In Character: Bruce Greenwood

Bruce Greenwood is one of the kings of internal damnation. His best characters deal with (and exercise) their emotions with few words, stares and an intimidating presence. Don’t get me wrong, Greenwood can scream and shout with the best of them, but I’m always drawn to his ability to reel us in by doing very little (which, in terms of acting, means doing quite a lot).

I’ve been a fan of Greenwood’s since I saw him purposefully botch his own murder in Double Jeopardy. He’s a selfless actor who will do most anything (including making himself unidentifiable) to propel the character.

Five Essential Roles

Exotica (1994)

Francis

For his first collaboration with Atom Egoyan, Greenwood plays the reserved, desperate Francis, a Canadian tax auditor who frequents the Exotica nightclub nearly every night. Now for the weirdness: when Francis goes to the club, he has a babysitter (Sarah Polley) stay at his house, even though he doesn’t have any kids. Also, every night at the club, he has Christina, Exotica’s most popular dancer, give him a private dance while she’s dressed in a school girl’s uniform.

So, yeah, Francis has a few things wrong with him, but in typical Greenwood fashion, the character’s eccentricities are presented internally, which is rather refreshing. Exotica, which is close to being Egoyan’s best film, is brilliant in the way it slowly reveals the layers of its characters. Egoyan’s script is to thank for this, sure, but the refinement in the reveal should be credited to Greenwood and the other actors involved.

Double Jeopardy (1999)

Nick

Double Jeopardy is a perfectly trashy action thriller in which Nick, a wealthy businessman, frames his wife Libby (Ashley Judd), for murdering him so he can eventually cash in on his own life insurance.

Libby goes to prison, and while serving six discovers that her dearly departed husband is alive and well and banging her best friend. Like I said, trashy, but damn fun. As Nick, Greenwood plays a perfect scumbag, a dude making good on a hustle, relationships be damned. There’s a rather stellar Hitchcockian moment in the film where Libby, fresh out of the pen, confronts Nick (who by this point has changed his identity... twice) in public. The look on Greenwood’s face is enough to include his Double Jeopardy performance on this list.

Thirteen Days (2000)

John F. Kennedy

Playing one of the most famous men of all time is no short order, but in Greenwood’s capable hands, his depiction of JFK never falls into parody, or worse, the general population’s personification of a very misunderstood man. Instead, Greenwood makes JFK his own, the result is the very best on-screen representation of America’s 35^th President.

Now, granted, Greenwood doesn’t have much competition, but no matter how you shape it, Greenwood’s layered, in-depth portrayal of JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis is tense, taut and appropriately revealing. Sure, Greenwood may not look (or hell, even sound) exactly like the real man, but when the performance is this dialed in, you’re not going to hear anything but praise from me.

John from Cincinnati (2007)

Mitch Yost

As the star of David Milch’s incoherent-but-kind-of-fascinating HBO drama, Greenwood played an ex professional surfer in constant agony. Mitch agonizes with his (many) inner demons, his hectic family, and with the fresh-faced John (Austin Nichols), a young guy who may or may not be Jesus. Or... something.

John from Cincinnati was a damn odd show that was justly cancelled after one season. It was a tad too widespread and philosophical for its own good; the kind of show that asked 100 questions, but didn’t bother to answer one of them. But at its core, John from Cincinnati was filled with terrific performances, and as the anguished Mitch, Greenwood proved that even if what we’re watching doesn’t necessarily make sense, the art of acting can certainly make it intriguing.

I’m Not There (2007)

Keenan Jones/Pat Garrett

Playing, essentially, the only antagonist in Todd Haynes’ disjointed, cofounding, miraculous I’m Not There, Greenwood’s Keenan Jones is a British reporter who is unfazed by Bob Dylan’s apparent artifice. So when he grills Dylan (or, rather, Cate Blanchett’s flawless incarnation of Dylan, know in the film as Jude Quinn) about who he really is, the film is sent into a delicate tailspin. No one has had the balls to attempt to break Dylan down, and Jones is more than up for the task. He turns off the charm, asks the tough questions and demands to know the Why of the man.

But that’s only part of it.

Late in the film, Greenwood shows up unrecognizably as Pat Garrett, a weathered codger who obnoxiously tells the citizens of a small county (including Billy the Kid, played by Richard Gere) how things are going to be. Pat Garrett is definitely the briefer role here, but collectively, Greenwood’s effortless acting, accompanied with Haynes’ smooth editing, helps make for one of Greenwood’s most fascinating character(s).

The Best of the Best

The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Billy

Atom Egoyan’s poignant The Sweet Hereafter tells the story of how a tragic school bus accident devastates a small town. The film, which seamlessly cuts back and forth to life before and after the accident, showcases many fine performances, chief among them is Bruce Greenwood’s grizzled, frustrated Billy.

Recently widowed due to his wife’s remorseless bout with cancer, Billy is introduced as a simple, kind man who loves his two daughters endearingly. But it’s after the bus accident (which he horrifyingly witnesses) that Billy is given new (possibly infinite) depth.

There’s a scene late in this film where Billy tells his mistress that the best parts of their time together was all the times she was unable to get away from her husband. In those moments, Billy says through tears, he was able to sit and silently reflect on how good his life used to be. It’s as devastating as it sounds, and, from where I’m sitting, represents the finest scene in the finest performance of one damn fine career.

Other Notable Roles

In Meek's Cutoff

St. Elsewhere (1986-1988)

The Malibu Bikini Shop (1986)

Rules of Engagement (2000)

Ararat (2002)

I, Robot (2004)

Being Julia (2004)

Capote (2005)

Déjà vu (2006)

Star Trek (2009)

Dinner for Schmucks (2010)

Meek’s Cutoff (2010)

Super 8 (2011)


Previous installments of In Character include:
John Cazale
Patricia Clarkson
Cliff Curtis
Jeff Daniels
Viola Davis
William Fichtner

Brendan Gleeson
John Hawkes
Richard Jenkins
Erland Josephson
Elias Koteas
Heath Ledger
William H. Macy
David Morse
Emily Mortimer
Gary Oldman
Guy Pearce
Kevin Pollak
Sam Rockwell
Campbell Scott
Michael Shannon
David Strathairn
Danny Trejo
Shea Whigham
Ray Winstone
Jeffrey Wright