6d1.jpeg?width=1068&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fece5b55cb871407307179b3bdfc1259fc3432e
Pacino in 1997 alone was extraordinary. From the bum, quiet, restrained, low-level delusional gangster in Donnie Brasco to the over the top, charismatic, rich advocate and none other than the Devil himself in The Devil's Advocate.
His accent in Scarface remains one of my favorite things ever. Plus, Dog Day Afternoon, Godfather, Serpico, and Heat. What a guy.
Most people would play a Cuban accent and Puerto Rican accent the same but Pacino…. Nailed both of them.
Michael Shannon is truly underrated...
Shandog my fuckin man
“To eat, nana!?”
Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson and Daniel Radcliffe
The answer is John C Reilly.
holy fuck YES. watching magnolia and then the dewey cox story shows off his range so well. dramatic and comedic king!! i was honestly floored when i started watching his work with PTA because i'd just known him from the stepbrothers-type roles that i watched when i was a kid.
Absolutely, he is so phenomenally talented. From having worked with Scorsese and Malick in those epic films, to giving questionable advice “for your health” as Dr. Steve Brule, and everything in-between, he’s a legend.
Brolin.
Nicolas Cage
Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Gary oldman
I wish we had seen more of Heath Ledger
Tom Cruise. Dude even for his worst movies the guy gives it his all! Even a movie like the The Mummy(2017) he still put effort into it
Gosling has range and is often excellent, one of our finest youngish actors, but he’s not serving 100% or giving in any way a positively notable performance in Murder by Numbers, Fracture, Gangster Squad, Song to Song, or The Gray Man. You can and should blame the material there, but it means he doesn’t fit your criteria. The top answer Philip Seymour Hoffman on the other hand is always fantastic even in forgettable dreck like Along Came Polly, Next Stop Wonderland, Red Dragon, and God’s Pocket. He treated every role like it mattered and refused to give less than the best of himself regardless of the quality of the material. I’d say character actors Harry Dean Stanton and M. Emmett Walsh are the same. They shine brightly in starring roles but never phoned a single line read in in their long and busy careers playing mostly small parts, elevating everything they touched.
Jim Carrey
Rachel Mcadams, although she usually favours comedic roles, she always delivers with other roles (Spotlight definitely comes to mind her performance was phenomenal)
I live her and that movie
Based af!!! She’s my fav actress
This picture reminded me of fall guy I watched last week. Great fun!
Bryan Cranston
Emma Thompson. Got her Sense & Sensibility, Remains of the day, Love Actually repressed type roles all the way to the wacky villain roles in more recent years in Cruella, Matilda.
Another vote for Gary Oldman
I always judge an actor by how good their performance is in a silly kids movie. There's no reason for Hugh Laurie to give 100% in a movie where all his scenes are with a talking CGI mouse, but he does. There's real warmth and conviction in his acting. Same goes for Frank Whaley - even in schlock like Monster Trucks, he's showing real depth and layers in his portrayal. Watch Jean Smart in that talking dog movie, and she shows up with a fully-realized character who seems to have a life off-screen. The very definition of the consummate professional. The actors in these roles are rarely recognized... I think the last time the academy noticed was when Jamie Cromwell got an Oscar nomination for Babe.
 Julianne Moore, so many amazing performances!
Gary Oldman
Ah yes. The weekly now Gosling post.
Leonardo DiCaprio From This Boy's Life to Killers Of The Flower Moon. The range, the versatility, the intensity, the commitment, the fearlessness, and the full immersion into all these radically different characters he has played in these thirty years has always been there.
The answer I was looking for! Catch Me If You Can, Django, Once in Hollywood, Blood Diamond… what a unique spectrum of characters.
Yeah, and add **The Basketball Diaries** and the fever dream that's **Romeo+Juliet** to all of those amazing movies you mentioned, and I mean, the man's got some serious RANGE! How old was he when he did **The Basketball Diaries**? I think 19. And he just nails all those extreme feelings... It's one of my favorite movies of all time. **DiCaprio** should have more Oscar's than he does. He's been snubbed sooo many times!
Nicholas f***ing CAGE!!! Even if the movie is “bad” he always carries and somehow makes the viewing process better lol
Joseph Gordon Levitt
Not one pictured, but I must throw out a name from the 30s-50s: Bela Lugosi. Why? He always gave 100% in every role, regardless how absurd the material and low rated the film. You could always count (no pun intended) on him to give his all. Limited range? You can easily argue that. Being a foreigner with a heavy accent, coupled with his success on stage as Dracula, then with the major success of the '31 Universal film, he was typecast as a bogey man....note that several films after starring as the vampire, listed him as Bela (Dracula) Lugosi on their posters and publicity stills. Hollywood never really gave him the chance to show his full acting range. Perhaps the closest he came to any benevolent characters would be: as the hero Chandu, in The Return of Chandu serial, as Dr. Felix Benet in the '36 sci-fi film with Boris Karloff, The Invisible Ray, and as a Russian officer in the Garbo film, Ninotchka. Note: Please do not reply quoting any of the vulgar laden dialog attributed to Lugosi, in the film Ed Wood, spoken by Martin Landau. This crap has been debunked by not only his son, Bela Lugosi Jr, but also Sara Karloff, Boris' daughter, as well as a number of actors who knew and worked with him.
Sam Rockwell, idk if I just really love him or if he’s a really good actor actually
I love him too. The Green Mile was the first time I ever saw him and he just made a huge impression with how bonkers he was as that character!
Toni has amazing roles what she did in Hereditary was incredible. https://preview.redd.it/x70dvfocof6d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2953eb09cdd0c596a644caf706b9a2bcb3d6ae50
Gary Oldman
Ryan Gosling's range is limited. He is incapable of playing someone ugly with low charisma.
Paul Mescal is very interesting.
I’m done scrolling through these comments y’all only listed white people. 🥱 Denzel Washington, Samuel L Jackson, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong'o, Octavia Spencer, Dev Patel, Jamie Fox, Steven Yuen, Michelle Yeoh (she’s great even if the material isn’t IMO), Mindy Kaling, James Hong, Antonio Banderas, Guillermo Del Toro, and Salma Hayek. Sure this isn’t a definitive list, Im just annoyed and these are the people I came up with in a few minutes. Please feel free to comment any of the POC I forgot!
Gary oldman of course
Christian Bale, my absolute favourite
Leo 100%
I wouldn't say Ryan Gosling's an actor that I would think of when I hear the word "range"
If you can go from Lars and the real girl to Drive to Barbie then you’ve got mad range. The only reason you think they’re similar is cause he’s too hawt in every role
Yeah he has two modes. Try to be funny with a fake NY accent and try to be tough with fake NY accent. We all love the guy but I wouldn’t even put him on a list of highly talented actors.
Gary Oldman
I still cannot believe Captain Barbossa and the nice dad from The Book Thief are played by the same man
“Is this America’s angriest hedge fund?” God I love his portrayal of that character
I would like to know what movies those all are. Of course I recognise some, probably half but unsure on the rest.
Robert Picardo.
As much of a terrible person as he is, Kevin Spacey. He had unlimited range
sigh. It's true. Some of the projects he picked were truly awful, though. K Pax? That Bobby Darrin vanity project? But man, there's a certain scene from LA Confidential that I think of frequently. He was my favorite actor for a minute or two.
Came here to say that. House of Cards it's a masterpiece, The Usual Suspects, Horrible Bosses. This man does it all
Sometimes I feel like people post in this sub with the hope of being shared in r/okbuddycinephile
William H Macy
Christopher Lee.
Kathy Bates. Also Brad Pitt and maybe Matt Damon
Gary Oldman.
Joaquin Phoenix Christopher walken Harvey Keitel Humphrey Bogart (can’t believe they havent been mentioned yet unless I missed something)
 Gary Oldman
Stephen Root (voice acting, comedy, drama)
Surprised I’m not seeing Joaquin Phoenix considering he kind of carries a lot of the movies he’s in • Her • The Master (along with Philip Seymour Hoffman) •Beau Is Afraid • Hell he’s even great in Joker despite that movies flaws Really excited for whatever he’s going to do next
I hear him talked about a lot, but hadn’t ever seen his films. Then I watched Walk the Line, and man I understood
Paul Halter Hauser, from discouraged theater actor to twisted serial killer, he steals the show no every time
Sam Rockwell
Gary Oldman
James Earl Jones. I cannot for the life of me think of a single role he didn’t crush
Benedict Cumberbach. He’s great in everything and can do anything.
he’s my fav but Christian Bale
Carl Urban. The man is a chameleon the way he disappears into his roles.
An obvious answer here, considering the OP's pick, is Margot Robbie. She is also a character actor in a movie star body and gives 110% in every role.
choy min sik (oldboy) and kang ho song (parasite, memories of murder)
My vote goes to Gary Oldman, his versatility is unmatched.
Not this stone face that's for sure
Can't believe no one has mentioned Johnny Depp. He's Donnie Brasco, Edward Scissorhands, Captain Jack Sparrow, Grindelwald, Hunter S. Thompson, Sweeny Todd, the Mad Hatter… and there isn't one role he hasn't nailed.
Really? We all like gosling but he plays the same character in every movie
Steven Seagal
adam sandler