Playing a superhero in a big-budget spectacular has never been a free pass to Hollywood’s A-list. Just ask Eric Bana or Chris O’Donnell. But Watchmen, with its multiple heroes, at least has numbers in its favor.
Director Zack Snyder cast an accomplished yet eclectic crew of actors — rather than famous faces — and several of them might be poised to take advantage of the spotlight. New York Magazine seems to think that Patrick Wilson will be the movie’s breakout star. The Tony-nominated actor plays Nite Owl, the soft-around-the-middle crusader who regains his mojo after a fling with the Silk Spectre. Why Wilson isn’t already a star is perplexing to anyone who saw 2006’s Little Children, but I’m not certain his passive superhero will win over anyone on the fence about his magnetism. I put him the same category as Billy Crudup, Watchmen’s omnipotent Doctor Manhattan. If Crudup’s marvelous performance in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 rock film, Almost Famous, didn’t make him a star, maybe it’s not meant to be. As fans of both, I hope I’m wrong. Jackie Earle Haley plays Rorschach, the film’s conscience, but the Oscar-nominated character actor isn’t a leading man. After a long exile from Hollywood, Haley will never again want for work, but he’s more Harry Dean Stanton than Harrison Ford. Ditto Matthew Goode, who plays the brilliant Ozymandias. Goode disappears so well into diverse roles (see 2007’s The Lookout) that Hollywood stardom might continue to be elusive.
That leaves Malin Akerman and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Akerman is gorgeous, and her Silk Spectre is dangerously sexy in an Uma Thurman/Kill Bill kind of way. But it’s Morgan who I have my eye on. Hollywood likes rogues, and Morgan revels in the dark morass of the Comedian’s amorality. The former Grey’s Anatomy actor has four more films slated for this year, so don’t be surprised if studios start re-cutting trailers to emphasize his involvement after Watchmen’s opening weekend.
But what do you think? Do you expect any of the Watchmen to emerge as superstars, a la Christian Bale? Will Morgan be the one? And why aren’t Patrick Wilson and Billy Crudup household names by now, anyway?
Between the inability to ever again vanish into a role, the loss of privacy and the related excessive complications of romance that will follow, what self-respecting working actor would want to be a superstar at this point? I hope none of them end up superstars, which at this point means being fertilizer for US Weekly.
Woah. Eric Bana’s not an A-lister? What about that movie he made about the Israelis kicking butt after the olympics that he made with Daniel Craig? That was a pretty big movie.
Chris O’donnell failed to become a star because he’s kind of sucky as an actor and his boyish good looks got out classed by his contemporaries like Matt Damon, who looked similar but who could actually you know, act. O’donnell’s one good movie was “Scent of a Woman”, but that movie’s 10% Chris O and 90% Pacino (in one of HIS last good roles).
Breakout star from this movie? My money’s on that hot looking Silk Specter. If the movie’s a hit, expect to see that costume on the bodies of college coeds this halloween.
Jackie Earle Haley had his time in the limelight as a child actor but he could make a comeback. As a mega fan of comeback kids, I’ll be rooting for him most.
I don’t think any of them are destined for “stardom”…you may be right that Ackerman and Morgan will get the biggest boost, but pretty much all of them are already respected actors and I think they’ll continue to be.
As soon as I read the question, I thought Jeffrey Dean Morgan, before even reading the article. He is already fairly well known to the TV audience from his multiple tv series roles (Supernatural, a small one on Weeds, Grey’s Anatomy). He is handsome and a good actor and seems to be a bit rakish ala Bruce Campbell. Jackie Earl Haley will hopefully continue to work as a character actor but unless its an indie film or a tv series where he’s a quirky detective, he’s not a leading man.
About Billy Crudup: I’ve seen several of his films and it always takes me a few minutes to realize who he is. He looks so different every time, I think that’s why he’s not a bigger star.
Malin Akerman as the sister in 27 Dresses was hysterical! But I love Morgan.. hopefully they both will become mega stars!
Malin Akerman just makes me want to watch The Comeback again…
Didn’t Billy Crudup get a bunch of bad publicity once for dumping a pregnant girlfriend, Tom Brady style? Maybe that hurt his chances at superstardom. Too bad though, because he’s a really good actor. And he was hilarious as a guest on The Daily Show last night.
SKN hit the nail on the head about Billy Crudup. He looks different in all his movies. Most movie goers like the comfort of recognition. Most movie goers are idiots (i.e. Madea goes to jail #1 for two weeks)
I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan has the best shot over all of them to become one of those actors who get the big budget, big box office movies. He’s recognized enough from his TV roles and has that rugged charm about him that people tend to like. He’s a guy’s guy but loveable at the same time so he’d appeal to multiple audiences. I love Matthew Goode and Patrick Wilson and agree that they are underappreciated as actors, but I don’t see either of them falling into the superstar category. However, they each have the potential to become one of those critically acclaimed actors (like Sean Penn) who win awards all the time but doesn’t necessary bring in all target audiences. So the exposure they get from this film could really help boost their careers by making their names a little more recognizable in the industry, giving them more opportunities to land juicy roles.
NONE of these people deserve to be bigger stars. This film was utterly utterly BAD. I hated each simpering moment of it. It was about as useless as the one-termer over there on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Patrick Wilson is definitely a name I appreciate when I see it – I’ve seen a fair portion of his work (except Little Children, though it’s DEFINITELY on my list to see soon! Seeing him and Kate together must be awesome and I loved the book). Anyway, he’s so diverse: Raoul in Phantom of the Opera, Joe in Angels in America, side by side with Ellen Page in Hard Candy… he’s amazing. Of course, then he did that… ya know, Lakeview Terrace thing (which had potential… but yeah…) I’m with Verity that maybe he’ll be a Sean Penn type with lots of awards so the non-idiot movie goers (I’m with Shamrock on THAT one >=( Madea? Really?) can appreciate him more fully.
It will be Jeffery Dean Morgan and he deserves it. He has been winning in everything he does. He’s charming and not at all hard on the eyes.
Side note, the pregnant grilfriend Billy Crudup dumped was Mary Louise Parker, no? The same Mary Louise Parker rumored to be dating Morgan. Very interesting.
Erin, you’re right about Crudup. He did dump a pregnant Mary Louise Parker for Claire Danes. That spells class all the way. Solid actor – loved him in “The Pillowman” on Broadway and in “Almost Famous,” but there’s something a bit unlikeable about him. Have friends who work in the theatre community in NY who confirm that as well.
Patrick Wilson’s work may be a bit too subtle for him to be a breakout star. He does the whole “what’s simmering under the milquetoast exterior” thing really, really well. As Verity mentioned, he and Matthew Goode are more likely to be the type who get nominated (but don’t win) for a fine Best Supporting Actor turn in a small independent film than matinee idols – and that’s fine.
The most likely candidate is Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He gets a lot of goodwill from pre-dead Denny on Grey’s Anatomy, and has the showiest role in the film. It’s easy to notice him… and he’s good looking. We have a winner!
Okay, it’s really not that perplexing to fans of Little Children and Almost Famous (of which I count myself as one of both) that Crudup and Wilson didn’t become stars. The reason? No one saw both films when it was in theaters! Little Children was marked for ‘Oscar Contender’ status during its “limited release” at the end of 2006. Almost Famous was a failure at the box office despite unanimous glowing critical reviews. You can’t have “star status” attributed to you when a small percentage of the population actually sees the films. So much of the status does depend on the projects they choose and while Watchmen may raise the profiles of Akerman and JDM, they have to continue to choose good projects on a consistent basis to get that valued status.