Theatre wishlist: Five actors I long to see on the stage
08/10/2011
OK, time for another list that I've been thinking about for a while. These are actors that I haven't yet seen on stage that I would get really excited about if they announced they were treading the boards. These are in no particular order.
1. Colin Firth
He's managed to haul himself out of the rom-com, posh Brit film groove he'd got stuck in and has been doing some interesting work in recent years. A Single Man was the turning point for me and of course since then, there has been the King's Speech and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy although he doesn't have a great deal to do in the latter. I'd like to see him play something less straight, maybe a bit edgy otherwise he risks falling into another groove.
2. Guy Pearce
I've long been a fan. Since neighbours, if I'm being honest - who'd have thought Mike would have had such talent inside him? He has an admirable body of work from the out there Priscilla to the likes of the The Proposition, Memento, The Road and The King's Speech although I did think him odd casting in the latter being a lot younger than Colin Firth.
I've already mentioned how much I want to see Julie Walters in a previous post. Feel like I've grown up with her from Educating Rita to Acorn Antiques and most recently the Harry Potter films. She is an actress of great scope and I can't wait to see her in the Last of the Haussmans at the National Theatre next year.
Love, love, love Geoffrey Rush. He's another actor of great scope doing a wonderful job playing such varied characters as Barbosa in the Pirates films and a pianist with mental health problems in Shine and of course the wannabe actor complete with hammy Richard Third audition in the King's Speech. He's done a lot of stage work in Australia and on Broadway in fact he's not only going to be in The Importance of Being Earnest in Melbourne next month but he's also playing Lady Bracknell. Geoffrey Rush as a woman. Genius. Melbourne might be a stretch for a theatre trip unless Uncle C smiles on me. Fingers crossed for a world tour that takes in the West End or just a tour to the West End really.
When that pub type question comes up, the one about who'd you want to play you in a film of your life, I always choose Samantha Morton. My only partially jokey reason is that she's the only one who could portray my many layers. She's played too many great parts to list but the two roles that I always remember her for are Harriet Smith in Emma back in 1996 and Deborah Curtis in Control. I also like her because she seems human, normal I suppose. She hasn't got the ultra glam figure and looks and yet in such a shallow industry has made a great success from her outstanding talent. According to Wiki she made her stage debut at the Royal Court and it would be great if they could entice her back.