Who amazes you when you see them as the lead on a blockbuster film or headlining a high-profile show? My first nomination would have to be Mark Wahlberg-who would have thunk that someone who once went by the nickname of “Marky Mark” would become an action hero?
Nicholas Cage-not much more to say there. Looks like he should be driving a semi somewhere, but somehow despite his goofy looks, something in his eyes seem to make the difference and makes the audience identify with whatever he is doing.
Danny Devito. Who would have guessed when watching him on Taxi that he’d go on to have the biggest career of anybody on the show and appear on “Hollywood’s most powerful men” lists?
Kathy Bates. She has great talent- no contest- but she’s not in a business that’s forgiving of women who are
1- over 30
2- not conventionally attractive
3- larger than size 4
and she’s made many name-above-the-title big budget projects in spite of them all. I’ve wondered before how actors and actresses who look like her and Devito keep themselves motivated during the low times before they hit it big.
Marie Dressler. This was her in 1909 on Broadway and here’s how she looked at the height of her movie stardom in the early 30s. And she wasn’t just a star – she was a STAR. Number one in the box office. She was a fine actress, but no one looking like her would ever be a star these days.
Does she remind anyone else of Ursula from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” in that later picture?
