Jeremy Irons and sex conventions
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WarpedRecord — 17 years ago(December 20, 2008 11:27 AM)
His butt is neck-and-neck with Richard Chamberlain's in 'The Thorn Birds.'
Excellent use of picturesque speech!
And we could use more actors like Jeremy Irons and Kevin Bacon who are willing to reveal their dark sides and their back sides (and occasionally front sides) when the role requires. -
sadfilmophile — 14 years ago(June 12, 2011 03:12 AM)
I dont think anyone's mentioned another part of why Jeremy Irons does these challenging roles - the fact that directors specifically choose him to do these roles, ie he got more offers to play these twisted minds than his contemporaries.
With his wiry body type (as opposed any muscular hero) and the way in which he carries himself (gentle and refined) he is easily cast as the protagonist whose love/lust story is all about the mind.
I remember a chat show where a panel of women were discussing Damage and the thing that really struck me was when one of them said, he's so slight and fey that his characters can get away with a sccene like the one where he bangs Juliette Binoches' head on the ground. Somehow you stay with the story - if any other actor did that you'd turn off the movie at that point.
In other words, with a different attitude and body shape, you'd be more focussed on the physical side of these stories - Damage, M. Butterfly, Lolita. That's why the diretors want him for these more complex roles.
Plus he knows how to tread that fine line that makes us ok with his take on destructive/non-conventional passions. -
WarpedRecord — 14 years ago(June 26, 2011 11:14 AM)
Excellent food for thought on Jeremy Irons.
I think he uses his body type to an advantage because he's initially quite unassuming, so the viewer assumes his character is benign. With a beefier actor, we'd make more assumptions about the character, and we'd probably be right. In irons' case, we let our guard down, he fools us.
Irons often plays characters who are so much larger than their bodies, and this is another example. The mind is capable of so much more than the body. -
filmfancy — 14 years ago(January 05, 2012 02:04 AM)
And we could use more actors like Jeremy Irons and Kevin Bacon who are willing to reveal their dark sides and their back sides (and occasionally front sides) when the role requires.
Just saw ShameI think Michael Fassbender is now in this category! I would also add that he is a terrific actor, as well as being sexy and edgy.
"And all the pieces matter" -
Exit-song — 13 years ago(May 17, 2012 04:51 PM)
I agree Filmfancy.
I just watched FishTank with Michael Fassbender and the character he plays should be hateful, however, there is a rawness about him and (like you mentioned) his physique is slight and mannerisms gentle. I'm not suggesting that any of this negates his character's behaviour, but it does lull us into a false sense of security.
In Fish Tank his character appeared to be sympathetic and even empathetic to the main character but he ultimately crossed a line. However, due to his gentle nature and unassuming build we did not see him as a direct threat or bad guy in the story.
I'm fast becoming a fan of Fassbender. I love how he can convey so much emotion without words. His facial expressions tell it all. I watched one of the viral clips for Prometheus. I don't think Prometheus will be my kind of film, but I will say I thought the part where 'David' is asked what makes him sad, was a brilliant piece of acting without words from Fassbender. I know he speaks at some point but that initial raw sadness with tears in his eyes is extremely powerful.
Oh and as for Jeremy Irons
I think I will be hunting down the Cronenberg one next. 