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by Kim Morgan
MSN Entertainment
Hollywood loves the overnight success story. But really, how often does it happen?
Though much-hyped debuts by movie stars like Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt to current teen queen Lindsay Lohan were eye-popping examples of audiences strongly connecting with actors, there are those who aren't appreciated so quickly. And yet, once those hard working actors hit pay dirt, the media excitedly proclaims them as "It" celebrities. Jamie Foxx, who's garnering much ink and Oscar buzz this year for his roles in "Collateral" and "Ray," is the poster boy for such a case. He's a guy whose career started in the comedy circuit, moved to television and lots of sub-par movies. Audiences and some critics are surprised to see the depth he's reached this year... but we're here to say he was always this good.
So in honor of the not-so-overnight-success stories, we're choosing six stars who swam in the water long before their supposed splash.
Jamie Foxx
It's almost amusing if you think about
it: The early '90s TV sketch comedy show "In Living
Color" launched several Mega Stars. There was the show's scene
stealer, Jim Carrey, who became not only one of the biggest
box office comedians of the 1990s but a greatly respected actor. Then there was
the lesser-known fly girl, Jennifer Lopez, who became, in spite of her natural
acting ability, well, J. Lo. But within that group was another vastly talented
star who didn't enjoy last decade's successes as easily as the aforementioned
celebs -- Jamie Foxx. He started in TV, and even though he made
some movie clunkers, ranging from "Any Given Sunday" to "Ali," he impressed. Through his perseverance and
impressive work, he was the guy critics, viewers and, thankfully, casting
directors inspected with more seriousness. The result? A year of not one, but
three terrific performances: The chameleon-like Foxx transformed himself with
ravaged power to play Death Row inmate Stan "Tookie" Williams (the original
leader of the CRIPS) in the otherwise forgettable cable movie "Redemption."
Switching gears, he co-starred as a troubled, adrift cabbie opposite Tom Cruise in Michael Mann's critically lauded thriller
"Collateral." And now there's "Ray," the greatly anticipated biopic of music
legend Ray Charles, a role Foxx prepared for by blindfolding
himself, playing piano and imitating the most minute inflections of Charles'
speaking voice. A blind, legendary musician and a former drug addict?
Well, we're predicting Oscar nomination. So just as Carrey may hear his name
called on Oscar night (for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), most likely will Foxx,
re-uniting the "In Living Color" alumni within a category usually reserved for
the supposedly more serious. Our reaction? We give that two snaps up with a
twist.
Jim Caviezel
Last year, most mainstream America
probably couldn't place this dreamy eyed, effective actor. But this year, well
... that's a whole different story. When a certain movie about the last twelve
hours of the life of Jesus Christ rolled around (you might remember, it's called
"The Passion of the Christ"), the world not only knew
his name, but had to struggle to pronounce it. But the fact is, Caviezel has
been impressive for years. The strict Roman Catholic made his mark by starring
in director Terrence Malick's comeback, the gorgeous "The Thin Red Line." He spiked solid crowd pleasers like
"Frequency" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" with his handsome, offbeat charisma
(ok, we'll just forget about "Pay it Forward" and "Angel Eyes," though he did his best to save both duds), but he
seemed somewhat lost. But then he saw the light or, er ... Mel Gibson and played
one of the year's most controversial roles. He left such an impact that fans (of
all his work) should stand worried about pigeonholing. After all, we don't
want Jesus Christ to become Jim Caviezel's Arthur Fonzarelli.
Paul Giamatti
OK, for those who know and love this
guy, his poignant, funny and beautifully human character, Miles Raymond in
Alexander Payne's terrific "Sideways," is not really a surprise. We knew he had it in him.
But thank God for Payne! In casting this character-actor extraordinaire in his
most fully realized role, he allowed viewers to look at a real man rather than
merely laugh with or at him. Though last year he achieved critical accolades as
the cynical, maladjusted file clerk/underground comic icon Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor," the mainstream wasn't hep to his
particular brand of charm. From playing Pig Vomit in the Howard Stern biopic "Private Parts" to hilariously neurotic gangster Veal Chop in
the cult comedy "Safe Men" to a sergeant in "Saving Private Ryan" and finally, Tony Clifton, Andy Kaufman's
writing partner, in "Man on the Moon" -- it would be a massive understatement to say
the guy works a lot ... and works well. He's made nearly 40 films in the
past 15 years and manages to stand out in nearly all of them. And if Oscar has
any moxie, his loving "Sideways" performance will be among the Best Actor
nominees. Just goes to show that even if you play a character named Pig Vomit,
if you're talented, it is possible to shoot to the top and finally reach it.
James Franco
Here's our question: Where is James Franco's Vanity Fair cover? This intense,
reportedly methody actor who garnered acclaim for filling in the shoes of
another like-minded actor, James Dean, in a made for TV biopic, is gorgeous (mag
covers like that) and remarkably talented. So, why not the Colin Farrell treatment? Not enough media attention?
Who knows? But maybe his lack of hype is why we love him so much and why he will
(fingers crossed) endure in the business. Though he's worked steady in mostly
disappointing films like "City by the Sea" opposite Robert De Niro and the Nicolas Cage-helmed "Sonny," he's most recognizable to moviegoers as Harry Osborn,
the troubled son of The Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" films. This year, in "Spider-Man 2," Franco bit into his role with deeper
mastication, showing the rage and tumult of Harry and a not-so-subtle
declaration that he'd return as the franchise's newest super villain. Couple
that forceful performance with the long-awaited DVD release of his 1999 cult TV
show "Freaks and Geeks" (one of the medium's greatest achievements),
wherein he played the dippy, touching, burn-out bad boy Daniel Desario, and you
can see a star just waiting to explode. The man has range. So again, Vanity
Fair, enough of Jude Law ... put Franco on the front!
James Spader
You might be asking, wait -- James Spader? Isn't he more a come-back story? Well,
no, not with a career that took forever to flower into leading-man
status. Though he began as the hot, sleazy scumbag in films like "Pretty in Pink" and "Less Than Zero," the blonde looker turned more to offbeat work
in the indie milestone "sex, lies, and videotape," David Cronenberg's brilliant, ice cold "Crash" and twisted black comedy "Secretary." Not content to take on standard work (or not
offered), the guy is, at the very least, daring. So it was especially exciting
to see an actor of almost Christopher Walken-like bizarreness step up to the
very mainstream Emmy podium this year to win Best Actor in a Drama for "The
Practice" (and over James Gandolfini, no less!) -- the troubled show that
he, and to almost equal extent William Shatner, took over with hilarious, unusual
ease. Both actors are starring in "The Practice" off-shoot, "Boston Legal"
offering their commanding side-show freakdom center stage while the other actors
look on in near amazement. Giving the oftentimes grave network TV humor,
depravity and weirdness, we rejoice in the boob tube raising itself to the level
of what we can only describe as Spader-ific.
Gael Garcia Bernal
A star in Mexico from his work
in soap operas and popular with art-house crowds for his work in
the fantastic pictures "Amores Perros," "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and "The Crime of Father Amaro," the impossibly handsome Bernal
has gotten major ink this year ... and not just because he was dating Natalie Portman. Though "Y Tu Mama" was a significant
highlight, it also became a vehicle for all its stars, as well as director
Alfonso Cuaron, who would later direct this year's
"Harry Potter" film. In 2004, Bernal is Latin America's
biggest import, a dreamboat who has appeared in magazines as starry-eyed as
Teen Vogue. His acting chops are equally impressive. Not only is he currently
playing Latin American revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara in the
acclaimed, suprising box office success "The Motorcycle Diaries," but he'll soon be seen in Pedro Almodovar's "Bad Education," in which he dons drag. As both testament
to Bernal's range and his ascension, he's claimed to look (in a drag, anyway)
like a star many beginners might aspire towards -- Julia Roberts. And his stock should rise even
further, as he's busy at work on his Hollywood debut, "The King." Viva
Gael!
