Actors We'll See in Anything
Tom and I thought about the actors that make us go, “Oh! ________ is in it?! I’ll definitely see it then!” To make it more fun, we also took guesses about each other’s list.
Erin’s Guesses for Tom:
Christian Bale: Tom literally loves Christian Bale. Like, I’m going to guess that he will say Christian Bale is one of the best actors of all time. He really is amazing!
Amy Adams: Wait until you see my post about Amy Adams.
Tom Hardy: I’m not a huge Tom Hardy fan (I always have a lot of trouble understanding him) but Tom defends him 100% of the time.
Daniel Day-Lewis: Tom wanted me to watch Gangs of New York the night we moved into our first home together. It was SO LONG you guys.
Florence Pugh: We watched a lot of Pugh this year, so she’s my newcomer pick for Tom. He really really loved Midsommar (I still have nightmares but loved her in it too).
Tom also loves: Michael Shannon, Denzel Washington, Mahershala Ali
Tom’s Guesses for Erin:
Meryl Streep: C'mon. It's Meryl.
Hugh Grant: I think I might be stepping out of my box here, and I debated him or Colin Firth, but I feel like this is middle-high school-early college Erin to a T.
Amy Adams: You know and I know that Amy is on both of our lists. I don't need to explain this one.
Keira Knightley: She is low key Erin’s spirit animal because she’s seen like every single thing Keira's ever been in without realizing.
Mark Ruffalo: I don't think anyone I know stans this guy more than Erin whenever he shows up onscreen.
Erin also loves: Florence Pugh, Saoirse Ronan, Laura Dern
Erin’s List
Amy Adams: She is my absolute #1 and I consider her to be one of the best actors out there right now (if not THE best). Seriously, take a look at her Wikipedia right now. I did and figured out that I have seen 13 of her movies, with a few more on my to-watch list. The girl’s got range...and SIX Oscar nominations. SIX. I don’t want to hear another word about who deserves an Oscar and blah blah blah. It’s Amy Adams. Amy Adams deserves the Oscar. Is there any other actor who can nail parts in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Enchanted, and Doubt in three years? Did you see her in The Fighter? What about Arrival? Junebug? Get on the Amy Adams train you guys, and if you are in the Academy, please help get her that Oscar!
Mark Ruffalo: If you were a pre-teen in the early to mid 2000s, you know exactly what movie I’m going to list right now. 13 Going on 30. Oh my gosh, Mark Ruffalo as the quiet and sweet but still super self-confident Matt was THE movie crush of 2004. And 2020, obviously, since I will consider watching literally anything Mark Ruffalo does. He picks interesting, varied projects, and is always fully committed. Spotlight, Shutter Island, Zodiac! Ugh, he’s my forever celebrity crush.
Keira Knightley: Yeah, I don’t really know what to tell you. Tom and I were talking about actors one night years ago, and I kept mentioning more and more movies I liked with Keira Knightley in them. Some personal favorites include Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, and Begin Again. Remember Bend It Like Beckham? And Love Actually? And you caught The Imitation Game too, right? See?! She’s awesome!
Lakeith Stanfield: While Lakeith Stanfield is a bit of a newcomer, I have been so excited by his roles and I can’t wait to see what he will do next. I first saw him in the show Atlanta, and was so happy to see him in some of my favorite movies of the past few years: Get Out, Sorry to Bother You, Uncut Gems, and Knives Out, all within three years? He’s not a name to watch, he’s someone you have already been watching.
Willem Dafoe: Again, I literally don’t know what to tell you. I watched At Eternity’s Gate, okay? Where he played Vincent Van Gogh? Nothing happened in that movie at all, and afterwards I was like, “Willem Dafoe is so good.” So he makes the list easily. Plus if you have seen The Florida Project, you get it.
Honorable Mentions: Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Mahershala Ali, Florence Pugh, Saoirse Ronan, Bryan Tyree Henry, Christian Bale, Bill Murray, Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Laura Dern, Olivia Colman, Oscar Isaac, Emma Stone.
Tom’s List
Amy Adams: Guys, I know Erin's probably gonna write the same stuff, and even better than I will, but Amy Adams is the best. Name a movie that she didn't elevate. From her role as Gorgeous Woman in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny to Arrival, The Fighter, and The Master, she can hit any type of role out of the park. Special shout-out to Sharp Objects, which, while is slightly out of the realm of this blog, was FREAKING INSANE. Not Tiger King insane, but normal insane.
Christian Bale: I really appreciate Christian Bale because he's always locked in. I've never seen a movie that he's been in where I've been like "eh, I thought Bale could've been better." Say what you want about his Batman voice (and the fact that he signed on to Exodus: Gods and Kings) but the guy can just flat out act. Side note - it's weird that I took Amy and him as two of my five, but I honestly didn't really like American Hustle all that much. You'd think that with that cast-- ah, whatever. Christian Bale rules.
Mahershala Ali: The first time I saw Mahershala Ali was in House of Cards, where he played a lobbyist or some crap, but I really liked him. Then, as Cottonmouth in season 1 of Luke Cage, I was like oh man, this guy is awesome. Since that role back in 2016, he's been on a complete heater. He was the heart that drove Moonlight. A supporting role in Hidden Figures. An underrated role in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A big reason why I hate that I enjoyed Green Book. And he basically dragged me back to HBO for season 3 of True Detective after the abomination that was season 2. He honestly might be the one that will make me watch anything he's in. If I get to Alita: Battle Angel, you guys will be the first to know.
Brad Pitt: The guy is just electric and I think he's a really good person. He's prolific, and he's given us beautiful and rewatchable movies like Inglourious Basterds, Se7en, Interview with the Vampire, Fight Club, and The Big Short. I just think he's a great leading man who can carry any movie he's in. I don't really have all that much to say. You probably already know how great he is.
Jake Gyllenhaal: He's a guy that, similar to what I know Erin is going to say about Keira Knightley, I just kind of realized that I love a lot of his movies. While the guy has absolutely picked some stinkers like Prince of Persia, he's really developed into an awesome psychological thriller-type. While I think Donnie Darko is a little overrated, I really liked Nightcrawler and I LOVE Prisoners. He's not necessarily a hit machine, but I realized as I was going through this that he really does interest me in a lot of movies that I haven't necessarily seen already. For example, Okja. Sorry to him and Brad (and the Bonghive), but I haven't seen it yet. I will though.
Honorable Mentions: Daniel Day-Lewis, Donald Glover, Willem Dafoe, Michael Shannon, Brian Tyree Henry, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, John Goodman, Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Daniel Kaluuya, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Keaton, Michael Fassbender, Jon Bernthal, Keanu Reeves, Emily Blunt, Laura Dern, Emma Stone.