It’s hard enough to garner praise as an actor for a single character contribution. It is many times more difficult to do it again, and yet ever more difficult to make the practice a habit. To sustain such a habit over the course of nearly ten years is called a brilliant career. To fail to sustain such a habit is called “pulling a John Travolta.”
There are many things at play for a movie actor in order to make a character really work. For one, the material of choice has to be available. Then, the selection of the proper material is another hurdle. Finally, agreeing to its pursuit despite the innumerable variables of production, is no small task. In short, there is so much that could go wrong in taking a job for a movie, that it is amazing that anything ever goes right.
Yet, at the same time, in order to be a great actor, once all of the logistics of a role are taken care of, the performance of it is still the most important factor. In film, it is particularly tough to maintain the commitment of the world as well as the subtlety of the expression of the character. Immersion, concentration, and dedication are necessary attributes for success.
The following list is heavily weighted towards my bias and is not at all influenced by conventional awards, critical praise, popularity, or some other arbitrary and unscientific metric. Instead, I look at each individual performance and judge how convinced I was that the actor actually IS the character portrayed. The folks who made the cut did so most convincingly.
So, after toiling for at least 20 to 30 minutes, I have come up with the absolute best actors of this decade:
Honorable Mentions:
Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Denzel Washington, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Hugo Weaving, Tom Hanks.
15. Will Smith
Although already well established as a veritable superstar playing “Will Smith” in such films as Independence Day and Men in Black, Smith decided to spend the past decade actually playing different characters. His monstrous ego stopped coming across so heavily to the point that there were many times I found myself saying, “Oh yeah, that’s Will Smith.”
Notable Films: The Legend of Bagger Vance; Ali; I Am Legend
14. Tom Cruise
Despite being better known for his crazy antics, crazy religion, and generally being crazy, Cruise is still a superb and under-appreciated actor. This decade his role choices were varied enough to play a bad guy, a fat producer, and a conspirator–and he pulled them off with aplomb.
Notable Films: Vanilla Sky; Minority Report; The Last Samurai; Collateral; Valkyrie
13. Naomi Watts
Most memorable to me for her role as a model gone existential blackhole in I (heart) Huckabees, Watts enjoyed fantastic success and proved that she could carry a movie herself and is not just the actress you hire when you can’t sign Nicole Kidman.
Notable Films: I (Heart) Huckabees; King Kong; 21 Grams; Eastern Promises
12. Matt Damon
Matt Damon grew into a household name this past decade, largely through well acted roles and good choices. While people tend to focus on his award winning and starring roles, don’t forget about his brilliant supporting turn in the Ocean series as Linus the con man. Despite overdoing it with political points of view sometimes, his work speaks for itself.
Notable Films: The Legend of Bagger Vance; All the Pretty Horses; Stuck on You; The Bourne Series
11. Adrien Brody
Brody blew people away for his role in The Pianist, but seemed otherwise written off from there by most critics. However, Brody found himself writing himself in as one of the best actors of the decade, providing great roles in ensembles as well as star turns in films such as Hollywoodland.
Notable Films: The Pianist; The Village, King Kong; The Brothers Bloom
10. Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe has a big personality, but hides himself in his roles so effectively that I nearly left him off the list. By the way, he has two Oscars since 2000 too, even though I said I didn’t pay attention to that sort of thing when making this list.
Notable Films: Gladiator; A Beautiful Mind; Cinderella Man; 3:10 to Yuma
9. Cate Blanchett
After her role in Elizabeth in 1998, I’ve had my eye on Blanchett. Since, she has been one of the few actors who continues to improve in her craft. There aren’t a lot of great roles out there for females, but Blanchett, among the others on this list, seem to keep coming up with them. With the notable exception of her cartoonish accent in the last Indiana Jones film, I would add that she’s also generally a master of accents. If you don’t believe me, check out The Gift, The Aviator and Elizabeth: The Golden Age in a row. Then recall that she’s Australian.
Notable Films: The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring; The Gift; Babel; Elizabeth: The Golden Age
8. Kate Winslet
Winslet really came into her own this decade after years of scorn from tweens due to her role in the indie hit Titanic. Kate brings a good measure of reality to each performance, as if she’s actually had a normal life and knows how normal people behave.
Notable Films: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Finding Neverland; The Reader
7. Mark Ruffalo
Quite possibly the most overlooked performer of the decade, Ruffalo is always on top of his game. His comedic timing, subtle wit, and soft spoken charm hits everytime. He’s also a generous actor whose subtle performances tend to get overshadowed. Which is a shame.
Notable Films: The Last Castle; 13 Going On 30; Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind; Collateral; The Brothers Bloom
6. Benicio Del Toro
Benicio is obviously picky about his work. It seems as if he is intentionally off the radar with some of his picks, but he is always right on cue. If you don’t believe me, watch Things We Lost in the Fire. He also gave probably the best performance as a severed head in the history of acting in Sin City.
Notable Films: Snatch; Traffic; The Hunted; 21 Grams; Sin City
5. Don Cheadle
I noted before that Traitor was one of the DVD gems this decade and that Cheadle was awesome. What I didn’t mention is that he was in the Rush Hour 2, The Family Man, or Crash. (Suffice to say, those films were wastes of his extraordinary talent.)
Notable Films: Ocean’s Eleven; Traffic; United States of Leland; Hotel Rwanda; Traitor
4. Rachel Weisz
Best female actor of the decade, and I will watch her in anything. She was conspicuously absent from the third Mummy movie. Which was singularly awful.
Notable Films: Enemy at the Gates; The Mummy; The Fountain; Constantine; The Brothers Bloom
3. Heath Ledger
The truly break-out talent of the decade, Ledger succumbed to tragedy when he met his death in early 2008. Ledger had many great roles left in him, but his career was by no means deficient. His last complete role was probably his greatest as The Joker in The Dark Knight, though I’m interested to see him in the upcoming Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, if it ever gets released around here.
Notable Films: The Patriot; Monster’s Ball; Brokeback Mountain; Casanova; The Dark Knight
2. Christian Bale
Christian Bale couldn’t stay on the indie circuit forever, even though he tried. Pat Bateman, Bruce Wayne, Cleric, Batman, John Connor, and John Rolfe are just a few of his successful portrayals. Yes, Bruce Wayne and Batman count as separate roles. And don’t forget his mindblowing turn in The Prestige, either.
Notable Films: American Psycho; Equilibrium; The New World; Batman Begins; The Prestige; The Dark Knight; 3:10 to Yuma
1. Viggo Mortensen
Viggo edged out Bale for the top spot on the list. He frontlined a huge ensemble in The Lord of the Rings series. He was completely forgotten in the marvelous adventure that is Hidalgo. He stole the show from many brilliant performances in his complex role in Eastern Promises and he absolutely made The Road. He has a knack for picking great roles and rarely appeared in a sub-par film all decade.
Notable Films: The Lord of the Rings Series; A History of Violence; Hidalgo; Eastern Promises; The Road
What about Gael García Bernal? Amores Perros, Y Tu Mama Tambien, and The Science of Sleep. Perhaps not top 10, but certainly ahead of Tom Cruise. Speaking of you would compare Cruise’s performances in Vanilla Sky and Minority Report to Hanks’ Cast Away? Side note: I was going to make the argument with Band of Brothers, but you are talking about acting and not directing/producing.
Funny you say so, because Diego Luna was one who actually came to mind since he’s made a bigger splash in the American film industry.
Hanks in Cast Away is great. But Cruise has been more consistent. Hanks completely phoned in the Da Vinci code - not that he had much to work with - and The Ladykillers was contrived to say the least.
Russell Crowe has received three Oscar nominations since 2000 but has only one Oscar statuette (for “Gladiator”) to show for it.
I know she’s so good that we tend to forget, but no Meryl Streep? She may not be young but, really, Devil Wears Prada - NO ONE else could have played that role with such success; Julie & Julia - you actually forget that it’s not Julia Child up there! Versatility? Doubt, Mamma Mia!, A Prairie Home Companion and The Hours. Now she’s the queen of accents. And that’s just this decade.
Or the British actresses Emma Thompson and Helen Mirren. Both of whom lose themselves in their roles and make compelling/complex characters.
Ms. Thompson: Wit, Love Actually (her role was heartbreaking), Brideshead Revisited, and, yes, Harry Potter - Prof. Trelawney is brilliant.
Ms. Mirren: Gosford Park (another heartbreaking role), The Clearing, The Queen (of course) and Elizabeth I (yes, it was a TV miniseries) but still..
Thank you for recognizing the brilliant and under-appreciated Viggo Mortensen as your top pick. (And you didn’t even mention the Spanish film Alatriste among his finest performances — don’t miss it!)
I only wish that the Golden Globes and SAG had recognized his awesome performance in The Road. Is there any hope that the Academy will correct this blatant oversight?
mjkbk - Good catch. I was wrong. I always forget that he won the BAFTA for A Beautiful Mind and lost the Oscar to Denzel. And, I forgot about the Insider too.
Cindy - Emma Thompson just didn’t stick out for me for some reason, and I always cite her for acting excellence. Stranger than Fiction is another awesome, awesome role and underappreciated film. AND, she had a great, small cameo in I am Legend.
Helen Mirren is another who I somehow overlooked. Although I was not too hot on her portrayal as Elizabeth. And Willem Defoe was what to take away from The Clearing (underrated movie).
Meryl Streep just doesn’t pick movies I tend to enjoy, so there is bias here. My wife would agree with you though. And we’ll give a nod here to the best writer of the last twenty years too to Nora Ephron, BTW.
Viggo definitely deserves #1. His performance in The Road is beyond outstanding and should never have been overlooked by SAG and the Golden Globes. Like Starfolk has said, let us hope the Academy corrects that oversight.
Starfolk, you also forgot Good, which was a tremendously powerful film. I was at the premiere in Toronto, and there were people sobbing in the audience. Another vastly under-publicized, under-appreeciated effort of Viggo’s.
Woohoo for Viggo!!
Several of us have been complaining about the lack of recognition he gets. Thank you!! @~~\~~
Oh and another thing none pf these actors took part in a foreign language film, Viggo has and he won a prestigious Spanish award for his effort. The man is a versatile genius a renaissance man, can speak several languages 4 of them fluently. If any of these actorstried to speak any languages on film other than English for the duration of the movie it would become an embarrassment of epic proportions.
Yes!!! Thank you for getting it right! Viggo Mortensen should be at the very top of everyone’s Best Actor list even though he frequently is not. He is one of the most brilliant actors alive today, not to mention also being a very talented poet, photographer, painter, and publisher. And handsome as all get out!
Absolutely EVERYONE should see The Road. If any performance in any film deserves the very highest of accolades this year, Viggo’s performance in The Road is it. It is a beautiful and haunting film with an amazing cast, and it will break your heart!
I really like Rachel and I was one of the fortunate few to see her in Streetcar @ the Donmar (she was wonderful!) & Cate Blanchett’s brilliant interpretation of Blanche @ BAM in New York and these two are the creme de la creme of the acting world! I do have to confess that while I enjoyed Weisz & her Southern Belle, Blanchett’s Blanche simply blew me away! She really is the most accomplished actress with the most presence on stage & on film I have ever witnessed even over Meryl Streep (I saw her tremendous performance in Mother of Courage a while back) & that’s high praise coming from me as I’m a HUGE Streep fan. Anyway, after witnessing that performance along with Cate’s magnificent archive of footage (Heaven, I’m Not There & Coffee & Cigarettes she is genius in) this past decade and her work proves that it extends beyond mere accents. She is a gem in a sea of tepid performers and I for one, am thankful she is with us. Anyway, I also admire your nod to Viggo, he’s absolutely fabulous!
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I saw both productions of “Streetcar” with Rachel Weisz and Cate Blanchett. The one in Britain at the West End with Rachel Weisz was far superior than the one with Cate Blanchett, which i saw in Washington DC in the States. Weisz gave a great multilayer performance and while Blanchett was good, she did not even come close to what Weisz had done with the role.
Like people have been saying, Viggo completely deserves the 1st spot; he really is an amazing actor. This list is about as good as they come with one exception. Where is Daniel Day-Lewis? Anyone who has seen Gangs of New York or There Will Be Blood knows what I’m talking about.
Um… How about a little actor named Leonardo Dicaprio? Viggo does not deserve the top spot… playing a huge role in one huge trilogy(don’t get me wrong I loved him in them) does not mean your a good actor… it means you can play that one character.
Oh and I’m just shocked that Tom Cruise is on this list… maybe for most popular actors of the decade but not the best ones.
Ohhh and lets totally forget about Johnny Depp, who should be in the top 5.
Come on… lets leave these lists to the intelligent ones.
Hey what do u say about Brad Pitt….he is one more super star in the hollywood. Lets expand the list. Cheers.
Good God, you didn’t include Alan Rickman?
You included Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe, but you didn’t include Rickman?
Umm what about that guy… Daniel Day Lewis??
Teddy, please refer to any review of Cate’s Blanche DuBois and it completely contradicts what you say. And the genius of Blanchett’s production was that she performed a classic American play in front of an American audience and survived with raves. Many of the critics who attended have seen this production countless times on Broadway and claimed it as the superior performance they had ever seen. It’s equivalent to taking Shakespeare to the West End with an entirely American cast-it will be held to higher standards.
Excuse me Jessica but it does not matter what certain critics think, its all a matter of opinion. I have also seen both productions of this play that had Rachel Weisz and Cate Blanchett and in my opinion, Weisz did in fact give a better performance. i was more taken with Weisz’s interpretation of Blanche than Cate’s and i also think Weisz’s production was better as well.
You getting angry and throwing a temper tantrum will not change people’s opinions on things. It only makes you look like a nut.
You mention “mindblowing” Prestige at Bale but not at Jackman? IMHO, when Bale will be able to pull of a role as Jackman did in The Fountain, then I will consider Bale a good actor.
Tom Cruise? Matt Damon? It doesn´t mean that when they are in good movies, that they are good in it, too. To be “cool” in a movie is a very different from being a good actor.
Despite his relatively small body of work to date, Peter Dinklage will be remembered by history decades after every actor on this list is long forgotten.
On the other end of the pool, an actor who never makes these lists despite having consistently delivered the exact performance needed in dozens of deceptively wide-ranging roles is Woody Harrelson. He maybe ain’t doing Beckett on the West End this season, but if hired to do so, I’d bet on him to surprise folks by delivering the goods yet again.
However, winner of the award for the decade’s most utterly obscene omission from the foregoing list:
PHILLIP FRIGGING SEYMOUR FRIGGING HOFFMAN !!!
D.D. Lewis is THE BEST ACTOR EVER per film minutes!
S
I think Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett are easily the best actors ever to have graced the screen! They just have a unique way of inspiring me in film and truly become each of their diverse characters. Christian Bale is good but as his career progresses he seems to lose his edge for me. Winslet is great too, I just wish she branched out more from her typical characters. Rachel is okay, not too impressed with her yet. Mark is great but a bit one-note, but I do agree with Benicio-he’s fabulous! Don Cheadle is great and has really proven himself in the last couple of years, but he still has a ways to go to prove his versatility for me. Viggo is a bit too one-note for me as well but it is refreshing to see a name not usually brought up on top ten lists.
Love Kate Winslet and Rachel Weisz, both are probably the best actresses working today. Meryl Streep is a GOD of acting but i find Cate Blanchett a bit too overrated for her own good.
Leonardo Dicaprio- Gangs of New York, Catch Me if You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Revolutionary Road
Daniel Day Lewis- Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood
Brad Pitt- Oceans trilogy, Jesse James, Burn After Reading, Benjamin Button
Much better than Adrien Brody, Viggo Mortensen, or Mark Ruffalo
George Clooney- Syriana, Oceans trilogy, Up in the Air, Burn After Reading, Michael Clayton, The Good German, Good Night and Good Luck
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You forgot Leonardo Di Caprio - He has become one of the best American actors recently with - Departed, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and Shutter Island…also Sean Penn as well..Mystic River, etc….Iwe need to give Leo and Penn there due as they belong in the top 10 if not top 5. I think you also missed some of the better films and acting jobs the actors you did list - such as Blindness, etc with Ruffalo and Matt Damon and some of his recent films…plus if it was after 2000 The Talented Mr. Ripley - might have been 1999 -