Astral's Favorite
Celebrities
I realize it's unlikely you will care about my choice of favorite celebrities, but I like having this list here for my own benefit--very convenient. This is sort of a companion piece to "Astral's Phases"--I have my own little collection of actors whose careers I actively follow, and sometimes I'm much more interested in one than another. Still, they all have a special place in my heart.
I cannot imagine being famous and having people collect pictures and information about me, arranging it in an electronic collage for the world to see; I think I would find that somewhat disturbing. On the other hand, maybe I would consider it as flattering as having fanfic written about my characters. Although I would think the two gestures would be mutually exclusive--Astral, the world's first author/pin-up?
Alexander Siddig & Nana Visitor
My favorite sci-fi couple, late of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which
is where I first saw them.
Sarah Polley
I spotted her first on the family series Avonlea, then was curious
enough to check out some of her more independent movies. I think my
first one was Exotica. And now I've seen everything of hers
I can get my hands on--in fact, I've got three more videos sitting on my
shelf waiting for a spare moment to be popped in the VCR.
Ralph Fiennes
I know it undermines the dignity of a classically-trained, Oscar-nominated
thespian to call him "yummy," but... My Ralph Fiennes story is quite convoluted,
so feel free to skip it. It all started because of the Clinton impeachment.
That winter I had only one final, on a Friday, and I stayed home that
week instead of at the dorm. I was supposed to be studying chemistry,
but I was really watching hours and hours of C-SPAN every day, just mesmerized
by the gales of rhetoric sweeping through the rooms. And eventually
I became, um, mesmerized by a certain Representative from California by the
name of James Rogan, whom I thought rather resembled that one guy from The
English Patient--you know, that stupid tearjerker I had no intention
of ever seeing. And once that thought became implanted in my mind,
I couldn't shake it until I'd checked out a movie or two, and it just snowballed.
Schindler's List is one of my favorite movies, and probably
the best movie I've ever seen.
Jerry Orbach
Always my favorite cop on Law & Order. Full disclosure:
when I was 19 I had a complete set of Jerry Orbach's musical theatre CDs--well,
as complete as I could. Still have 'em, still enjoy 'em. Prince
of the City is of course the obvious Jerry Orbach classic (well, besides
Dirty Dancing), but I must admit to cackling with glee when he played
a Mafioso in Toy Soldiers. Of course, Beauty and the Beast
(as the amourous Lumiere) isn't too shabby either.
Sam Waterston
And always my favorite lawyer on Law & Order. For some Sam
Waterston-related reason, I take inordinate pleasure in watching goop like
Jane of Lantern Hill and Man in the Moon, although I have not
brought myself to finish Rancho Deluxe yet. I did just see A
House Divided though, and I want to issue a Scary Hair Alert at this
time.
Ewan McGregor
From Trainspotting to Star Wars--an offbeat path for an offbeat
actor. Please tell me I did not first notice him in The Phantom
Menace...that would be so sad for such an eclectic person...hmmmm,
I honestly can't remember...wait, I think we could say it was Velvet
Goldmine, which I watched (extremely wide-eyed) during a Christian Bale
phase. Ah, that's better. I love that movie, too, by the way.
Natalie Portman
I had heard of her before The Phantom Menace, and I had even seen
her in The Professional during a Gary Oldman phase, but I think I'm
going to have to say Star Wars was what encouraged me to find her
other movies. She is an absolutely stunning talent, and if ever I start
to doubt that I need only pull out Beautiful Girls to see her wrap
that movie around her little finger at about age 13.
Anna Paquin
Although I of course identified her as the young Oscar winner of The
Piano, I had never really taken an interest in her career until X-Men
came out. I feel as though she has so much potential and I'm just
waiting for the right role to come along and really click for her. She
was quite good in A Walk on the Moon, and I find her taste in roles
(bottle blond incestuous street rat in It's the Rage to giddy "care
package" for Sean Penn in Hurly-Burly to Freddie Prinze Jr.'s prep-school
sis in She's All That?) intriguing.
Hugh Jackman
Who's to know if this entry will be another classic or just a slightly
embarrassing sign of the times? Having seen him in only one movie,
X-Men (like most of America), I simply can't say yet. But I
can say rowwwrrrr...and I say it often. Looking forward to the
next three Hugh Jackman movies: Someone Like You (okay, stupid, but
harmless and he looked great), Swordfish, and Kate & Leopold.
Russell Crowe
Now here's a definite classic. I knew who he was, even recognized his
name from Virtuosity, but I wasn't grabbed until I saw a tiny picture
of him with Jodie Foster at the Golden Globes, where he was nominated for
The Insider. He had that full beard thing going and I just thought
to myself, here is a new type of man--he's not a skinny goofy guy like Ewan
McGregor, he's not a sensitive thespian like Ralph Fiennes. He is a
strong, rugged, man's man--could you ever like someone like that? Well,
maybe not in real life, but it turned out to be remarkably easy to like him
onscreen. But if you thought the Gladiator thing was all he
could do, find The Sum of Us at Blockbuster. It's one of the
few tearjerkers I really like, that I don't feel manipulated by. Also
give The Quick and the Dead another look--number one, he looks great
and he's all tortured and scruffy and beat up; number two, it's not
bad so much as stylized, and some people might like that style. Of
course there's also L.A. Confidential, which is excellent, as well
as Romper Stomper, which is extremely dark but very good.
Ricky Martin
::sigh:: Not an actor, I'll grant you. Well, I suppose technically
he has been, but I'm interested solely in the musical side. You can
mock me all you want. Other people certainly do. But try as I
might I can't shake him (no pun intended)--I listened to Sound Loaded
every day during finals week, and not just to irritate the neighbors. For
your information, my CD collection also includes the Offspring, Green Day,
Dean Martin, Billy Joel, Elvis, and Jerry Orbach's showtunes. I don't
know what that makes me, except perhaps strange. But I still think
he's hot.
David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson
For a while I debated putting these two on the list. Was my affection
for them only a byproduct of my X-Files phase? But in the end
I decided that if I had actually enjoyed the car-accident emotional rollercoaster
of Red Shoe Diaries (the movie) and if I actually eagerly anticipated
House of Mirth, I must indeed include them.
Gabriel Byrne
Where, where, where did I first spot him...hmmm, it's completely slipped
my mind. I'll probably think of it later. The important thing
is that for love of Gabriel Byrne, I've suffered through a lot of really
bad movies, including Gothic, which I will never, ever be able to
erase from my mind no matter how hard I try. And I also found a new
beloved favorite, Miller's Crossing. So it was all worth it.
Gary Oldman
The man who disappears into his characters, then makes them leap out at the
movies and shake them like cinematic chew toys...He first caught my eye in
the lush musical biography of Beethoven, Immortal Beloved. That's
another favorite now; I guess the story itself is rather tragic, but I don't
think of it as a tearjerker, for some reason. I mean, it doesn't make
me sad. It's sort of like Ralph Fiennes's The End of the
Affair, which is another of his movies I rather enjoyed--it's sad,
but yet it feels right, like there's no point in crying because the
story couldn't have ended any other way. Fate and all that, I guess.
Kevin Spacey
No favorite actors list would be complete without a mention of him.
The Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, American
Beauty, The Negotiator...man, I just want to give the guy a hug
for all the great performances he's entertained me with. And if you
think the pathetic suburbanite of Beauty is all he can do, just watch
Suspects one more time, with fresh eyes, if you can manage it. The
first time I saw it, I don't think I breathed through the last couple minutes.
I was totally, blissfully unaware of what was going to happen, and
it blew me away.
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Last modified May 18, 2001