Who would you claim as the current Actor/Actress of the Generation?

I'll just throw some names out without necessarily endorsing any of them; feel free to add your own.

Tom Hanks has come a long way from "Bosom Buddies" and "Bachelor Party"

He seldom gets the attention he deserves. I love the fact he finally won an Oscar.

Or Cate Blanchette.

He pours himself into roles. My heart ached for him when his beautiful wife passed away.

Favorite actress, has to be Meryl Streep. She is just terrific in everything she does.

I got to see him on Broadway in The Crucible with his shirt off. Yum.

Meryl Streep is right up there, too.

mark

Plus, even i think he's gorgeous...

She does nothing for me.

I'd watch her floss her teeth (and no, that's not a fetish, at least not one of mine).

I wouldn't watch her floss, tho.

His role in "There Will Be Blood" is absolutely amazing.

DeNiro, Pacino and Hoffman can duke it out for my parents' generation but what has any of them done in the last 20 years that would qualify them as an "actor of the generation" for people under 50?

Sean Penn would be on my list along with Viggo Mortensen, Forest Whitaker, Ed Harris, Brad Dourif, Russell Crowe...

For actresses?

Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, Frances McDormand, Jodi Foster...

somehow attracted to the project/subject. And it's not that I particular like them, like, my pals thought NICHOLSON was so cool in whadayacallit, his first one, with Peter FONDA, and I never did.

As for GIBSON, I haven't seen the Lethal Weapon ones or more than parts of the Mad Max ones. But I went out of my way to see him in Hamlet, and then the other ones: Braveheart, Gallipoli, Apocalypto, The Patriot, The Passion (for politics, not religion). Yet when I see his "real" self on talk shows, especially with his pal LENO, he pretty much repulses me.

Whassisname, Gladiator (soon to be Robin Hood) is falling into the category of must-see.

It's that part loony quality that makes them so watchable. I didn't like The Patriot all that much, but Gibson in Braveheart & Hamlet was certainly a commanding on screen presense.

"Easy Rider" - the whassisname I couldn't think of. My generation pals thought this was SO cool. Me: meh.

But after that, not with Five Easy Pieces, but really One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I was totally hooked. And the much overlooked The Last Detail, which, for me was EXACTLY the way a certain segment of Navy enlisteds act, fanTAStic!1 And The Shining. Chinatown. Just one thing after another.

The part about GIBSON talking "naturally" on interview shows: Uh, I'm fairly naive but not naive enough to think (completely) that this is their real selves just because they are presenting themselves in that format. But he seems so daft and IDIOTIC. Apocalypto is a magnificent achievement, and I just can't fathom how his seeming closed and narrow mind could have possibly put something like that together. And yet he is presented as being responsible for all of it, as well as his other best movies. I'm just going, HUH?!1

Unfortunately, his drunken, anti-Semitic thing happened. Just that it happened was enough in itself. But it also happened in the period of roll-out for Apocalypto and therefore sunk it. Someday it will be recognized as great. By itself. Without him.

Flash in the pan, I'm afraid.

I would pay to see him play any role. Hell, I'm going to the Doors documentary simply because he does the narration.

Forest Whitaker

Morgan Freeman..Shawshank Redemption..Unforgiven..and more.

DeNiro, Pacino, and Streep belong in a different group than Hanks and Washington.

I also think it matters whether you are talking about popularity/box office draw vs. critical acclaim

For the current generation of actors, critically, the current actor of our generation is Daniel Day-Lewis (although, personally, I can't friggin' stand him). Actress is likely Penelope Cruz.

If you are looking at a more total package (talent + popular appeal), then you get into debates about Depp, Matt Damon, and Leo DiCaprio, and actresses like Anne Hathaway and Amy Adams.

But I'll put in a plug for Robert Downey Jnr. as well. Extremely talented.

And of course, I personally like Alan Rickman, but that's a generational thing.

You never said which generation.:hide:

Dumb call? Sure. But I'm going with my gut... and with his.

I am so disappointed in you. x(

Tell you what, Debi. I'll make a special poll, just for you.

:eyesroll:

incapable of giving a bad performance. BTW I have no problem with any people in your original poll.

even in a so-so movie he's usually enjoyable to watch.

He has been great in a good deal of varying roles, both comedy and drama.

meryl streep, helen mirren, robert deniro, jeff bridges
a bit younger julianne moore and ralphe fiennes (interesting in whatever they do).
a bit younger....johnny depp (i don't think i've ever seen anyone with as much charisma), leonardo dicaprio (very, very good actor...and not just a pretty face), cate blanchett, kate winslet

there are many others who are fun to watch but not considered among the great like chris walken and jack nicholson.

I haven't seen one film with him that he didn't enhance or steal.

(Same could be said of Meryl Streep, I know)