Billy Bob Thornton

I hate the guy. I mean, I hate him. The weird self-importance, the self-righteousness over the horrible horrible music he plays passing the time between paying gigs, the arrogance. He’s the Kid Rock of movie PR.

But unlike Kid Rock, he also seems to have artistry in his bones. Whether it’s the black-as-night comedies, the brooding losers, or the cagey criminals he plays, there’s something at work there that elevates him above the direct-to-video market I would expect a guy with his public persona to swim in.

And there’s Karl, the grunting, barely self-aware mentally challenged lead character in Sling Blade, the film that really broke him wide open. Dwight Yoakam also taught me that he was an actor in that film, a pleasant surprise in a movie full of them, including John Ritter playing way outside of type in his best role.  Sling Blade’s a sort of a Southern Gothic, weaving a vaguely Of Mice and Men story with a Faulklerian look at the south. And it has a couple of great laughs on the way to its inevitably violent last act.

So as an actor, he’s got my respect, but I hope I never have to have dinner with him.

Ten best roles: 1) Sling Blade 2) Monster’s Ball 3) Bad Santa 4) A Simple Plan 5) The Man Who Wasn’t There 6) Friday Night Lights 7) The Bad News Bears 8) The Farmer Astronaut 9) Chrystal 10) One False Move

Percentile rating: 92.01

Peak period: 1996 – 2003

Neighborhood: Sandrine Bonnaire, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tobey Maguire, Charlotte Rampling, Julia Roberts, Maggie Smith