The James McAvoy-Angelina Jolie actioner Wanted hits DVD tomorrow in standard, special, and gift-set editions. I say skip them all and Netflix the bugger. It’s a ho-hum film (for James’ best, see Shameless) and it’s painful to see a Brit thesp as remarkable as Marc Warren (known only in the movie as "the Repairman") go so underused. Pick up any season of Marc’s grifter series Hustle, watch his fab Doctor Who episode "Love & Monsters" (he dances to ELO’s "Mr. Blue Sky"), or check out his key role alongside James in the British State of Play, and you’ll know what I mean. (Just don’t get me started on the casting of the big screen SoP remake. Ben Affleck as David Morrissey’s character? Russell Crowe as John Simm’s? Ouch, my ulcers).
Thus, in Marc, David, and John’s honors, it’s time for another list of British (and Irish) Joes you should know (after the jump) — those actors that nab tiny roles in blockbusters or popular TV, but whom Anglophiles adore. And who are hopefully bound to be huge. You know, like Russell Brand was a year ago. That way, when people say things like, “I’m so sick of Russell Tovey, he’s all over the place,” you can be like, “Dude, I pegged him as the next Doctor, last year.” (P.S. My new favorite, The Seagull actress Carey Mulligan, gets her own column next week).
addCredit(“Marc Warren: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images; Paterson Joseph: Gerard Burkhart/Getty Images; Maxine Peake: R. Stonehouse/Retna”)
1. Russell Tovey. You may remember him: as Gavin’s friend Budgie on Gavin & Stacey or athlete Rudge in History Boys. Look for him: as John Chivery in Masterpiece Classic’s Little Dorrit (premieres March 29th).
2. Dylan Moran. You may remember him as: the Notting Hill shoplifter or Simon Pegg’s doomed nemesis in Shaun of the Dead. Look for him: on DVD in his own brilliant sitcom, Black Books (he’s the boozing owner of an independent book store) or starring in the upcoming Irish dark comedy, A Film with Me in It.
3. Toby Stephens. You may remember him as: Baddie Gustav Graves in Die Another Day (he’s also Dame Maggie Smith’s son). Look for him: possibly outfoxing Richard Armitage as Prince John in Season 3 of BBC America’s Robin Hood next year.
4. Gemma Arterton. You may remember her as: Quantum of Solace’s Strawberry Fields (who didn’t coo over her five minutes of screen time?). Look for her: opposite Tudors’ star Hans Matheson as the titular heroine in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Masterpiece Classic’s new adaptation premieres January 4th.
5. Anne-Marie Duff. You may remember her as: James McAvoy’s arm candy at every award show last season (they’re married). Look for her: Being absolutely knock-out brilliant on DVD in Shameless and The Virgin Queen, and alongside her husband in next year’s Tolstoy biopic, The Last Station.
6. Tom Hardy. You may remember him as: Failed Picard clone Shinzon in Star Trek: Nemesis or RocknRolla’s Handsome Bob. Look for him: as Heathcliff in Masterpiece’s Wuthering Heights (premieres January 18th) and Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist (February 15th).
7. Gina Bellman. You may remember her as: Ditsy, lovelorn Jane from BBC America’s Coupling. Look for her: as a sophisticated con woman and Timothy Hutton’s love interest in the new TNT series Leverage (premieres December 7th).
8. Lee Ingleby. You may remember him as: Knight Bus conductor Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Look for him: on DVD in George Gently and opposite Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, and Max Minghella in Beeban Kidron’s upcoming Hippie Hippie Shake.
9. Paterson Joseph. You may remember him as: “NumberWang” contestant Simon on BBC America’s That Mitchell and Webb Look, or from the two-episode Doctor Who reality show farce “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of Ways.” Look for him: as a rival sleuth when The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency becomes a short series next year.
10. Rupert Penry-Jones. You may remember him as: brother Piers du Pré in Hilary and Jackie, his eight minutes of screen time as “Henry” (yeah, I don’t even remember him) in Match Point. Look for him: on DVD January 20th as spy Adam Carter in MI-5, Vol. 6 (which never made it to TV in the states).
11. Maxine Peake.You may remember her as: dirty-talking, platinum blonde Veronica in Shameless. Have I mentioned that show yet? Look for her: also in Little Dorrit as Miss Wade, and next summer in Marple: They Do It With Mirrors.
So, who’s on your list? Whom did I miss? And what other works by these actors would you recommend?
Bits and Bobs Calendar:
Monday: Daniel Radcliffe guests on Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio at 8 p.m.
Tuesday: Kevin McKidd sits down with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel at 12:05 p.m. Paul Weller at the BBC debuts on on DVD.
Wednesday: Keane stops by Ellen (check local listings),while Tom Jones visits NBC’s Tonight Show at 11:35 p.m. TCM airs a five-film Vivien Leigh marathon beginning at 8 p.m. Spectacle: Elvis Costello with… premieres on Sundance at 9 p.m. (first guest: Elton John).
Thursday: Rhys Ifans stars in Danny Deckchair on IFC at 2 p.m. If you haven’t done so already, start watching MI-5 season 7 on YouTube here.
Friday: Jamie Bell stars in Dear Wendy on Sundance at 7 p.m.
Saturday: DVR Orlando Bloom in comedy The Calcium Kid at 7:30 a.m. on Sundance.
Sunday: Paul McGuigan’s Gangster No. 1 airs on IFC at 10:30 p.m.
Comments (1-30) of 88 Add your comment
Hear, hear to all this folks! (And no, don’t get me started on the big-screen ‘State of Play’ either. Ugh.) I like Adrian Lester too: seen in Kenneth Branagh’s ‘As You Like It’ and also the ring leader in ‘Hustle.’ And Ruth Jones and James Corden should be stars over on this side of the pond…
I heard a rumor that Patterson Joseph is in the running for Dr. Who. He was brilliant as Emperor Jones!
You LIKE Love and Monsters? I don’t know any one who likes it! I do thank you for giving love to these terrific actors who are so underappreciated over here. I love Shameless, and I’m also a fan of the 2006 Jane Eyre with Toby Stephens (and Ruth Wilson).
I found a lovely little James McAvoy Platone-produced movie called “Starter for 10″ at my local library. Definitely recommend it. He’s got great comedic timing, he’s an amazingly talented dramatic actor, and he’s wonderful to look at. Is there anything he can’t do?
**Playtone-produced
Sorry, I spaced out while typing
I’d like Love and Monsters if it weren’t so existentially terrifying at the end (I don’t think that was the idea at all!).
You missed Andrea Riseborough!!
Watch all bur the last season of Hustle, as that one without Adrian Lester (Mickey) paled compared with the first three. But it was nice to see Marc Warren in a Hollywood flick; even if he was only known as the Repairman.
Thanks for the Toby Stephens and Gina Bellman shout-outs. Bellman looks like the best thing in this new ‘Leverage’ series, which TNT seems to be marketing like crazy. Did anyone else get a flash drive, for pete’s sake?!?
sorry to interrupt all the brit chat but wanted was freaking awesome!
I agree, Horatio- the last season of Hustle was definitely a bit of a letdown. And to aa- well *parts* of Wanted were freaking awesome, but for the most part, the movie was ridiculous. That’s just my opinion though.
Patterson Joseph is one of the top choices for the next Doctor. Some odds makers have him on top in fact. I liked Love and Monsters quite a bit and I do not want to ever talk about the US remake of State of Play. How can you condense 6 amazing hours into a movie!? Shameless is a great show. Enough rambling.
Rupert Penry Jones!!!! That man is GORGEOUS!
I’m a dedicated Rupert Penry-Jones fan, but season 6 of MI-5 is absolutely traumatic. I just watched Mistresses a couple of months ago because it had Raza Jaffrey (Zaf from MI-5) and was so surprised when Anna Torv became JJ Abrams “It” girl on Fringe.
Love Toby Stephens! I remember him from this Masterpiece The Tenant of Wildfell Hall back in the 90s in which starred with Tara Fitzgerald and Rupert Graves. Boy do I wish it was DVD. He was also great in the Twelfth Night film opposite
Also excited for Rupert Penry-Jones in new MI-5 –what season does Richard Armitage show up?
Andrew Lincoln – great in “Love Actually” but also on “Teachers” (BBC version, obviously)
Guess I can’t avoid it any longer. I’m going to have to start watching Robin Hood if Toby Stephens is going to be on. I have some catching up to do.
Tim Roth is a vastly underrated British actor. Here’s to hoping his series on Fox, Lie To Me, is a hit. Just like House was for Hugh Laurie.
Yes, Toby Stephens! He was magical as Rochester in the 2006 Jane Eyre, which was for a time one of the top-selling DVDs on PBS. And yes, the Tenant of Wildfell Hall just recently became available on DVD. Toby is also quite good in Cambridge Spies, Almost Strangers, Twelfth Night, Photographing Fairies (VHS only), Onegin, Mangal Pandey, the Great Gatsby, as well as audiobook readings of Heart of Darkness (online only through Silksound audiobooks) and Tales of the Arabian Nights. Also check out clips of his 2005 stage performance as Hamlet on the Royal Shakespeare Company website. Toby rules!
State of Play remake? I’m going to pretend I never read about that- selective amnesia, anyone?
Aw, Susan, bless you for mentioning Cambridge Spies. And I agree, Stephens was magical as Rochester- I own the DVDs.
Any list of unsung Brits must include the incomparable and desperately beautiful Matthew Macfadyen.
That’s NUMBERWANG!!!
Lee Ingleby is heartbreaking in Master anc Commander – thanks for giving him some props!
@Ryan – I will happily suffer the selective amnesia about the State of Play remake with you!
Any news on when the original Life on Mars will be available on DVD?
You forgot Paterson Joseph’s brilliant performance from Peep Show (Season 1’s on DVD.)
Why all the Love & Monsters hate on the board? Shirley Henderson=Petite Goddess.
Danny!!!! when are you and the team from Hustle coming back?? We miss you!
Outfox Richard Armitage?! Surely you jest
And I must defend “Wanted” because the sheer ridiculousness of it makes me smile. Classic popwatch entry and comments here:
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/07/wanted-ridiculo.html
Raj- I don’t know why others are hating on Love and Monsters, but I can tell you why I do: I find the plot and the villain utterly ridiculous (come on, the Absorbaloff?)- I have no quarrel with the actors, just the writers. Of course, that’s just my opinion, and the beauty of Doctor Who is that there have been so many episodes that there’s something for everyone!
Marc Warren in Green Street Hooligans, not his greatest role but definitely memorable. Excellent movie as well.