Celebrity Powerhouses
Over the pass 14 months or so I'm come to realize that actor Jamie Foxx and actress Reese Witherspoon are big-time Hollywood ass-kickers. Their respective awards confirmed it, but I've had some sense for awhile that their versatility and down-to-earth nature would help them shine on the big screen.
Jamie (I swear) seems to picking up where Denzel left off (let's be honest; with the exception of Training Day Denzel's been cashing in on being named "Denzel" since Malcolm X. That's not to say he hasn't been good, but if you took any character from that span and switched it with another one, would people notice? I thought not). The guy can play a hero, villain, flawed character, you name it. He can be funny or serious. If they ever make a Bad Boy 3 (God I hope not) you'd have to think that Martin Lawrence gets bumped for Foxx, right? Who's gonna pass up an opportunity to match up Will Smith and Jamie Foxx?
And like Smith, Jamie has crossover appeal. In other words: white people, who still make up a majority in the United States, will go see a movie with Jamie Foxx in it. And Foxx didn't have to sell out like Ice Cube to get that type of fan base.
Did I mention that he was versatile? Wouldn't you want to see a movie with him and John Leguizamo, ad-libbing 80% of the script? Throw in Will Ferrell, it's a comedy. Add Jet Li and you got an action flick. With Tom Hanks? Instant drama. The possibilities are endless.
The same is true with Witherspoon. some may look at her and think "she's just Kirsten Dunst with a southern accent," but those people only watch four movies a year (counting TV and Cable). Dunst is a fine actress, but comparing her to Witherspoon is like comparing NBA player Larry Hughes to him teammate LaBron James. Good, but not close. She doesn't have the "had to get naked to be recognized" stigma that senior actresses Charlize Theron and pseudo-contemporaries Shannon Elizabeth and Denise Richards (notice how they both did nude scenes and they both have "first name" last names? Weird, huh?). She's not perceived as a partygirl/ditzy like Tara Reid or Heather Graham (Heather also did a nude scene, BTW). Julia Stiles is the only actress I see catching up to her (in my NBA analogy, think Damon Wade), but she's gotta do less "Shakespearian" movies. You can act, Julia; we know this. Now show us your versatility.
So hats off to both these guys. Keep shining. And no nude scenes.
Jamie (I swear) seems to picking up where Denzel left off (let's be honest; with the exception of Training Day Denzel's been cashing in on being named "Denzel" since Malcolm X. That's not to say he hasn't been good, but if you took any character from that span and switched it with another one, would people notice? I thought not). The guy can play a hero, villain, flawed character, you name it. He can be funny or serious. If they ever make a Bad Boy 3 (God I hope not) you'd have to think that Martin Lawrence gets bumped for Foxx, right? Who's gonna pass up an opportunity to match up Will Smith and Jamie Foxx?
And like Smith, Jamie has crossover appeal. In other words: white people, who still make up a majority in the United States, will go see a movie with Jamie Foxx in it. And Foxx didn't have to sell out like Ice Cube to get that type of fan base.
Did I mention that he was versatile? Wouldn't you want to see a movie with him and John Leguizamo, ad-libbing 80% of the script? Throw in Will Ferrell, it's a comedy. Add Jet Li and you got an action flick. With Tom Hanks? Instant drama. The possibilities are endless.
The same is true with Witherspoon. some may look at her and think "she's just Kirsten Dunst with a southern accent," but those people only watch four movies a year (counting TV and Cable). Dunst is a fine actress, but comparing her to Witherspoon is like comparing NBA player Larry Hughes to him teammate LaBron James. Good, but not close. She doesn't have the "had to get naked to be recognized" stigma that senior actresses Charlize Theron and pseudo-contemporaries Shannon Elizabeth and Denise Richards (notice how they both did nude scenes and they both have "first name" last names? Weird, huh?). She's not perceived as a partygirl/ditzy like Tara Reid or Heather Graham (Heather also did a nude scene, BTW). Julia Stiles is the only actress I see catching up to her (in my NBA analogy, think Damon Wade), but she's gotta do less "Shakespearian" movies. You can act, Julia; we know this. Now show us your versatility.
So hats off to both these guys. Keep shining. And no nude scenes.
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