Tom Wilkinson!

[Buckethead]

hey,

I know there are more serious things to discuss here but I would like to say that I'm crazy about Tom Wilkinson!! He's such a great actor!! For the ones that don't know him: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929489/. Some of you might know him as Gerald in the Full Monty. But I hate it as people think "oh it's that guy from the full monty" while he did so much great stuff.

He's such a lovely man! Would like to meet him some day. Such a nice smile and adorable look!! Did I already say how good he is as an actor? He's always so believable and you can alway see the emotion on his face. God I love him! 

Anyone else who likes him?

[Blackthorne]

I don't have a Tom Wilkinson fetish, but I think Rutger Hauer is cute, cuddly and not CREEPY AT ALL.


Bt

[Tuomas]

As we are talking about loveable men, I'd like to pass stating the obvious, so I'll just skip Johnny Depp and go to Sean Connery. I know I've been watching too much James Bond, but if I was a virile young woman during the 60's, boy would I go for it!

[Ashen]

Bt, I think that about Christopher Walken.



NOT CREEPY. (honest.)
(On-Topic: Tom Wilkinson is an excellent background or 'character' player, but he's not a lead. I know the name, I know the face - but I have to think about it to put them together. I don't know if it's that he's 'believable', or just forgetable enough not to dominate a role - unlike Connery. He's good, and all, but doesn't deserve a thread of his own. And if you're skipping the obvious, Oliver Reed was the man.)

[Meowster]

I was gonna post Christopher Walken too!!!

I adore Christopher Walken, man

[DGMacphee]

(On-Topic: Tom Wilkinson is an excellent background or 'character' player, but he's not a lead.

Rubbish. He starred in a low-budget film called In The Bedroom and got an Oscar nomination for Best Lead Actor for his performance. This in the same year that Billy Bob Thornton starred in The Man Who Wasn't There and Gene Hackman starred in The Royal Tenenbaums, and they didn't get nominations.

He also starred in the telemovie Normal and got an Emmy nomination for Best Lead Actor.

I think he makes an excellent lead. He's got a great pressence. The problem is not very many people know who he is. He just needs a good defining role. Most UK actors need a role like that to capture attention. Look at Anthony Hopkins, he was mostly a supporting/character actor until Silence of the Lambs. Likewise, Sean Connery had ten years of supporting/character roles in films under his belt until Dr No made him famous. No one knew much about Ben Kingsley until Gandhi. Or Daniel Day Lewis until My Left Foot. Or Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia.

In fact, a lot of American actors are like that too. Harrison Ford became famous with Han Solo. Samuel L Jackson didn't become a major player until Pulp Fiction. De Niro with Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Even Walken became most memorable for The Deer Hunter (or, depending on your age, the skit in SNL where he says, "Needs more cowbell!").

I reckon Tom Wilkinson just needs a meaty role -- a character to truly define who he is as an actor.

[Ashen]

Well, I meant 'lead' in the Hollywood sense of "can open a major film", rather than as a criticism of his acting ability. I've seen him in earlier stuff that is possibly less well known than some things mentioned so far (I've not watched 'Full Monty' right through, but recognised him in the trailers from other TV work).

He could well become a 'lead' in the sense I meant, and you picked up on with the examples of Hopkins, O'Toole, De Niro et al (and on ability, he deserves it shitloads more than Connery), but I said is not not will never be. That's pretty much what I meant with the "I know the name, I know the face - but I have to think about it to put them together" comment - he's currently undefined.

[esper]

Ashen's right. I really like (no one criticize, I know no one else liked it) the Exorcism of Emily Rose (you know, minus all the Catholic crap) but it wasn't until I looked him up on IMDB that I remembered who he was. I just saw the Patriot for the third time yesterday, and I had no idea he was Cornwallis. As much as I hate the Hollywood reproductions of my favorite superhero, I own all of them and have seen Batman Begins on numerous occasions. I had no idea he was Carmine Falcone. I'm not much for comedy movies, but I like Jackie Chan, and so Rush Hour is one of the very few comedy movies I like... And he played Juntao. He's a great actor, but he's too... unmemorable? Is that a word? He's even been in some defining roles, such as the priest in Emily Rose could have been, had that movie been a little more popular... It's just something about him. I could watch all his movies back to back and have no idea he was the same guy. That's either a testament to his skill as an actor or proof positive of some strange paranormal phenomena.

Oh, BTW, Buckethead: idol worship's not worth it. Go make something of yourself and put Tom Wilkinson to shame.

[Blackthorne]

I was kidding about Rutger Hauer.  He scares the living bejoozus out of me.

Bt

[DGMacphee]

Well, I meant 'lead' in the Hollywood sense of "can open a major film", rather than as a criticism of his acting ability. I've seen him in earlier stuff that is possibly less well known than some things mentioned so far (I've not watched 'Full Monty' right through, but recognised him in the trailers from other TV work).

But I've provided examples where he's opened films. In The Bedroom was made for under a million and made $35 million in return. That's a proves he's a profitable lead.

In indie circles, I'd say he's quite popular. I think what you're talking about is him being A-list. In that instance, I'd agree. He's not an A-list actor.

But currently, yes, he can lead films and go head to head with Sissy Spacek.

[Buckethead]

I think Tom isn't in all those big movie because that isn't what he's going for. He just takes roles he likes and not roles that are in new blockbusters and that bring in alot of money.

And damn right he's believable. Everyone who doubts that should she the movie "Normal". No other actor could have played his role in that movie. Not as well as he did.

Tom already went far as an actor: he stripped in front of 400 woman in the full monty, he got totally undressed in the governess, he dressed up as a woman in Normal. I find that he disurves lots of respect for that.

You guys almost seem to pick actors because they are the most known or something. 

btw, yeah it kinda sounded like I'm totally obsessed with Tom and maybe I am but it was kinda late when I typed it and I was pretty tired. So I just wrote a few thing quick.

[esper]

Acting is based on state of dress, or lack thereof?

Damn. I've been wondering the secret.

[Babar]

I knew the face, but not the name. He always seems to be the corrupt (or sometimes overly bureaucratic) official person. I didn't remember that he was in Full Monty until now.

Do I have anything important to add to the topic of "Tom Wilkinson!"?


Probably not.