In Character

Character actors are the backbone of so many great films. With In Character, I attempt to shed light on the actors who only deserve more of it.





183 comments:

  1. I just love to read all of these. They are great. Are you planning on doing one for Walton Goggins or Bryan Cranston?

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    1. Thanks so much! I really appreciate you stopping by and commenting. I've been meaning to cover Goggins for a while - I just love that dude. I should work on Cranston as well... guess that means I need to finish Breaking Bad. Ha.

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    2. I can't wait to read the Goggins one when you do that. Yeah, you should definitely finish Breaking Bad. It's a little overrated and over hyped i think, but he is amazing in it. Especially the last season.

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    1. I love me some Murray, but he's not exactly a character actor, you know? That man is a star.

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    2. I was just reading this list to see if you had done Bill Murray yet.. now you have to ! :D

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    3. And so it shall be done. Soon!

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    4. It has been done :)

      http://www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com/2014/04/in-character-bill-murray.html

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  3. Have you ever thought about doing one for Peter Dinklage?

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    1. Dinklage is such a good actor, and I'm a great admirer of his work, but sadly, I've never made time to watch Game of Thrones. So covering him at this point wouldn't feel complete, you know?

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    2. Oh, that's a shame. You should definitely check it out when you get the time. It's a great show and Peter is amazing on it. By far his best performance to date. But he has a ton of other great performances as well like in The Station Agent, Living in Oblivion and Find Me Guilty to name a few. He really is great.

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    3. Oh I love him. I've seen most of his film performances, I just don't make time for TV too often. I've literally heard nothing but good things about GoT, so at some point, I'll definitely dive right in an crush them all out. Thanks for stopping by and suggesting him though. I really appreciate it!

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  4. What about Jeremy Davies? He is such an underrated character actor.

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    1. Ohhh shit, now you're talkin'. Hell man, I might do him next. That's a great, great call. Love that guy.

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    2. Here's the Jeremy Davies post. Thanks again for the push on this one. Was a long time comin'.

      http://www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com/2014/05/in-character-jeremy-davies.html

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  5. Hey, Alex. Here I am, man, reading your wonderful "In Character" posts and I was thinking: "What about Jessica Chastain?" I mean, to me, she's the next Meryl Streep or something. She's a phenomenal actress and trust me there are a lot of people interested in reading an "In Character" post from you about her. Just a suggestion. God, I loved the one about Michael Shannon, by the way.

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    1. Thanks for checking out the posts! Oh, Chastain... love her. She's one of the best in the game right now. Problem is, I think she's going to have too good of a 2014, so I want to hold off writing a post about her for a while. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Miss Julie, Interstellar, A Most Violent Year... yeah, she's gonna kill it in '14. Don't want to rush the post! But that is a great call man, I really do adore her work.

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    2. You're more than right about that. She's gonna reign in 2014 again, it's definitely going to happen. What a talented actress she is and what a lovely woman she seems to be. Really love her as well.

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  6. I was watching the latest season finale of Justified this week and it got me thinking that Michael Rapaport would be a good fit for this. I thought he was a great big bad for this season and i have really enjoyed him in other stuff as well like Cop Land, True Romance and Special. What do you think of him, Alex?

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    1. I actually really dig Rapaport... dunno why I haven't thought of him for a post here. He has an off beat vulnerability to him that I like. I only caught the first few eps of his Justified run, but I really dug him in it.

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    2. Oh, you definitely need to catch up on the entire season. Especially before you consider doing a post for him. He goes to some really dark places you would never expect him to go.

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    3. Shit man, looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend!

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  7. I hope you don't mind too many requests because i just thought Forest Whitaker would be a great choice for an In Character segment. I just watched Ghost Dog for the first time and it was brilliant.

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    1. I never mind taking requests! You've had some really great ones so far, which I certainly appreciate. Whitaker is so strong and he kills it in Ghost Dog. Will definitely put him in the mix for a post.

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  8. I hope you don't mind but I borrowed this idea for one of my articles, though I covered someone I didn't see on your list:

    http://hitchcocksworld.blogspot.ca/2014/06/in-character-gregory-peck.html

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    1. I saw that over the weekend, and I wasn’t going to say anything, but now that you’ve posted the link on my site, I’ll be honest, I do mind. It’s great when other bloggers write about actors who don’t necessarily receive a lot of ink, but using the same column headline I’ve used for nearly three years struck me as unnecessary bordering on discourteous. Obviously, I don’t own that headline, and I would never pretend that I do. But of all the dozens and dozens of titles you could have chosen, I’m at a loss why “In Character” was the one you decided on.

      I’m a really chill, easygoing guy, but there’s an unspoken respect among bloggers that you don’t nab stuff, proper credit given or otherwise. I’m not the type of guy who would leave you an angry comment on your site, asking you to amend the headline, but since you asked here, that’s how I feel about it.

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    2. I'm terribly sorry. I suppose you could argue that I at least did something different by writing about a classic actor but if you'd like I could change the title to something else. Maybe if I did something like "Actor's Profile" or something. I suppose if I do any similar activities in the future with other actors I could try and find some other way of doing it.

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    3. Hey man, I really respect your prompt apology, very cool of you. I would appreciate a change to "Actor's Profile" or the like, but that is ultimately up to you. For me personally, whenever I see a list or post idea that another blogger has done, I always email or direct message them through Twitter to ask if it's okay if I do I similar post. And one last thing, definitely no hard feelings from my end about this. It's all good, really.

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    4. I changed the name as soon as I saw your response. Hopefully "The Many Characters of Gregory Peck" will stand on its own a little better and might be a better choice if I find myself doing this kind of thing in the future with other actors.

      That said, if I do want to try anything else resembling your style I'll send you a twitter feed or something. If you do have any objections to the way I handle something of yours in the future don't be afraid to come out and say it.

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    5. Cool man, will do. Thanks for changing the title, I really do appreciate it.

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  9. Hi! I really like reading your posts. I was wondering if you can also write about James Spader, Melissa Leo and Isabelle Huppert, who were all my favorite actors. Thanks

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    1. Ohh great calls right there! Actually, by pure coincidence, Leo is my next post. But I'll definitely put the other two in the running - I love Huppert in particular. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. Look out for Leo next week!

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    2. cool! im expecting!!! thank you!

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  10. Replies
    1. Working on something now. Though I really wish I didn't have a reason to.

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  11. How far back do your character actors go? Because I've always thought of Claude Rains as one.

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    1. I'd love to go back and give props to those old school greats. Rains is a great call, I've been slowly chipping away at his work for a while. Same with Peter Lorre, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden and especially Martin Balsam. I love that guy. I do need to familiarize myself a little more with their respective filmographies though. Thanks for the comment!

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    1. Tough call. A great actor, no question... one of my favorites. But not one I'd define as a character actor. Still, it'd be nice to write something about him.

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  13. Replies
    1. Holy shit, now you're talkin'. That's one that I can't believe I haven't covered before. I'm definitely doing that next. Thanks man!

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  14. Would Love a Juliette Lewis one. Big fan of hers.

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    1. Now THAT'S a great call. Will definitely have that post up soon. Thanks!

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  15. Alex, you just have to do Gene Hackman!!!

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    1. Such a great actor, but not really a character actor, you know? Still, I could definitely do a list for him.

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  16. Marcello Mastroianni, Dylan Baker, Casey Affleck,Claude Rains, Harvey Kietel, Peter Boyle, Forrest Whitaker, Jack Lemon, Johan Widerberg, Gustav Skarsgård, Ken Watanebi, Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Benicio Del Toro.

    Would you mind doing any of these?

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    1. Rains, Keitel, Baker, and Del Toro interest me for sure.

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  17. Im sorry for writing so many coments, did not understand that they needed to be approved before showing up (:

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    1. Ha, it's all good. But yeah, just know that I see everything you comment. Just may not be around to approve it right away. I loved many of your recommendations, and will definitely get working on them soon!

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  18. He broke my heart in Tearms Of Endearment, made me laugh in 3rd Rock, scared the shit out of me In Dexter. Lightow is one of the actors who can create any mask and play it to perfection

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    1. Exactly. He's really damn strong. Also... Cliffhanger.

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    2. Need to see that one... Forgot to mention Blow Out

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    3. Footloose, Raising Cain... I love this guy. Definitely going to write about him soon. Though just a warning, I tend to focus on films rather than TV performances. So probably no 3rd Rock or Dexter!

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    4. That is understandeble, i hope you get to include Love Is Strange.

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    5. Oh for sure. I really liked that movie.

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  19. Jeff Goldbleum (I know the spelling is horrible)

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  20. Replies
    1. Nice pick. Need to get a tad more familiar with his work first.

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  21. chloe sevigny (Feeling guilty over not including that many women)

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    1. Always looking for other worthy females to cover. I adore Chloë Sevigny.

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  22. Casey Affleck and my favorite character actor... Ben Foster

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  23. Brady Corbet? I love him in Funny Games and Simon Killer.

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    1. Definitely a good one. I need to see more of his stuff though. He has a good scene in Force Majeure.

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    1. He gave the best performance in Force Majeur (:

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    2. He was the ass-whole from After Earth. (The only good part about that film.)

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  25. Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Bakula, Patton Oswalt. Just watched The Informant and i loved them all in it

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    1. I've tried to brave that post a few times, but there are SO MANY credits to choose from. Still, I need to cover him for sure.

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  27. Replies
    1. Great call. Number one has to be Full Metal.

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    2. Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner and Vincent D'Onofrio?
      (Were you aware of that?)

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    3. The fact that these actors were in Strange Days. Strange coincidence.

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    4. Stranger is that I really like that movie yet I didn't include it as any of their best roles. Weird.

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  28. I agree, that scene in the toilet sends shivers down my spine by only thinking about it.

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    1. So creepy, so effective. Have you read Matthew Modine's Full Metal Jacket Diary? He and D'Onofrio didn't get along at all. D'Onofrio was really method, never broke character. Which must have been terrifying haha.

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    2. Also, you've been so kind with your comments and suggestions for this column. Thank you for that. How about you pick one actor/actresses for me to cover next, and that's who I'll cover. Just one though - who's your top choice?!

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    3. Tough choice, i hope it won't be much of a bother if i asked you review Richard Attenborough? He was shuch a great actor and it is shame that he is overlooked. If you don't think he qualifies as a charachter actor the i would like you to do a post on Dennis Hooper (:

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    4. Attenborough definitely qualifies, but I'm a little more hip on Hopper's career, so I'll get working on him! Great recommendation!

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    5. That sounds great (:

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    6. That sounds great (:

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  29. Man, you have been getting a ton of great requests lately i see. I almost feel guilty for lumping on one more now, but the one i came here to suggest was actually also Vincent D'Onofrio. I just finished watching the new Daredevil show and he was so fantastic on that show i just had to request him for an In Character segment. If you haven't had time to check out Daredevil yet i strongly suggest you do. Especially before you consider eventually doing a write up of Vincent.

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    1. Don't feel bad at all! I'll definitely get cracking on a D'Onofrio post. Love that he has so many fans. And I heard he's great on Daredevil.

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  30. Got some suggestions for the future

    Karl Malden

    Lee.J.Cobb

    Max Von Sydow

    Sam Elliott

    Tim Roth

    Ben Johnson

    James Whitmore (He gave the best performance in Shawshank...Broke my heart)

    Ned Beatty

    George C. Scott

    Mark Strong

    Robert Duvall

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    1. I've really wanted to tackle some of the men from 12 Angry Men. Gotta get on that soon. All of your other suggestions are solid. You always have the best recommendations.

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  31. Also

    Shelley Duvall

    Marissa Tomei

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    1. Tomei is someone I've been meaning to cover for a while now.

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  32. Are you going to make a Jim Carrey profile someday?

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    1. Not for this column, but maybe for a "regular" post in the future.

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    2. Okay, 'cause right now I work at a post about his best performances. He was at a point one of my favorite actors.

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    3. I have to see just Man on the Moon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in order to make the post. I hope that he doesn't disappoint.

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    4. The Grinch is pretty bad, but the other two are great. I've always loved his work in Man on the Moon.

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  33. Robert Downey Jr.! People often remember for his more "popular" roles, but he had some amazing and very underrated performances. I would love to see a profile of him.

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    1. I'm definitely more of a fan of his earlier work. His stuff with James Toback is incredible. Sad to think that he was probably very stoned out most of the time though.

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  34. Sam Neill, Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Giamatti, Harvey Kietel (maybe in Character: the of Cast of RESERVOIR DOGS), Benicio Del Toro, Klaus Maria Brandauer.

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    1. Dude, the cast of Reservoir Dogs is an AMAZING idea. Definitely going to do that. Benicio is next up. And I've been wanting to cover those first four for a while now.

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  35. Joe Pantoliano? He was terific în Memento and Risky Buisness.

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    1. Love that guy. He makes Crash a far better film than it deserves to be.

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  37. John Smith: Stellan Skarsgard? Not sure if he is a character actor.

    I would also like name Mads Mikelsen (Not sure if i spelled it correctly) as well as Martin Sheen

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    1. All superb choices. Skarsgård is one I'd love to cover soon, I just need to get more familiar with his Swedish work. Martin Sheen ROCKS.

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  38. Allison Janney would be great!

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    1. I've been meaning to cover her for so long. I'll get to her soon!

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  39. John Smith: Brady Corbert, Juno Temple, Alan Rickman (R.I.P), Julie Walters, Brad Douriff, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Sean Bean, Peter Lorre.

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    1. All great picks. Jason Miller... man, I loved that guy's work. I am tempted to do Rickman for obvious reasons, but last time I did an actor featured prominently in Harry Potter, I got my ass handed to me for not highlighting their Harry Potter performance as one of their best. (sigh)

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    2. You just have to follow your gut, always.

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  40. John Smith: JUDY GREER!!!

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    1. Yeah I really need to cover her soon. I adore her work.

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  41. Hey, have you thought about Samuel L. Jackson or Joaquin Phoenix?

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    1. Both great picks. I should've definitely cover them. I wonder if Jackson would consider himself a character actor.

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  42. I'd love to see you do a list of Verga Farmiga. In my opinion, one of the most underrated Actresses out there today!

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    1. That is a great choice! Down to the Bone would be my number one. I haven't seen Bates Motel though.

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    2. I knew that would be your #1! Mine too! That is a true breakout performance! One of my all time favorites EVER by an Actress. Other favorites for me would be The Departed, Up in the Air, Orphan, and she is perfect in the Conjuring films!

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  43. Giancarlo Esposito and Alan Tudyk

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  44. Did you ever consider doing one of these for Powers Boothe? He was one of those great actors with a gigantic screen presence that stole whatever movie or show he appeared in. There is no character i love to hate more than Cy Tolliver from Deadwood. He could have easily been catroonishly evil, but Powers played that character to perfection. Hell, even in bad movies or TV shows he stood out as a bright spot. I usually don't watch Agents of Shield, but whenever i was channel swapping and noticed Powers was on, i stayed on that channel despite not knowing what the hell was going on. It was impossible not to play attention to that man. It's a such a shame he passed so soon.

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    1. The weird thing is, I was writing my Boothe post concurrently with my Tom Berenger post. I just randomly published my Berenger post first. Such a sad loss. Here's my Boothe write-up: http://www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com/2017/05/in-character-powers-boothe.html

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    2. Yeah, i saw that. Great write-up. Damn, that's a crazy coincidence.

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    3. So weird right? I think that happened one other time actually, when I was in the middle of writing by James Rebhorn post. So sad.

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  45. Can you please do one on Juno Temple next?
    I've been waiting for a while.

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    1. I do love her. I'm not sure I've seen enough of her British films though. Need to change that.

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  46. There's another actress you should also do one on,Brenda Bakke.

    Also,did you ever check out the show Schitt's Creek?
    As I said before,Catherine O'Hara is hilarious on there.

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    1. Hmm I'm not very familiar with Bakke's work but it looks like she's had a solid career. Haven't had time for Schitt's Creek unfortunately. Soon I hope!

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  47. You should consider doing a In Character on comedic character actress Siobhan Fallon.

    She had a stint on Saturday Night Live,after her time on SNL,she landed roles in well known films like Forrest Gump,Men in Black,The Negotiator,& many others,as well as guest spots on some popular shows like Seinfeld & others.
    She's also best known for her role in the Fred TV movies as Fred's Mom.

    Here's her profile on Imdb:
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0266441/?ref_=nv_sr_2

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    1. That's a really inspired choice. I'll have to dig into her work more, but I've enjoyed her in everything I've seen her in.

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  48. Thoughts on doing one of David Thewlis, Paul Dano or Dylan Baker?

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    1. Those are all great picks. Baker in particular is someone I really need to cover. Certainly can't go wrong with Thewlis and Dano either. Thanks for these recommendations!

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    1. Thanks so much! I LOVE LaBeouf and he would make for a great subject here. Good call!

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  50. Bokeem Woodbine!
    Guy never really got the recognition he deserves!

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  51. I've been reading much of your work recently and I'm becoming a quick fan. Enjoyed alot of it especially the one on Powers Boothe, such a talented and underrated actor. By the way, any chance of an in character of Mads Mikkelsen or Idris Elba?

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    1. Hey Laurence thanks so much, I really appreciate you checking out the site! Mads and Idris are both great calls, I have so much respect for their work.

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  52. Any chance of getting an in character of Clancy Brown, Mads Mikkelsen or Idris Elba?

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    1. Ohh I've been circling around a Clancy Brown post for a while. I still need to see Carnivàle.

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  53. Just finished Miller's Crossing for the first time, ya gotta do Jon Polito some justice when you get the chance!

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    1. GREAT call! That's my favorite role of his, too.

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  54. Fantastic blog!
    My three recommendations would be Michael Wincott, Noomi Rapace and Michael Massee
    All are exceptionally under-rated, phenomenal actors, you should check them out if you get the chance.

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    1. Thanks so much! All great choices... I've been meaning to do a Michael Wincott post for years. I've always loved that guy.

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