In Character: Ed Harris

Ed Harris is one of those rare actors who can make most any film worth it. With his explosive intensity and furious emotion, Harris has long since proved himself as one of film’s finest character actors. There are many amazing performances to choose from when highlighting Harris, best work; below are simply my favorites.

Five Essential Roles

The Abyss (1989)

Virgil Bud Brigman

The scene in The Abyss where Bud Brigman literally brings his estranged wife, Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), back to life is the single best-acted scene of Harris’ career. The arc that Bud (and Harris himself) goes through is astounding. A standalone masterclass in acting. His power, his intensity, his emotion – the scene never fails to shake me. To be clear, Harris’ contribution to The Abyss is far more substantial than just this one scene, but damn if that sequence doesn’t define Harris’ strength as an actor.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Dave Moss

Dave Moss is the office bully. He’s low on the sales board, he’s getting older, he’s tired, he’s pissed. He’s fuckin’ Dave Moss. There’s a moment Harris has in this movie that is rarely discussed. It’s late in the film, just as George (Alan Arkin) steps out of the manager’s office while talking to the police. George asks his office mates if anyone is going to get coffee. Dave pauses, looks at George and says, “How ya doin’?” “Fine,” George responds before retreating back behind a closed door. There’s so much packed into Dave’s delivery of “How ya doin’?” especially knowing the power that Dave has had over George earlier in the film (“Because you listened.”). Dave is one of the great manipulators of Glengarry Glen Ross, and Harris embodies Dave’s insecure, volatile energy brilliantly.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Gene Kranz

Gene Kranz is Ed Harris at his most understated. There are no verbal explosions from Gene in Apollo 13. No fists thrown or guns drawn. Instead, as the flight director of the flawed Apollo 13 mission, it is Gene’s job to solve problems and react quickly, but efficiently. He keeps a cool head, he chain smokes, he thinks, he eliminates risk. It’s a great, emotive performance from Harris. And who can forget Harris’ flawless delivery of “…I think this is going to be our finest hour” to the director of NASA? And, of course, the way Harris’ sinks into his chair once he knows the crew of Apollo 13 is back home safe. What excellent delivery and economy of movement.

The Truman Show (1998)

Christof

People rarely mention how much of a goddamn sociopath Harris’ character, Christof, is in The Truman Show. Christof is a guy who pioneered a television program in which one man’s life was never his own. And Christof did this for nothing more than ratings and financial gain. Sure, he may spout off about the psychological and sociological benefits of studying Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), but that fact is, Christof stole (and subsequently controlled) a man’s entire life without that man’s permission.

I love watching characters like Christof. Characters who are objectively insane, but never act how we normally see insane characters act. In short, it’s the sign of a great performance when a supporting character is so strong, we wish we could watch a film dedicated entirely to him.

The Hours (2002)

Richard Brown

There are certainly more prominent Ed Harris roles to highlight in this post, but I’m going with his work in The Hours because, despite only occupying two scenes in the film, The Hours is never more alive than when Harris is on screen. His articulate, angry, dying Richard Brown showcases all of Harris’ finest qualities as an actor. For the duration of his work as Richard, Harris is constrained to a wheelchair, his character too physically ill to move. Yet despite limited screentime and a lack of mobility, Harris’ still grabs us, and then some.

Wild Card

The Rock (1996)

General Francis X. Hummel

Harris’ performance as General Francis X. Hummel in The Rock is the best performance Michael Bay has ever directed. And, okay, yeah, maybe that’s faint praise, but despite being in a Michael Bay film, this is some damn fine work. Genuinely. And Harris’ gag reel from the film ranks among the best gag reels ever assembled.

The Best of the Best

Pollock (2000)

Jackson Pollock

Portraying tortured painter, Jackson Pollock, on the screen was a dream of Ed Harris. To finally be able to do it, Harris decided to direct the film himself on a modest budget. The result not only generated Harris best, most intense performance, it proved to be one hell of a debut film from an actor-turned-director. I’ve always been taken with Pollock. Its cinematography, score, production design and editing make the film breeze by. It’s all assembled with the touch of a seasoned pro, which is shocking, given that Pollock was Harris’ first film as a director.

But, of course, the main strength of the film is Harris’ remarkable performance. In playing the drunken, lost, enraged famed painter, Harris immersed himself so intensely that it’s nearly impossible to distinguish character from actor. How in the hell he managed to switch from actor mode to director mode while filming is beyond me.

Matt Damon once posited that the only way for the Oscars to be accurate (that is, to award the true deserved winner), the ceremony should take place 10 years after the films’ release year. Noting that, in 2010, I’m not sure Russell Crowe would still win Best Actor for Gladiator. Perhaps the hype would’ve passed. Tom Hanks in Cast Away may be too sentimental, and the respective films starring Geoffrey Rush (Quills) and Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) may have been lost in the shuffle. That leaves Harris’ career-best work in Pollock; not by default, mind you, but by strength. I’m not sure if it would happen, but it’s certainly fun to think about.

Other Notable Roles

in A History of Violence

The Right Stuff (1983)

Places in the Heart (1984)

Sweet Dreams (1985)

Walker (1987)

Jacknife (1989)

The Firm (1993)

Milk Money (1994)

Nixon (1995)

Just Cause (1995)

Absolute Power (1997)

Stepmom (1998)

Walking the Dead (2000)

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

Enemy at the Gates (2002)

The Human Stain (2003)

A History of Violence (2005)

Empire Falls (2005)

Copying Beethoven (2006)

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Appaloosa (2008)

The Way Back (2010)

Game Change (2012)

Pain & Gain (2013)

Snowpiercer (2013)
Westworld (2016)