2008 Woodie Awards
Thurston's Top Ten Underrated Actors
Tyler Thurston
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Entertainment
By TYLER THURSTON
Staff Writer
Last week, I tried. Despite the bitter cold, the mounting schoolwork, and the daily battles between the gusting wind and me, I tried to remain optimistic, to accentuate the positive. And what happened?
Well, if anything, it got colder. The school work that once seemed so inconsequential now suddenly had due dates and minimum page limits. And for some reason, the area directly in front of the library felt like the perfect place to create a wind tunnel rivaling most small tornadoes. So this week, I'll try again. But now instead of citing the most underrated actresses, we'll recognize the actors who should get their due. You know the story: you may not know their names or their faces, but hopefully their performances -- and not a giant gust of wind -- will blow you away.
10) Jim Carrey
Okay, so he's not exactly unrecognizable. Yes, Carrey has made quite the name for himself headlining comedies catering to his uncanny slapstick abilities. But when he dares to try something deeper, beyond the pratfall and stretched face and high-pitched voice, audiences (and sometimes critics) scoff. By praising "Liar Liar" and "Bruce Almighty" as testaments to cinema, and missing out on "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Man on the Moon," audiences are demanding Carrey stay inside his comfort zone - a zone bound to be broken.
9) Donnie Wahlberg
It is often said that the past can come back to haunt us. Apparently, the past can be especially vengeful when it involves boy bands and titles like "You've Got It (The Right Stuff)." For every gritty role in "Band of Brothers" and "Boomtown," there is the leftover shadow of a boy band past and comparison to younger brother Mark. If we set aside the misjudgments about his abilities, we can see that perhaps Wahlberg himself does indeed have the "right stuff."
8) Justin Long
He was one of the funniest parts of "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," the funniest part of "Accepted," and now does commercials convincing America that Macs are indeed better than PCs. What happened here?
Staff Writer
Last week, I tried. Despite the bitter cold, the mounting schoolwork, and the daily battles between the gusting wind and me, I tried to remain optimistic, to accentuate the positive. And what happened?
Well, if anything, it got colder. The school work that once seemed so inconsequential now suddenly had due dates and minimum page limits. And for some reason, the area directly in front of the library felt like the perfect place to create a wind tunnel rivaling most small tornadoes. So this week, I'll try again. But now instead of citing the most underrated actresses, we'll recognize the actors who should get their due. You know the story: you may not know their names or their faces, but hopefully their performances -- and not a giant gust of wind -- will blow you away.
10) Jim Carrey
Okay, so he's not exactly unrecognizable. Yes, Carrey has made quite the name for himself headlining comedies catering to his uncanny slapstick abilities. But when he dares to try something deeper, beyond the pratfall and stretched face and high-pitched voice, audiences (and sometimes critics) scoff. By praising "Liar Liar" and "Bruce Almighty" as testaments to cinema, and missing out on "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Man on the Moon," audiences are demanding Carrey stay inside his comfort zone - a zone bound to be broken.
9) Donnie Wahlberg
It is often said that the past can come back to haunt us. Apparently, the past can be especially vengeful when it involves boy bands and titles like "You've Got It (The Right Stuff)." For every gritty role in "Band of Brothers" and "Boomtown," there is the leftover shadow of a boy band past and comparison to younger brother Mark. If we set aside the misjudgments about his abilities, we can see that perhaps Wahlberg himself does indeed have the "right stuff."
8) Justin Long
He was one of the funniest parts of "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," the funniest part of "Accepted," and now does commercials convincing America that Macs are indeed better than PCs. What happened here?
Be the first to comment on this story