The most radical and revelatory ambition an actor can conceive is to inhabit another consciousness, and to bring the audience along on that parapsychological journey. This is more than just disappearing into a role, or methodically activating parallel memories. It’s a kind of self-authorized rebirth, as if Athena could spring not from her father’s forehead, but her own. It can be terrifying to witness, but genius often is.
A. O. Scott
Fuck!
If that’s not the purest description of the craft, of what it means to create a character or tell a person’s story, of what it’s like to be affected, influenced or haunted by a performance, to completely sympathize with a character as an observer, then I don’t know if one can be given.
I believe it’s nearly impossible & supremely difficult to rank artistry in any medium. Too many variables & too subjective a topic. However, I think The New York Times got a large portion of their 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far) right. I say this because the performers on this list –at least those who I’m familiar with –have consistently produced work that moves a viewer.
The Motorcycle Diaries, Moonlight, Just Mercy, At Eternity’s Gate, Inside Llweyn Davis, Michael Clayton, We Own the Night, Boogie Nights, Atonement, Fences, Parasite, There Will Be Blood, The Hurricane… none of these films would be the same without their respective stars named on this list.
I have a handful of names I feel are worthy of being added but don’t we all? Not to mention those marvelous performers who I don’t even know about because they never got their moment to shine or their a hidden gem in a small market out there in the world. & sure, it’s all pretty open to debate & a few actors on this list are questionable choices. But I’m not interested in a definitive 25. That leaves no room for open-minded consideration & means the thousands of thespians out here may as well not even try to grow, to become their best. (Hence, the “So Far” part of the article’s title.)
I like to think the work some of these monoliths have presented through the years has shaped me & my desire to become an actor. Not to imply I’m on their level, but instead to say that they’ve inspired some of what I’ve sought to achieve in this work of representing humanity fully, truthfully.
When I realize how they’ve impacted me, I realize that aspiring to act is not just about committing to the craft, it’s also about hoping to one day share a screen with some of these fantastic performers.
I can’t wait.
(Thank you Mahershala Ali for one such moment already.)