We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10. Sam Rockwell is an enigmatic Hollywood leading man. Why? Well, it’s difficult to assert that he’s actually reached that esteemed level. Despite attaining an admirable resume throughout his eclectic career, his versatility as an actor has been overshadowed by our inability to efficiently classify what it is he brings to the big screen that makes him so good.
With the looming premiere of Choke the 39-year-old may be on the verge of the break through many of his fans have been waiting for. Though their collective patience may be wearing thin, there are a slew of roles in which Rockwell has shown his promise of one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. While he may have yet to find the niche most actors have acquired by now, his chameleonic talents have been appropriately showcased in seven films that would not have worked without his inclusion.
Here are the Top 7 reasons we’re rooting for Sam Rockwell.
7. As Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Recap: He is the two-headed President of the Galaxy who steals the mythical ship called The Heart of Gold to find the answer to the Ultimate Question, upon which the fate of the Galaxy relies.
Reason: John Travolta almost ruined his career portraying a prominent Alien figurehead (see the awful Battlefield Earth to see what I mean). Rockwell does just the opposite in making a world so unbelievable in its existence relevant to an audience who would have completely lost the plot had he not been able to do so.
6. As Glenn in Snow Angels
Recap: As an everyman going through the tumultuous adversity of a recent divorce, Rockwell reveals the many depths of a man unsure of how to handle the struggles of a failed family.
Reason: He’s shown he can be funny, quirky, even evil. But, not every actor can successfully mimic an “estranged husband” as effectively as Rockwell does in this film. When you’re portraying a troubled thirty something, it’s all about the subtle things that differentiate your character from the over whelming slew of similar roles being cast in Hollywood today. With his take as Glenn, he proves he can hold back his eccentricities, to provide just as much cinematic depth even if this role will uncomfortably sit with you well after seeing it.
5. As William “Billy the Kid” Wharton in The Green Mile
Recap: In a film centered around a wrongly accused “gentle giant,” Rockwell plays the ruthless prisoner on death row who actually commits the crimes the giant (Michael Clarke Duncan as inmate John Coffey) is being held for.
Reason: Shows his range in portraying a villainous deviant who has no conscience, nor the gall to admit what he stands for is as wrong as it is unforgivable. Prior to this film, it was difficult to image Rockwell could ably portray a cold-blooded killer. This is no longer the case.
4. As Frank Mercer in Matchstick Men
Recap: In a film where truth weighs far less than fiction, Rockwell gives us an unforgettable interpretation of deceitful nature as con-artist protégé, Frank Mercer.
Reason: Rockwell’s dizzying turn as Mercer runs circles around Cage’s dry lead character, and verbally dances through the dialogue. You know you’re supposed to hate him, but even when he’s double-crossing Cage’s Roy Waller, you are guilt-free in admitting you were rooting for him all along.
3. As Charley Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Recap: A supporting role in which Rockwell plays the lesser-known brother of Jesse James’ assassin, Robert.
Reason: Where Casey Affleck must reveal the indecisive nature of an amateur killer, Rockwell relishes the role of a much less capable individual whose conscience cannot contain the guilt of off-ing a close friend. He’s just as good as Affleck (who earned an Oscar Nomination), it’s just that his character isn’t in the spotlight—as usually is the case throughout his career.
2. As Guy Fleegman in Galaxy Quest
Recap: Guy’s a self-conscious side character of a fledging Star Trek like television show, perpetually afraid his character will be killed off the show. The irony is that he’s left standing when it’s all said and done, actually being promoted to “Security Chieftain ‘Roc’ Ingersol,” by film’s end.
Reason: Rockwell uses his babbling, nervous talents to texturize a character that would have been annoyingly forgettable if portrayed by anyone else. He proves the egocentric nature he’s displayed in previous roles was no fluke as he utilizes his screen time better than any of the other featured actors. It’s important to prove you can do “funny,” in show business. This is Rockwell’s moment in that respect.
1. As Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Recap: Rockwell portrays the awkwardly egocentric, two-faced game show host whose nightlife consisted of far more than cocktails, women, and general smoozing.
Reason: A tour-de-force performance that thrusts Rockwell into A-list territory. Clooney took a gamble in selecting the anti-leading man whose name wasn’t necessarily synonymous with box office gold. What’s great about Rockwell’s take on Barris is how he reveals how little Barris actually knew about what he was getting himself into, while still giving us reason to care about him as the unknowing Barris gets in too deep.
There’s the Top 7, now what should be in the Top 10?