After some initial resistance, I’m getting chattier on Twitter lately. Yesterday, in a “best of 2000s” frame of mind, an enjoyable back-and-forth with some of you started after I idly asked which actor or actress has had the greatest decade on film.
The suggestions came in thick and fast, some mathematically going by awards stats, others opting for more abstract criteria. Some names came up with particular frequency: it’s hard to argue with the choice of Kate Winslet, though with the peerless exception of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” I wish she had more stone-cold masterworks under her belt.
Johnny Depp was a popular choice, as was Sean Penn. I liked many more outré suggestions, including a shout-out for Patricia Clarkson, though will admit to scratching my head over two people’s advocation of Clint Eastwood. (If we’re counting people who only appeared four films this decade, I’ll stick with Daniel Day-Lewis.)
But I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who plumped for the same name I’d consider for the honor: Nicole Kidman. The actress has been at the receiving end of a lot of media snark lately, be it in a professional or personal capacity, but clearly she still commands respect for her adventurous script choices and rarefied taste in auteurs.
She’s had a couple of indefensible clunkers, of course — though I have little patience for those who dismiss a “Golden Compass” or an “Australia” out of hand. But between the likes of “Dogville,” “Moulin Rouge!,” “The Hours” or “Birth,” I find it difficult to name an actor who has tested themselves more in the last ten years.
Anyway, with last night’s Twitter discussion fresh in my mind, I happened upon an interview with Kidman (not available online, sadly) in this month’s edition of British GQ. It’s a typically fawning profile, though she comes across most engagingly in it, opining that she should have lost her Best Actress Oscar to Renée Zellweger (uh, no), and quipping that the all-star cast of “Nine” is a blessing because “the blame can be spread more evenly.”
But relating to the discussion above, she addresses her sometimes eccentric instincts, and the mixed fortunes of her recent work, with admirable pride and intelligence:
I’m no businesswoman. I’ve never cultivated that side of myself, the business side. I have very avant-garde tastes — that’s just what I’m drawn to. Sometimes that means working on tiny, often unheard-of artistic endeavors, sometimes it means working with the likes of Baz on movies like “Australia” or “Moulin Rouge!,” which make big, bold, epic statements. I was raised on art and literature, and things that were left of center, so where I say success lies is probably very different to a lot of people. I make films that aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I realize that. I get it. But that’s where I am.
To me, “Birth” was a success. And exactly the sort of film I want to make. If you’re taking risks it isn’t always going to work, and yeah, it hurts sometimes. But I have a career where I have had to weather the storms. It’s become second nature to me. I’m used to my roles and the movies I’m in being criticized. I seek it out. In my life I do not seek out a safe place. I like existing in an uncomfortable place artistically.
Would that more people in the industry felt the same way.
Comments
71 responses to “Risk addiction”
Wow. I never thought I’d hear anyone say the things that Kidman said. That was amazing
And kudos to her for admitting that she shouldn’t have won (sorry. even though I LOVE Kidman, I would have given her the Oscar for Moulin Rouge!, then had Zellweger win for Chicago). That’s very classy of her
She’s definitely had the most interesting career this decade. I struggle to think of an actress whose had such a roller coaster of flops and triumphs in the last ten years.
But seriously…Zellweger? Good thing she doesn’t control the Oscars.
She’s write about losing the Oscar – maybe not to Renee, but she definitely did not deserve to win for The Hours.
Maybe it’s just because I hated that movie. One of the worst experiences of my movie-going life.
That should be “she’s right” by the way. I don’t have that poor a command of the English language, surely?
To me Kidman is the second-best actress working today, after Meryl Streep. I like that she takes risks and also works in movies that don’t look to do anything else but to please. Even in her flops (i.e. Bewitched, The Invasion, The Stepford Wives) she gives the best she can and gives the entire film a little bit of credibility.
She is definitely the most outstanding actress of the decade.
This article proves that Kidman is smart as a whip. Who would have thought formal ms. Cruise was more daring, intelligent and commanding then her former husband. I love the auteur seeking actress she has become. Bravo!
I havent seen Birth or Dogville, so I can’t really argue against you, but I don’t agree with you.
I’d have to say for the ladies it’s Winslet all the way and a toss up between Blanchett and Streep for second, with maybe Tilda Swinton and Natalie Portman lurking just behind them.
For the men it’s a little less clear cut for me, I could personally argue for Penn, DiCaprio, or Gyllenhaa; But it’s gotta be Heath Ledger. He gave the two most defining yet completely different performances by one actor of the decade for me in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. He takes it for me.
I would agree that Kidman does receive a lot of unfounded and unwarrented criticism, and she has done some great work this decade.
But, for my money, the best performer of the decade has been Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Capote. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Charlie Wilson’s War. Synecdoche, NY. Punch Drunk Love. Doubt. The Savages. 25th Hour.
To me, no one has had more a diverse and impressive career over the last ten years. Everything he is in, he makes better.
What about thinking a little outside Hollywood? What about Isabelle Huppert, who has done The Piano Teacher (best performance of the decade, hands down), Time of the Wolf, Gabrielle, Ma Mère and L’Ivresse du Pouvoir? What about Juliette Binoche, who has gone the way of Haneke (Code Incomnu, Caché), Ferrara (Mary), Assayas (Summer Hours) and Hou (The Flight of the Red Balloon)?
Nicole Kidman may have surprised everyone, but I’m sorry, she doesn’t stand a chance against Huppert and Binoche.
If I have to choose a male perfomer, I still go French. Nobody was better than Mathieu Amalric.
A few years ago, for whatever reason, I couldn’t stand Kidman. I’m not even sure what performances of hers I had seen, but I’ve completely reversed my position on her.
Common opinion seems to be she lost her way after The Hours, but I’ll just echo everyone else’s statements that she’s done her best work since then. It was her performance in The Hours that initially turned her around for me, but in retrospect her work there is almost nothing compared even to what she’s done in the last three years in two films that could not be more different: Margot at the Wedding and Australia (though her performance in the latter is a bit misguided at the beginning of the film, she’s flat-out incredible by its end).
Also, I think we can all agree that Kidman should obviously be giving her Oscar to Moore.
JAB, Dogville + Birth really makes the Kidman = most artistically successful thespian of the decade. I happen to think that her performance in Birth is one of the 20 greatests performance on film. You should see them. I’m not saying that it WILL change your position on the strength of her filmography over the past decade, but it might…
I’m really glad she sticks up for Birth. It’s incredibly bold cinema that’s pretty darn brilliant.
She’s my pick for Actor of the decade too. Others good ones are PSH, Samantha Morton & Michelle Williams(though she started out late). The latter 3 also gloriously appeared together in Synecdoche NY, 1 of my favorite films from the decade.
The actress of the decade should be Julianne Moore. Forget both Kidman and Zellweger; neither deserved an Oscar for their work that year. It should have been Moore’s. She and the entire ensemble cast in “Far from Heaven” nailed it. She has consistantly given outstanding performances in projects throughout the decade. I know she has also appeared in some big $$$ roles, but she still comes home to the small indie and gives us something astonishing.
Don’t forget FUR and MARGOT AT THE WEDDING, probably two of the most engaging perfomance this decade. Kidman is great. Hope she’ll recognized (as she deserves) again & soon.
Guy responded to my Twitter quip that Oscars certainly aren’t applicable currency when it comes to these debates, but nevertheless, it’s difficult for me to find argument with four Oscar nods and one win in a single decade (Winslet).
That having been said, Kidman is undervalued, to say the least.
Kidman has made a point to work with the best directors, Birth is a personal favorite along with Dogville. And now she’ll work with Alfredson on Danish Girl.
I think Winslet has had the best decade. Her choices (they didn’t all work but still..) and especially her performances are almost always very impressive. I know the Extras episode isn’t “film” but I count it. Brilliant! “Romance and Cigarettes” shows a very interesting side of her talent.
I don’t really object to Kidman though. Good choices and I have to say, I like her a lot as a person.
I really like Laura Linney but I haven’t seen “You can count on me” or “jindabyne” so I can’t really make a strong argument. But if anyone has seen them (plus “Savages”, “Kinsey” and “The exorcism of Emily Rose”) I’d like it if she got at leat the vote of one person.
Guy, I’m surprised you didn’t choose Blanchett. Do you think that the Academy has expressed enough love for anyone to feel the need to mention her? I don’t know how that sounded. I mean exactly what I say.
THANK YOU. I love Kidman and people have been hating on her too much as of late. Personally The Others is one of my favorite performances of hers, and she should have won for Moulin Rouge, great actress
I can’t believe I’m doing this but, Kris, Blanchett also has 4 nods and a win (albeit supporting).
Jim, Blanchett is fantastic, good point
I love Blanchett but she’s had some clunkers performance wise. Far too calculated in Notes on Scandal, simply bad in The Shipping News, uneven in Benjamin Button (though in the latter part of the film she is great if you ask me), and let’s not talk about the Golden Age.
Although with I’m Not There, underrated work in The Gift and The Man Who Cried as well as her delightful performance inThe Aviator, it’a hard to hold anything against her as runner for most impressive actor of the decade. Also she was the best part of Crystal Skull, and her cameo in Hot Fuzz is hilarious.
I might say Gael Garcia Bernal for men, and Winslet and Kidman to duke it out.
I think the Kidman argument works, but only for the first half of the decade. Glorious in The Others, Dogville and Birth. (I have a bit less time for her in Moulin Rouge! or The Hours.) But from 2005 onwards it’s a desperately mediocre resume, particularly when you think how good (say) Margot should have been.
If we could split the decade in two, I’d perhaps be looking at Swinton for the second half, or PS Hoffman like someone suggested — Capote, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead and Synecdoche, NY is a shockingly impressive line-up, even without having to pad it out with Doubt.
Who’s been most consistent across the whole decade though? That’s a tough one. I think stars tend to have great spurts for four or five years and then fallow/dodgy periods. But for the most surprisingly durable star profile in the last ten years — particularly when we were all being told his career was kaput back in 2000 — I might well pick Matt Damon. Barnstorming franchise, credible supporting roles, YouTube sensation, and Stuck On You: he has had a GREAT decade, no doubt about it.
I’d still say Blanchett. Becoming a hugely popular actress with Lord of the Rings at the start of the decade and then working her way up with some truly awesome performances. Notes on a Scandal being a trule highpoint, if not only for the brilliant one-on-ones with Judi Dench.
Come on: do you really think you have seen a better performance than Mathieu Amalric’s in Kings and Queen? The you think A Christmas’s Tale, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Munich, and, OMG, Heartbeat Detector!
If you really want to go on this talk, please say you’re choosing the best Hollywood actor of the decade, not the best of all, actually.
I think Russell Crowe deserves some recognition. He was gosh darn brilliant in A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man and was good in Gladiator and Master and Commander.
My two favorite Kidman performances aren’t even mentioned here…Birthday Girl (always at her best playing icy and dangerous) and The Interpreter (even though the latter rides heavily on her palpable chemistry with Sean Penn, it’s her most entertaining studio film and performance hands down).
@Jim T: I adore Blanchett — I think she’s easily the most gifted of her generation. But on balance, I don’t think her choices are as adventurous as Kidman’s — I want to see more “I’m Not Theres” from here, and fewer “Buttons.” (Sorry, Kris.)
@Tim: I couldn’t agree more with your 4-5 year phase theory — as soon as I asked the question yesterday, I struggled to think of someone who was on fire throughout the decade. (If we’re talking decade halves, could I nominate Scarlett Johansson for the first?)
Surprised (in a nodding along kind of way) to see you champion Damon, not least since you’re so cool on “The Informant!,” which I think is his finest hour.
@Caleb: Excellent choices, all. And any regular reader of my work knows that I’m crazy about Mathieu Amalric, so I’m thrilled to hear someone mention him.
I love the looser, funkier turn Binoche has taken with her work in the latter half of the decade (something Tim and I were chatting about on another site last week, coincidentally enough), though I still think the 90s was her peak decade. As for Huppert, have you seen “White Material” yet — for me, it might actually be her best work this decade.
@Martin: Glad to see someone mention both of those, actually — particularly “The Interpreter,” which I think gets short shrift in general.
Should add that just because a film/performance isn’t mentioned here, doesn’t mean I don’t hold it in high regard — was trying to keep things brief. Perhaps near the year’s end, I’ll commit to a longer essay on the subject.
By the way, I’m loving everyone’s responses to this topic. Thanks.
PSH and Damon are also great choices. Let’s not forget Peter Sarsgaard though, Kinsey, Jarhead, Shattered Glass, Garden State and An Education. Even his brief work in Elegy was great, and his work in a pretty lame horror flick called The Skeleton Key.
I guess we also should mention Will Smith, great work in a few films, great money in a lot of films.
3 actors have 4 noms this decade that I know of, but based on the lead/supp proportion and # of wins, the Academy’s favorite so far this decade seems to be Winslet.
If Streep wins, she’d tie with Winslet.
If Dench is nominated for Nine, she would be arguable for the top spot: value of one more win vs. of one more nom?
I think that DiCaprio needs to get more credit for his work this decade: Catch me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Revolutionary Road, and then the upcoming Shutter Island and Inception. I think that’s a pretty impressive slate and I think he is consistently underrated.
For me, and I’ve said this countless times, Nicole Kidman’s work is unparalleled. I love Meryl Streep and adore both Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett, but no one else’s work has affected me more. Even when you look at the more questionable films she’s been in (i.e.- Bewitched, The Invasion and The Stepford Wives), she’s never the reason they aren’t as good as they should be. As a matter of fact, she’s often what lends those weaker films credibility at all.
Philip Seymour Hoffman on the boys’ side, Cate Blanchett on the girls’ side.
oh. for some reason “Birth” has been playing like CRAZY on brazilian cable tv recently and I find myself quite shocked to realize how much I love it. the craft in that film (especially the visuals and the music) are some of the decade’s best, no doubt.
and it might be my favorite Kidman performance. it’s certainly her best since “The Others”, IMO….
Guy, have you seen MARGOT AT THE WEDDING ? She surprised me in that film, it was a new side of her, she had never been so raw on film,
I think Winslet and Linney have been given the most consistently impressive performances recently (I would include Linney’s performance in John Adams in the mix).
I would choose Ledger over Phillip Seymour Hoffman. We all know Ledger would have gotten even better. It’s such a huge loss.
By the way, Kidman is likey not to slow down in the next future : Rabbit Hole will be shown in a festival next year, she’s shooting The Danish Girl in Berlin in march and then she’ll work on Little Bee in early 2011.
So after three worldwite hits (The Golde Compass, Australia and Nine), she’ll be seen in 3 lead roles in 3 indie movies that are being produced by her own company.
That’s right, she says she’s not a businesswoman but she’s also producing her movies now with her company ! And she said recently in an interview that she plans on writing a screenplay… where will the girl stop ?
i totally don’t agree with your kidman choice. although i like her very much and your choice is respectable, but i have to say for me it goes:
1-heath ledger
2-kate winslet
3- sean penn
after that there’s johnny depp, nicole kidman and george clooney.
Nicole Kidman gave one good performance in her life… “To Die For”. She deserved recognition for that but not for anything else she’s done. Her win for “The Hours” is, in my opinion, one of the greatest mistakes in Oscar history. Nowadays, her acting is as expressionless as her botox-tainted visage. The actors of the decade are, alphabetically: Blanchett, Depp, DiCaprio, Pitt, Streep, and Winslet.
If we’re talking actors who tested themselves this decade, why not mention Brad Pitt?
His career took a great spin recently and now he’s regarded as a talented actor rather than just a pretty leading man. Of course, this big change only started in 2006 and has only lasted five films (Babel, Jesse James, Burn after Reading, Benjamin Button and Inglourious Basterds). But they were five of the most important and talked about films of the decade, including two Best Picture nominees (and a potential third). And his work on each and every one of them was outstanding and showed his range and ability as an actor. I’d say that all, except his hilarious (if over-the-top) turn in IB, were worthy of award accolades.
Jolie’s career also took a turn in 2006 with The Good Shepherd and then she confirmed her new status with A Mighty Hear, Changeling, Salt looks like a solid thriller and it will be interesting to see if she’s up for the Gucci drama to be directed by Ridley Scott.
I am also curious to see her take on Kay Scarpetta, but it’s not for anytime soon.
I hate it when people say she is untalented because of her use of botox (like RJL). Has it gotten a little out of hand? yes. However, that does not reduce her natural talent or her ability to show emotion.
As for her win for The Hours. She did not deserve to win (she should have won for Moulin Rouge!) but I’m glad she has an Oscar
@ Jennifer:
I wouldn’t call The Golden Compass or Australia hits, let alone worldwide hits.
Nicole’s still got my vote, but I love the inclusion of Brad Pitt. For so long he’s been a favorite of mine who has shown that he is capable of doing some mighty fine acting, and now that he really seems keen on challenging himself, I look forward to his next roles (even if his nod for “Benjamin Button” was a bit undeserved).
The golden compass and Australia may have flopped in the United States but the former made 302 million and the latter 161 million from foreign markets. Those are pretty good numbers
Clarification for Mr. F… Nicole was untalented long before her use of botox. Putting on that fake nose in “The Hours” was her biggest mistake. Now, her whole face is fake. And she still can’t act.
I agree that Kidman is one of the greatest working female actors along with Winslet, Streep, and Blachett. She is by far the greatest risk taker.
Day-Lewis is the Actor of the decade, if not simply because he created two of the most iconic, masterfully acted characters in all of film: Bill the Butcher and Daniel Plainview.
Bill Murray.