Matthew McConaughey is like the ultimate "never would have thought" guy. Also, I somehow spelled his name properly the first time.

Steve Buscemi is also a good one for that category. Obviously a great actor, but he clearly doesn't have "movie star looks."

Really? Have you seen Lone Star?

Completely agreed. I'm pretty much in tune with Dom's rankings, except for Solaris at the top (which I don't hate, but I was never a big fan of the original and Tarkovsky is one of my least favorite "great" directors, so that might just be me). Thankfully, Criterion has saved KotH, because it's magnificent. Speaking of star making turns, Adrien Brody in that film, my god.

It was obvious early on that MM could be a big star based on looks and screen presence, but not sure anyone saw him capable of something as deep and challenging as his role in True Detective.

Actually, no.

For the most part, though, MM was basically just the laid back, hot guy in mediocre movies. Then, seemingly all of a sudden, he elevated into a premier actor in great project after great project.

And the flip side to the already stated flip side of this topic is actors and actresses who *did* make it big, but you wish they hadn't. Like Ashley Judd? She was incredible in Ruby in Paradise (a great film, if you can find it), one of the most endearing performances you'll ever see. And then memorable as a supporting role in Heat. But then began *starring* in big Hollywood productions like Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, and Twisted? I'm out.

Same with Reese Witherspoon. Give me Freeway, Election, and Pleasantville. You keep Legally Blonde and Sweet Home Alabama. Gwyneth? Loved you in Flesh and Bone, get outta here with your rom-coms. Radha Mitchell was perfect in High Art, and then started doing big budget thrillers.

Same goes for Mark Ruffalo, Maggie Gyllenhaal, both the Wilson brothers, Alec Baldwin, Colin Farrell, etc. etc. I know those paychecks are tempting, but go do a play somewhere.

dlk, find and watch Lone Star, I promise you won't regret it. MM has a very small part, but you can tell immediately he's a presence that will steal any scene he's in.

Legally Blonde was great. Alec Baldwin is the greatest comic actor of our time.

I can't stand Reese Witherspoon's face. The sight of her has always annoyed the hell out of me. She's also super short which I find irritating and seems kind of pushy. She was good as June Carter Cash or whatever the hell role she played in that Cash movie.

That Departed scene is great. First time I saw it I immediately thought of the part in Good Will Hunting where MD tells RW, "I have been laid you know. BIG TIME." RW is just like, "Aaah, BIG TIME huh?" Cracked me up. RIP Robin Williams.

Alicia Silverstone.

I haven't seen Josh Hartnett in anything forever. He had 8 things come out in 2001, including a couple big ones like Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor.

EDIT: Well, maybe I should have googled him first, where the third thing is ""What caused Josh Hartnett to quit Hollywood?"

http://features.aol.com/video/what-c...quit-hollywood

I never saw it, but it does tie back to my earlier post about the first lead role being the key one. Legally Blonde made Reese Witherspoon a star. Just like While You Were Sleeping made Sandra Bullock a star. Then she endured an awful run of The Net, Two if By Sea, In Love and War, Speed 2, Practical Magic, Forces of Nature, etc (not all complete box office flops because she was a proven "star") before *finally* hitting again with the just as awful Miss Congeniality (which would never have happened unless studios kept doubling down). Again, agents take notice, the first movie is the important one.

He's great, I was only saying I like him in Glengarry/The Departed type character roles rather than doing leads like The Shadow or The Edge.

Although this is my favorite April video release so far:

I really loved the edge.

I liked reading about it in that Art Linson book, but *really loved* The Edge?

ya I'm a big Anthony Hopkins fan and the outdoor survival adventure genre is something I really enjoy.

it's not on the level of some of my fav films, but it's a movie I enjoy quite a bit and will watch whenever it is on TV.

I deleted this before but I'll post it again assuming that no-one else has mentioned him but Guy Pearce.

For elite hotness that never really went anywhere, Krista Allen.

Ah, good old Greasy Reesey

YES!!! After those Aerosmith videos and Clueless, I checked out everything she released. Sadly, minimal output, and worse, all of it crap.

Oh damn, didn't know there was a second person in this world who'd read Art's book. Ton of great yarns in there.

30 Rock is the best thing that could have happened to Alec Baldwin. It let him be reevaluated by the public as a brilliant comic actor who just happens to have movie star looks instead of being the guy who could never quite carry a project on his own.

Not even sure that's his best scene, "PATRIOT ACT, I LOVE IT!" just killed me. He was onscreen for like five minutes and stole the movie imo

Rufus Sewell. That man should have become a star after Dark City.

I loved him in The Count of Monte Cristo and Iron Man 3. He's worked pretty steady, so I'd peg him as one of those actors who is kinda odd when it comes to picking projects - maybe trying to fly just on the fringe of stardom, pigeonholed as a certain type-cast, or simply not so great at sifting through the clutter.

Yeah, she was stellar in the late 90's, then...

For a guy whose career could have been bigger, he has one hell of a resume.

LA Confidential (1997)
Memento (2000)
The Time Machine (2002) (say what you want, this was entertaining)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
The Proposition (2005)
Traitor (2008)
The Road (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
The King's Speech (2010)
Prometheus (2012)
Lawless (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)