In Character: Billy Crudup

Billy Crudup (pro tip: it’s pronounced “crude-up” not “crud-up”) is an actor I can’t believe I haven’t covered in my In Character series. When I began to immerse myself in his filmography, I realized why: this guy is good in everything. He’s choosy with his film roles, as he dedicates much of his career to the theater, but his film performances are contained, real, and great. Choosing his six best roles was not easy, but here’s a look at one of my all-time favorite character actors.

Five Essential Roles

Without Limits (1998)

Steve Prefontaine

Without Limits caught a tough break early on. The year before its came out, Prefontaine starring Jared Leto was released to mediocre results. Not only was it bad that another Prefontaine film had just dropped, but it was clear that audiences weren’t invested in the material.

Without Limits is a fine film with two astounding performances: Crudup as the cocky, talented, ill-fated Olympic runner, Steve Prefontaine, and Donald Sutherland as Prefontaine’s coach, Bill Bowerman. When discussing Without Limits one feels required to compare Crudup’s performance with Leto’s. It’s a tough call, both actors obviously immersed themselves in the material. But I must reverse an opinion I made in December on this blog, and hail Without Limits (and Crudup’s take on Prefontaine) as the better project. On a recent episode of the Off Camera podcast, Crudup admitted that he didn’t want to play Steve Prefontaine, he wanted to become him. The actor’s dedication is certainly clear throughout.

Jesus’ Son (1999)

FH

Lately, Crudup has taken roles playing “the guy.” He’s in the background, he blends in, he is. Think of his work in The Stanford Prison Experiment, Spotlight, Jackie, 20th Century Women, and so on. Crudup’s characters are there. This is not an insult, it is damn hard to be present and make your character feel that real. But my point is, early in his career, Crudup made drastic character choices in speech, movement, and appearance. His speech pattern in Without Limits is rushed and excitable, his physique is insanely trimmed. Then, the next year, he’d played a carefree, gaunt junkie in Jesus’ Son. It’s a remarkable transformation, especially when you watch the performances back-to-back.

Jesus’ Son isn’t a typical stung out movie; it’s sort of the emotional antithesis of Trainspotting. Crudup’s RH drifts through life, meeting this person and that, scoring that dope and this. He meets women, crashes in motels, squats here, lives there. Yet Crudup makes RH curiously compelling. He talks in a muted pattered and shuffles around when he walks, living from day to day, moment to moment. Jesus’ Son is one of those little seen mid-to-late ‘90s indie movies that deserves to be sought out. If only for Crudup’s work alone.

Almost Famous (2000)

Russell Hammond

Russell Hammond is by far Billy Crudup’s most popular performance, and that’s for good reason. This character is such an atypical rock star. Watching the film, we keep waiting for Russell to do rock star things, but for the most part, he just kicks around, performs, makes nice. That is, until we get to actually know him. As Almost Famous evolves, we’re privy to the real Russell. The egotistical, manipulative, cheating rocker who cares only about himself. It’s a fantastically layered performance that doesn’t nearly get enough credit.

Dedication (2007)

Henry Roth

Justin Theroux’s Dedication is about Henry Roth, a troubled children’s book author plagued by OCD and bipolar disorder. Henry is smart, engaging, and absolutely vicious. He’s so scared of human connection that he berates people to keep them away, including an illustrator (Mandy Moore) who takes a liking to him. Dedication marks a turning point for Crudup. It’s one of his last film “choice” performances, in which he is making noticeable character choices (the most recent one would be his nearly unrecognizable work as J. Edgar Hoover in Public Enemies). He’s angry as Henry Roth; confused, conflicted, alone. And that makes his character evolution that much more endearing.

Rudderless (2014)

Sam

Sam is my favorite “adult” Crudup performance. It’s a tough part; the emotional arc of the character is severe throughout. Because just imagine. Imagine news breaks that your only son has shot up his school before taking his own life. You raised him as best you could, being attentive and encouraging his music career, but then this happens. What do you do? Perhaps you’d fall like Sam does. You’d drink too much, alienate yourself, collapse. Rudderless captures this emotional torment, and then shows the subtle rise of picking yourself up. The film is a tad Sundance-lite, but Crudup is fantastic throughout. Sam is so consumed by his own shame, that you aren’t sure where he can go, which makes the film’s satisfying conclusion so memorable.

Wild Card

Sleepers (1996)

Tommy Marcano

Sleepers is not only one of my favorite films, but also the first film Billy Crudup ever acted in. Crudup isn’t given a lot of screen time in the movie, but he does wonders with his performance. Crudup is playing the adult version of a guy who was horribly abused as a child. People handle trauma differently, and Tommy, along with his best friend, John (Ron Eldard), have responded poorly. They drink, do drugs, and kill at will. What makes Crudup’s performance so great is that the moment you see him in the film, you know exactly what this guy has been through. He’s sweaty, red-eyed, and completely absent. It’s a fine debut for such a dedicated performer.

The Best of the Best

Waking the Dead (2000)

Fielding Pierce

This wasn’t an easy decision. In fact, I could make a case that any of the aforementioned performances are Crudup’s best. But upon rewatching Waking the Dead, I found myself drawn to Fielding Pierce in a way I hadn’t before. The film opens with Fielding learning that the love of his life (Jennifer Connelly) has died in a terrorist bombing. He’s devastated, and he never really recovers. Instead, Fielding begins a rapid descent into emotional madness that is so uncomfortable to watch.

Waking the Dead is a bit scattered (once it settles into something good, the scene changes to a new time period), but at its core are two heartfelt, dynamic performances from Crudup and Connelly. All of Fielding’s emotional frenzy leads to a devastating climax, in which Fielding breaks down at dinner with his friends and family. The camera mostly stays on Crudup as he unleashes the verbal madness of his mind. It is such a difficult scene to watch. Fielding Pierce is Crudup at his most hysterical, but it’s contained hysteria. You believe his every move, and understand why he makes such poor decisions. The performance is a perfect balance of the young, “choice”-driven Crudup, and the older, “there” Crudup. Essential viewing for any fan of Crudup’s work.

Other Notable Roles

in Public Enemies

Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
The Hi-Lo Country (1998)
Big Fish (2003)
Stage Beauty (2004)
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
The Good Shepherd (2006)
Watchmen (2009)
Public Enemies (2009)
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Blood Ties (2013)
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
Spotlight (2015)
Jackie (2016)
20th Century Women (2016)
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Gypsy (2017)