In this day and age wheresuperhero moviesrule the box office roost, it seems that every actor is getting sucked in. What these films seem to do is hedge their bets with young thespians on the upswing, and older actors that lend the film some credibility. Some examples of this might beMarlon BrandoinSuperman,Robert RedfordinCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandAnthony HopkinsinThor. One might also make the case forNatalie Portmanin theThorfilms but that is another story…
However, there are some actors who cannot play ball. Actors who, by the very definition of the craft of acting, don’t see a role like Iron Man as anything to get excited about. In fact, some years ago Movieweb interviewedThomas Janeregarding the role ofThe Punisher. When asked if a role like that was something he coveted Jane replied, “It isn’t Shakespeare.” Yet,Janewas saying this after having already inhabited the role of Frank Castle.
Who is this rare breed that scoffs at playing a man dressed in tights or other corny costumes? In a business that predicates itself on the bottom line, why would an actor turn away from roles that almost guarantee box office success? (Or, at the very least, years of ancillary money from fans who want pictures, autographs, etc.) In such a dog eat dog game, you’d have to really establish yourself as a viable commodity before you’d be so choosey, right?
The answer lies somewhere in the middle. Some of the actors on this list are established with billions at the box office to their name. Others are less bankable yet have steered clear (and forged careers) as serious actors inOscar bait-like projects. Quite simply, these actors can be choosey because their services are wanted elsewhere. Their very involvement with a film gets it green-lit.
All this said, it is pretty darn amazing that some of the biggest and best actors in the world have yet to be gobbled up byMarvel,DCand the comic book machines. In fact, it sort of seems inevitable that after you win an Oscar, or at least come within striking distance, you would allow yourself to sell out a little bit, right? Some have…Just not in the superhero universe. It is with this conundrum in mind that we present to you ‘9 Actors That Are Too Legit to be Superheroes.’
11Tom Hanks
Okay, lets be clear,Tom Hankswasn’t always too legit to do a superhero movie. In 2016, he’s not necessarily trying to playThe Dark Knight, but in theBachelor Partydays, up until he did Philadelphia, there didn’t seem to be a role that this actor wouldn’t take. Like a lot of the actors on this list, he may not go the superhero route, but he’s no stranger to films with a lot of zeros in their budgets.Forrest Gump,Toy StoryandSaving Private Ryanare just a few that come to mind. At nearly 60 years of age this actor, if he were to eventually do a superhero film, would most certainly have to play an elder statesman of some sort. Something akin to whatRussell Crowedid inMan of Steel. Perhaps that is what keepsHanksfrom biting into the apple? By taking a role like that, he would be acknowledging father time. And for an actor, that just isn’t good business.
10Sean Penn
Sean Pennmight be the actor on this list that is the closest to taking the leap. That might seem far fetched, but when you look at his movie choices as of late, it seems like he might be willing to play some superhero ball. With movies likeTree of Life,Mystic River,21 Grams, andThe Falcon and the Snowmanon his resume,Pennhas had a career that is all his own. However, with TheGunman(from the director ofTaken) and TheAngry Birds Moviein 2015 and 2016, respectively,Pennappears to be opening up a bit. This is an actor that is tightly wound. At the same time, he has done shows likeFriendsand he does have a tie to skating/underground culture. Would it be so far fetched to have him play a titular role in a DC or Marvel film? If he was given room to spread his wings a bit and bring some of the Pennian (a made up word but just go with it) magic? If he could infuse some of his political bravado playing a bad, good (or both) guy? If this situation occurred, something tells usPennwould take it.
9Joaquin Phoenix
ApparentlyJoaquin Phoenixwas very close to playingDoctor Strangeat one point. Ultimately, through his meetings with Marvel, he fell away from it. He’s said more than a few sentences about it, but they all boil down to the same thing: He didn’t find the script interesting, nor did he think the process of being in one of these movies would be fulfilling. He also didn’t want to sign for multiple movies.Phoenixhasn’t completely shunned the studio process. He didGladiator, almost won an Oscar forWalk The Lineand he (literally) swung for the fences withSigns. SoPhoenixdoes have it in him to play big budget ball, the question is, is there a superhero role that can take everything that makes him special as actor and put that on the big screen? So far the answer seems to be no.
8Daniel Day-Lewis
Okay, you gotta give it toDaniel Day-Lewis, his presence in a superhero film would be even more odd thanEdward Nortonplaying Hulk, or some of the other actors on this list. I guess, when pretty much everything you do brings some sort of best actor ovation, when you act in movies at your leisure (between making shoes in some cases), and when the very mention of your name screams Oscar Bait, you are simply too legit to do the superhero thing. There are probably a bevy of elder-statesmen-like roles he could play, Superman’s Dad, Peter Parker’s nemesis, etc., but after the career he’s had (having?), it might be better just to leave things as they are.
7Ryan Gosling
Everybody lovesRyan Gosling, so it stands to reason that he should be a superhero, right? Hey, ifEdward Nortoncan be the Hulk, why can’tGoslingbe Morbius? The simple reality is that it just doesn’t seem like those roles interestGosling. Sure, he hasn’t just done indie fare,Gangster Squad,Crazy, Stupid, Loveand the upcomingThe Nice Guysare not cheap films. So why not find a superhero (in the way thatRyan Reynoldsfound Deadpool) that he could play? The thinking here is that the process by which superhero movies get made is nothing short of derivative. Each film seems to cost north of $100 million dollars or more. Quite simply, with that much shareholder coin at stake (lets not forget that the studios are publicly traded entities) there’s just so much actor input they are going to want. For an actor likeGosling, it’s probably easier and more fulfilling just staying away altogether.
6Matthew McConaughey
Now this one might make the least amount of sense on this list.Matthew McConaughey, while a very strong and credible actor (I, for one, fully back the McConaissance), has seemingly never wanted to be anything less than a bonafide movie star. He is one.McConaugheyhas been one for as long as many teenagers can remember. So why not jump into this world? If he can do films likeFailure to LaunchandHow to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, if he can make theU571’s and theWe Are Marshall’s of the filmmaking world, why in the heck has he not beenBatman? Why did he turn down a role inGuardians of the Galaxy 2? Perhaps after making films likeInterstellar,Mudand his TV turn onTrue Detective, he really is bent on pushing this acting as art thing as far he can go. Make no mistake, acting is art, but art and commerce are never more closely linked than they are in the movies. Something tells us, he will do something superhero related in the next 5-10 years.
5Leonardo DiCaprio
James Cameron, when he was going to makeSpider-Man, wantedDiCaprioto play Peter Parker. He told Howard Stern thatDiCaprio"had the moves." As we all know, that never happened. And that plum role went toTobey Maguire. Then there’s the role ofRobinwhich, incidentally,DiCapriolooks like a genius for turning down. On the face of things, it stands to reason that ifDiCapriocan handle roles in films likeThe Revenant,Inception,The Aviator, etc, he could surely pull off the role of Batman, The Joker, The Flash, or even Iron Man. The reality is that DiCaprio sees acting as a way to explore issues. Superhero movies, while layered with subtext, and, at their best, exploring plot lines from today’s socio-political headlines, just don’t go as deep as he probably would like them too. Filmmaking is tough work. He probably figures that if he’s gonna go to the well of emotional depth every time, he’d really like to say something with his art. This is why we getThe Blood Diamondand notBatman: Bad Blood.
He’s been a superhero before, right? Well, only if you consider Tyler Durden fromFight Club, Frank Harris fromCool World, OR theKick Assfilms whichPitthelped produce. One of the most interesting things aboutPittis that for a movie star, he really hasn’t been involved in too many big budget, spectacle movies. Sure, there’s Troy, the Oceans Trilogy, andWorld War Z, but Pitt seems like a natural for a studio to tap for a superhero? Another aspect of this could be thatPittis much better co-starring in movies than he is leading the show. I say this because if you look at his best movies, even when he was the star, he was always aided by a great supporting cast. Might it be that companies like Marvel and DC films know this? Sure, superhero movies feature ensembles, but most of them are already locked up with talent. Why would he want to subject himself to the dithering that comes with these multi-million, super heroic ventures?
3Johnny Depp
Okay, lets get down to brass tacks. There’s really no reason whyJonathan Depphasn’t done a superhero movie. Sure, you can say that he’s this dedicated actor and this other sanctimonious mumbo jumbo, but when he’s played the character ofJack Sparrowfour times (and he’s going in for a fifth!) that serious actor thing looks a little thin. Add to this that now he’s sequelizing the Mad Hatter again and one wonders why he isn’t playing The Joker inSuicide Squad? He could have easily beenDoctor Strange,The Green Arrow…Heck, he might even make a great Batman. This is just conjecture, butDeppprobably feels that he might get lost in the superhero machinery. In trying to reboot properties likeThe Lone Ranger, he is the show. It’s a project that he is involved in from the beginning. With many movies of the superhero ilk already around or gestating, he might find it easy just to stay out of the game.
2Tom Cruise
Alright, with multiple turns as Ethan Hunt in theMission Impossibleseries, his stint inEdge of Tomorrow, and theJack Reachercharacter based on the novels, this guy has basically done a superhero movie. At the same time, he’s also been in such critically acclaimed films asA Few Good Men,Rain Man,Vanilla Sky,Tropic Thunder,et al. So…IsTom Cruisetoo legit of an actor for a superhero movie? Heck no! Why hasn’t he done one? Are they beneath him? Does what he believes religiously prevent such a role? At one point he came dangerously close to playing Iron Man. Apparently, the script at the time didn’t pass muster andCruisesimply begged off. Whatever the reason, we’ll just call this theCruiseconundrum, because he has shown the chops in all of his films to handle what a super role would require. At the same time, isCruisetoo much of a thespian to make it work for him?
