Easy Come Easy Gaughin

William Hurt

I am led to understand that he’s got an enormous ego. That he would inform you that he is one of the greatest actors of his generation. At least we would have something to agree on.

I think that more than any other accomplished current actor, he projects absolute chilling cold in almost every performance. He comes across smart, intensely quiet, and sometimes cruel. He had this quality from his earliest film roles from his film debut in 1980 with Altered States. He’s appeared in around 60 films, and though he occasionally missteps, particularly in recent years, he still pulls in important roles with the likes of Cronenberg.

He’s also responsible for one of my favorite Saturday Night Live moments. When Kathleen Turner hosted, a few years after co-starring with Hurt in Body Heat, he appeared during her monologue to bemoan her appearance on a show that he would “never appear on.” It seemed so perfectly, condescendingly right, and this is coming from an admirer.

If you’ve not seen it in a while, I highly recommend Broadcast News; Hurt, Holly Hunter, and Albert Brooks are all perfect in it.

Ten best roles

10) Into the Wild 9) Gorky Park 8) Eyewitness 7) Altered States 6) The Accidental Tourist 5) Smoke 4) Kiss Of the Spider Woman 3) Children of a Lesser God 2) Broadcast News 1) Body Heat

Percentile rating

98.54

Mary Beth Hurt

Frequently confused (by me) with Pamela Reed, although I don’t think Ms Reed ever appeared in a smart role in a Woody drama.

Like John Hurt, she scores with strong roles in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and recently (with 2006’s The Dead Girl), but her hottest period was 1989-1993 with the at-the-time-hilarious-but-may-not-have-dated-well Parents, Defenseless, Light Sleeper (under the direction of her husband Paul Schrader), and Six Degrees of Separation.

I find the quiet, intense, intellectual vibe she projects in Interiors and The World According To Garp appealing. I would like to see more of that in women’s roles, and fewer goofy sex kittens.

10) Parents 9) Light Sleeper 8) Chilly Scenes of Winter 7) Defenseless 6) Affliction 5) DARYL 4) Six Degrees of Separation 3) The Dead Girl 2) Interiors 1) The World According to Garp

Percentile rating

81.08

John Hurt

He’s had strong roles in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s, although he had a real hot streak from 1980-1984, a period that saw the release of The Elephant Man, The Hit, and 1984 (cannily released in 1984, co-starring Richard Burton in the definitive version; I saw it as a part of a feel-good doubleheader; it was immediately followed by Dead Ringers. I then went home and tried to jab a fork in my eye to get those images out of my head.)

I like Hurt; he’s got the sort of craggy countenance that allows him to play either jolly, imposing, or genuinely creepy. He still shows up consistently in high profile summer films like the Harry Potter series, and just this week in the latest installment of Indiana Jones.

Ten best roles

10) Rob Roy 9) Midnight Express 8) 10 Rillington Place 7) The Hit 6) Scandal 5) Beyond the Gates 4) Hellboy 3) Love and Death on Long Island 2) 1984 1) The Elephant Man

Percentile rating

96.49

Isabelle Huppert

I don’t know much about French cinema, but I get the impression she’s like the French Meryl Streep, with a side of sexual depravity (and if I weren’t such a prude, that would probably be sexual adventurousness.)

I saw 8 Women, an interesting enough musical, and I saw parts of The Piano Teacher, and I went away scarred and scared. I hereby pledge to view more Isabelle Huppert films. After I learn French.

Ten best roles

10) 8 Women 9) The Time Of the Wolf 8) Merci Pour le Chocolat 7) Violette Noziere 6) The Piano Teacher 5) Story of Women 4) La Ceremonie 3) Gabrielle 2) Amateur 1) Entre Nous

Percentile rating

98.03

Holly Hunter

Most actors have a number of minor roles, then get recognized for an outstanding job in a splashy but small role (think Paul Giamatti in Private Parts, or The Negotiator), and then get a starring role that either solidifies their star standing, or knocks them back to Tier 2.

By contrast, Holly Hunter seemed to spring from out of nowhere, fully-formed in Raising Arizona, and then was almost immediately featured in Broadcast News, a role that, outside of that twangy accent, could not have been more different.

She’s further staked a reputation as something of a rebel, repeatedly taking offbeat roles in strange films that most actresses either could not or would not be able to pull off. If you wanted a single word to best characterize her, “feisty” seems to work. With few exceptions (like Little Black Book,) she’s not made many mistakes.

Ten best roles

10) Crash 9) Copycat 8) Thirteen 7) Home For the Holidays 6) Miss Firecracker 5) Once Around 4) Broadcast News 3) Living Out Loud 2) Raising Arizona 1) The Piano

Percentile rating

96.27

Linda Hunt

She won an Oscar playing a man, Billy Kwan, 25 years ago in The Year of Living Dangerously. I need to see that film again; I remember next to nothing about it. I do remember, however, a quite public story about how she fell into bouts of depression as a result of some combination of inability to get more parts, mostly due to her unusual size and look, but also tied in some way to some sort of gender confusion resulting from having been so highly regarded in a role so convincingly playing the other gender. She is generally highly regarded as an actress, although she was never going to get cast as the standard leading lady, and as a result, most of her parts were minor.

Ten best roles

10) Popeye 9) Eleni 8) Yours Mine and Ours 7) She-Devil 6) Dune 5) Kindergarten Cop 4) The Relic 3) If Looks Could Kill 2) Twenty Bucks 1) The Year of Living Dangerously

Percentile rating

71.66