Culture -- 20 days ago
Being an in-demand actor can go to one’s head. The temptation to take big-money roles often leads to talent going to waste in front of a green-screen, and acting like a gentleman can fall by the wayside. Here is our pick of the biggest actors handling fame with nothing but effortless grace.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
Many actors astound us with their physical changes between roles, but to inhabit a completely different character for each role is a skill few have. Rising to fame as a heartthrob in Romeo + Juliet and Titanic, DiCaprio quickly rebelled against type. His performance in Catch Me If You Can as conman Frank Abagnale is wonderfully slippery. He has since widened his dramatic palette, bringing humanity to less likable roles, including the skin-crawling Monsieur Candy in Django Unchained. A true gentleman uses his star power for good, and we commend Mr DiCaprio for doing just that, taking a year off from acting to promote environmental issues.
Three of his best: This Boy’s Life, Catch Me If you Can, The Wolf of Wall Street
Out soon: The Revenant (Late 2015/ Early 2016)
CHRISTOPH WALTZ
Although 58 (and not looking it) Christoph Waltz’s career is definitely still on the rise. We have Quentin Tarantino to thank for bringing Waltz’s charisma to english-speaking audiences. His dangerous charm was showcased in both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, earning him two Oscar wins from as many nominations. Waltz is subsequently Hollywood’s go-to charismatic, villain, yet the true mark of his craft is that he finds the individual in all of his characters. Off-screen, Waltz is all charm, never struggling to find his words in three languages. He may also be the first bond villain to look better in a tuxedo than Bond.
Three of his Best: Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Zero Theorem
Out Soon: Spectre (6th November 2015)
MARK STRONG
It’s likely that even if you don’t know it, you’re a Mark Strong fan. He may have scared you with intensity in Sherlock Holmes, Kick Ass and Welcome to the Punch or confounded you as a secret service member in The Imitation Game, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Zero Dark Thirty and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Strong exhibits key signs of a gentleman – he always treats his work with the respect it deserves, not easy when he regularly appears in 5 films per year. Neither has he forgotten his roots, recently returning to theatre to re-imagine the key role in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge to excellent notices.
Three of his best: Kick Ass, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Black Gold
Out Now on DVD: Kingsman: The Secret Service
TOM HIDDLESTON
Best known for his show-stealing suaveness of the Thor and Avengers films, Hiddleston has a knack for exploring what lies below the surface of a British gentleman. Whether this be the put-upon Edward in Archipelago or The Deep Blue Sea’s impulsive Freddie, he shows an understanding that research cannot provide. He eschews bland, by-the-numbers interviews, characterised by his description of Superhero movies as “a unique canvas upon which our shared hopes, dreams and apocalyptic nightmares can be projected and played out.”
Three of his best: Thor and Avengers films, The Deep Blue Sea, Archipelago
Out soon: High Rise, I Saw the Light, Crimson Peak (All late 2015 – definitely scope for an Oscar nomination)
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
Welles. Gable. Brando. De Niro. Pacino. This line of actors whose intensity, at their peak, transcendentally raised every film in which they appeared, has two possible successors, both Michaels: Shannon and Fassbender. Although no fault can be found in either for their dramatic work, the gent among the two is Fassbender. Shannon, as is to be expected from one so immersed in his characters, is often recalcitrant. Fassbender however revels in the opportunity to break out from the complicated men whom he completely embodies, never less than charming off-camera. His work ethic is also astounding, and unlike many actors Fassbender works through awards season, seeing good work as a result in itself.
Three of his best: Shame, Frank, X-Men: First-Class and Days of Future Past
Out Now: Slow West
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
