Demi Moore. She has an utter lack of facial expression and no ability to convey any emotion aside from boredom.
Oh, Slithy, no. I gotta disagree with you here. William Holden was crazy beautiful. Mesmerizing voice. What you saw as “cranky” I saw as “wounded vulnerable covering up the pain with cynicism needs a good woman to throw her life away in a futile effort to save him from himself.”
Which I go for. Maybe that’s just me.
I would like to nominate Robert Wagner.
Three pages and no one here has mentioned Halle “Great Tits, Nice Smile – But Still Seems A Bit Self-Loathing and Can’t Attract A Decent Man” Berry?
We’ll just have to disagree on this. I like this version of The Scarlet Pimpernel better than the 3 or 4 later adaptations I’ve seen, in large part because of Howard’s performance as Regency fop vs. Reign of Terror man-of-action, even if it’s not as the Baroness Orczy originally envisioned the character.
George Clooney?
Edward Norton
I used this think Bill Pullman was dull, but he sort of grew on me until now I look for him … he is excellent in The Zero Effect, and very funny that total hoot of a movie, Lake Placid.
And I’m absolutely with you on Ben Affleck. He’s a black hole of charm and interest in anything I’ve seen him in. Plus, despite the fact that he’s sort of attractive in a blockish kind of way, the camera seems to hate him and he always looks sort of lumpish and sulky.
David Caruso
David Caruso
David Caruso
Disagree.
Disagree.
Disagree.
Caruso has been a black hole of charisma in every motion picture he’s been a lead in. His best movie roles were always supporting ones (King of New York, Proof of Life) and far more energized than the recessive whisperer he’s become notorious for on TV.
Tightly wound =! lacking charisma.
Agree on his suckitude in leading man roles, though.
He was great in Mad Dog and Glory, too.
I think some people are confusing ‘lacking charisma’ with ‘I don’t like him/her’. Some of the people mentioned in the thread baffle me, because I think they just ooze charisma. Among them:
Dennis Quaid
Jeff Bridges
Steve Buscemi
James Spader
Nicholas Cage
These are people who are the exact opposite of what the OP is looking for, IMO.
Steve Buscemi is a scene-stealer par-excellence. He elevated The Sopranos with every scene his was in, and that’s no mean feat. He was awesome in Reservoir Dogs.
James Spader is completely fascinating on Boston Legal. It doesn’t matter what his lines are, or what the plot is - he finds a way to make everything he does completely interesting. Even if it’s just staring at someone.
Dennis Quaid stole every scene he was in in The Right Stuff, and was charismatic as hell in The Big Easy and Undercover Blues.
And of course, Jeff Bridges is The Dude. And The Dude abides.
Nicholas Cage can be annoying. He has a tendency to overact. But he’s got charisma. He tends to take his characters way out on the edge, and sometimes it doesn’t work. He chose to make his character in Peggy Sue Got Married have a strange nasal voice for some reason, which I found annoying, but in the end it sure made the character memorable, and he did a great job of acting.
I’ll throw in another vote for Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Love Hewett. Totally forgettable.
I’d have to second (third?) Gwyneth Paltrow. I have never seen the attraction for her, and she just kills any scene she’s in for me.
For those of you who hate Kirstie Alley, have you ever seen “Sibling Rivalry?” It’s one of my favourite comedies of all time, and Kirstie is brilliant in it. Her most recent work is definitely not her best.