A good film year for current/former TV actors

Cafe Society
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I was looking at a lot of year end stuff recently (as well as Oscar buzz) and I realized what a GREAT year it has been for people who have been previously known mainly as TV actors. They say it is hard to transistion to films, but 2004 proved that untrue.

Successes:

Zach Braff- Currently on Scrubs, but has drawn critical acclaim for his film, Garden State, in which he stars (and also wrote/directed).

Johnny Depp- Sure he’s been there for a while, but he still should count. He is likely due for his second consecutive Oscar nomination. A long was from Jump Street.

Thomas Hayden Church- This one comes out of nowhere. I haven’t seen this guy (other than in Wings re-runs) since Ned and Stacy. And he’s the frontrunner for the Best Supp. Oscar for his role in Sideways.

Jamie Foxx- This one stuns me. The In Living Colour alum and star of the Jamie Foxx show has had the best year ANYONE has had in a long time. He is a LOCK for a nom for Ray. He MAY get a Supporting Nom for Collateral. If he is smart, he will ride the tide of 2004 and his previous roles in Any Given Sunday and Ali to a place where Jim Carrey could only dream. If he has bad agents, Bootie Call 2.

Jim Carrey- Another In Living Color alum had a nice year. A dark horse for his work in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Tom Hanks- It looked like a bad year for Tom. Ladykillers bombed. Terminal stunk and The Polar Express started slow. But a late rally and an IMAX re-issue of Polar put Tom slightly in the winners column. Besides, I like Tom.

Regina King- Had a great role in Ray. Talk of the former 227 star getting an Oscar nom.

Clint Eastwood- Ok. Nevermind. It’s been too long since Rawhide. Ditto I guess for David Carradine in Kill Bill (Kung Fu) and James Garner in The Notebook (Maverick and Rockford).

Leonardo DiCaprio- Eh. He was on Growing Pains for one season. I guess I am getting too far away from my intent. :smiley:
I don’t recall such a year where so many former TV stars dominated film.

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Loved Thomas Haden Church in Sideways – and think he deserves the kudos he’s getting – but you’ve got to admit, playing an actor who hadn’t worked in the decade since his sitcom heyday may not have been the biggest stretch for him. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Not to mention the entire cast of Firefly in next September’s Serenity…

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Hmm. Good call, twickster.

I also thought of one other. John Lithgow is getting some love for his work in Kinsey (though he was a film actor and then became a successful sitcom star).

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Some movie actors are doing quite well on television too, like Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer in their sitcom, and Kiefer Sutherland, just starting the fourth season of 24.

Another television “actor” who had a decent year in the movies (and hopefully a bigger and better one in 2005): The Rock. I’m still championing this guy as the future of action moviestars, but a hell of a lot more talented and entertaining than Schwarzenegger or Stallone.

Also Will Ferrell is doing really well for himself in movies since leaving Saturday Night Live (a real rarity), and I think Tina Fey has great movie potential as well, even if she stays on SNL.

But I hardly think of Hanks, Depp, Eastwood, DiCaprio, and even Carrey as TV stars anymore, considering they’ve been huge movie actors for so long.

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Fey and Ferrell are good calls.

But POOR Jimmy Fallon…