Five actors I'd love to see on stage - an update
13/02/2016
Started watching the BBC's War and Peace this week - brilliant cast but Paul Dano particularly stands out as Pierre. I've long been a fan of his screen work; it was Little Miss Sunshine in 2006 that brought him to my attention. He's done a heap of amazing stuff since then: There Will Be Blood, 12 Year's A Slave, Love and Mercy and most recently Youth.
I would love to see him on stage which got me thinking about the lists I've done in the past so I dug them out and immediately wanted to add some names.
This was my first list in 2011 and it very much still stands although I can cross Julie Walters off now - she was a brilliant as I imagined she would be. Then @PolyG did a list in 2014 which I added to including Andrew Garfield whom I'm hoping to tick off my list next year. But here are five more names I want add, what do you think?
Paul Dano
For the reasons set out above and he's no stranger to treading the boards on Broadway so what's he waiting for? Come on Paul, it's lovely over here in London.
Alicia Vikander
She's been a regular presence on the silver screen, in fact at one point last year I think I saw her in three different films in the space of a month. She's nominated for best supporting actress for A Danish Girl - it should be best actress because it certainly wasn't a supporting role. I first spotted her in the Danish-language film A Royal Affair in 2012 and I'm intrigued to see if her screen presence translates to the stage.
He starred with Alicia Vikander in the brilliant Ex Machina last year and I've enjoyed watching his career grow from small roles in the Harry Potter films and Never Let Me go to playing major parts in the new Star Wars film and Oscar-nominated The Revenant. He's trod the boards in his native Dublin and on Broadway...I'd particularly like to see him do a comedy. Update @trpw has told me that he was in a play a the Royal Court at 2008 so he definitely has no excuse
Marion Cotillard
Like Alicia Vikander she has an amazing screen presence and I've long been a big fan although it was La Vie En Rose in 2006 which really put her on the map. It was seeing her play Lady Macbeth opposite Michael Fassbender (who's already on my list) in Macbeth on the big screen last year which has made me curious to see her take on a classic stage role. She's done theatre in Europe and Broadway, I'm hoping for a hook up with director Ivo Van Hove.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leo is my wild card because he's proved himself on the big screen, I wonder if his talent would translate to the stage. It's a curiosity thing. He braved freezing conditions and adverse weather to shoot in remote locations for The Revenant, is he brave enough for the stage? He's talked about it in the past so maybe not quite such a wild card.
And there are two actors that would be on the list but for the chance that I might actually get to see them this year: Timothy Spall is in The Caretaker at the Old Vic and Jack O'Connell is in The Nap at the Crucible in Sheffield.
Paul Dano photo by Elen Nivrae on Flickr and used under a creative commons license.