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Who Would You Hire?

Since the majority of us are screenplay writers and directors, I thought I would pose an interesting question... If cost were no object, what would be your list of top ten actors that you would want to write for and hire for your productions?

Here is my current list...

Jack Nicholson
Keifer Sutherland
Samuel L Jackson
Rutger Hauer
James Gandolfini
Robert Duvall
Tim Robbins
Robert DeNiro
Al Pacino
Jeff Bridges


This list is in no particular order! And naturally ten actors is really a short list! But this list came right from the top of my head as people I would absolutely want to work with.

I'm curious to see who your lists will include!

-HAWKEYE
 
Just off the top of my head, actors I like are Billy Crudup, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Saarsgard.

Though, completely depends on the role. Ed Harris is another guy I really like... Toby McGuire and Leo as well.
 
fav cast

Well... Since I'm a "woman" director, I guess I have to represent my gender. I'll start with Julia Stiles. I think given the right material and director, she can deliver. Also, Nia Long, Emma Thompson, Naomi Watts, Julie Depp and Kerry Washington (Ray)
 
I would go with...

Nicole Kidman
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Johnny Depp
Uma Thurman
Kyle MacLachlan
Michael Douglas
John Cleese
Dianna Rigg
Steven Richards
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Rena Owen
Anjelica Huston


This was a hard list to make! :cool:
 
Well, it depends entirely on the movie and the character(s), right? But here are some actors I would love to work with (in any capacity):

Pretty much the entire LotR cast, but Christopher Lee and Ian Mckellen especially.
Natalie Portman
Tom Cruise (I was fairily impressed with Samuri and Collateral, I must say)
Morgan Freeman
Samuel L. Jackson
Evan Rachel Wood
Sean Connery
and many more... just off the top of my head! ^
 
Top ten actors I’d love to work with:
Sean Connery
Christina Ricci
Michelle Yeoh
Bruce Campbell
Samuel Jackson
Johnny Depp
Chow Yun-Fat
Ziyi Zhang
Patricia Clarkson
Judi Dench
 
So it's Hi Fidelity list season again, fab!

John Cussack
Jean Reno
Ron Perlman
Forest Whitaker
Audrey Tatou
Julianne Moore
Juliette Binoche
Alfred Molina
Ed Harris
Nicole Kidman
 
For me it would be:

Kirsten Dunst
John Cleese
Johnny Depp
Jim Carey ( a serious jim carey)
Clive Owen
Jessica Alba
Naomi Watts
Michael J Fox ( parkinsons removed)
Jessica Beils
and
Antonio Banderas
 
In no particular order:

Halle Berry
Steve Bushemi
John Cusak
Joaquin Phoenix
Brad Pitt
Hugh Laurie
Famke Janssen
Russel Crow
Michelle Pfeiffer
Daniel Day-Lewis
 
I'm so disapointed, nobody picked the great Edward Norton, maybe i missed it.
Edward Norton
I can't remember his name but he played with Morgan Freeman on Shawshank?
Of course Morgan Freeman.
Johnny Depp
Sean Connery
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Will Smith
Brad Pit
Ben Affleck
Hugh Grant
Samuel L Jackson
Kevin Spacey
Robbin Williams
Tom Hanks

Female
Julia Stiles
Julie Andrews
Julia Roberts
Renee Zelweger
Angelina Jolie

I'm sure there's more but those for sure the first's
 
Lest I be misunderstood... I was NOT trying to be sexist! The following list contains ten of the female actors that I would absolutely want to work with!

Bonnie Bedilia
Susan Sullivan
Julia Roberts
Laura San Giacomo
Mo Collins
Stephanie Weir
Angelica Huston
Cher
Adriene Barbeau
Sigourney Weaver


Perhaps you may see a thread here! I just came to a revelation while compiling these lists..
The "eyes" have it! :rolleyes: As a director, I am drawn to "eye" actors!
I spend most of my time beind the camera which is a mechanical eye... I want acting power coming back at me through an actor's eyes...

Your Droogie,
Hawk"eye"

:yes:

Just go back to my earlier list (the male actors) and you will "see" where I am coming from!

Has anyone else ever considered this concept?
 
in no order...
steve buscemi
tim roth(can you guess where this list is going)
harvey keitel
antonio banderas
samuel l jackson
bruce campbell
audrey tautou
robert deniro (when he was young)
john goodman
christopher walken
 
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Off the top of my head...

Male:
Johnny Depp
Paul Giamatti
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Edward Norton
Tom Waits
Steve Buscemi
John Cusack
Billy Crudup
William H. Macy
Peter Sarsgaard
Dustin Hoffman
Denis O'Hare
Bill Murray
Campbell Scott
Chris Cooper

Female:
Natalie Portman
Meryl Streep
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Kate Winslet
Julianne Moore
Kate Winslet
Ellen Burstyn
Frances McDormand
Tea Leoni
Lily Tomlin
Drew Barrymore
Emma Thompson
Anjelica Huston
Hope Davis

The list got a little out of hand...I did 5 over the list on each...sorry about that, I just couldn't decide who to cut from the list...
 
Off the top of my head...

Tom Hanks
Meg Ryan
Jake Gyllenhaal
Hayden Panettiere
John Corbett
Anna Paquin
Gene Hackman
Morgan Freeman
Liev Schreiber
Sean Astin

That's a tough list to write.. it really would depend on the project. I do have one of those on my list in mind for the project I'd like to shoot in late '07. ;)
 
No order and incomplete

Always had a soft spot for Natalie Portman
Audrey Tatou
Emily Mortimer
Allison Janney
Kate Blanchett
Zhang Ziyi
Joan Allen
Judy Davis

Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Steve Zahn
Johnny Depp
William Macy
John C. Reilly
Ed Norton
Ryan Gosling
Sean Penn
Woody Allen
Tim Blake Nelson
Sam Shepard
John Turturro
 
Before I Start, I'll Say This Is A Pretty Cool Question Cuz I Sware Its Always On My Mind. If Price Was Not An Issue. My List Would Be:

1. Angelina Jolie. -
* Not Because She's Beautiful, But Just Because She'd Fit Almost Every Role I've Ever Made Up In My Head. She Puts In The Mental And Physical Work To Completely Embody Any Role She's Put Up For And I Just Think That Shows A Tremendous Amount Of Respect Considering How Long And Sometimes Frustrating It Can Be To Put Together A Good Script. And Her Range Is Amazing, Going From "gia" To "lara Croft" To "beyond Borders" Is Quite A Show Of Ability.

2. Nicolas Cage -
*his Facial Features Are Amazing When He Does His Acting. He Can Go From Sad To Happy To Psychotic In 15 Seconds Flat. Its Always Good To Have An Actor That Can Give You The Emotions You Need When You Need Them.

3. Drew Barrymore-
* She's Good At Keeping Pace With A Comedic Role. She'd Have Awesome Timing And Have That Perfect Look Of Confusion Or Expression Of Irony When It Was Needed In A Scene.

4. Brad Pitt-
* As Far As I'm Concerned, There's Not Much To His Acting, Its Basically Shallow Acting, But After Seeing Him In "meet Joe Black" I Found That His Acting Does Seem A Little Limited To Batting A Few Eye Lashes To Make The Women Scream, But He Has An Amazing Presence In A Love Scene. I Don't Think I've Ever Been To Entransed By One As I Was Watching It In "meet Joe Black"

5. Will Smith -
* Lets Face It, He's A Walking Box Office Hit, Everyonce In A While, You Get A Sucky Script So You Jus Tneed A Face That Can Sell The Movie Before It's Even Out.

6. Clea Duvall-
* I've Always Loved Clea Duvall, From " But I'm A Cheerleader" To "wild Flowers" And Even In " How To Kill A Monster." She Had Perfect Voice Control For Different Emotional Ranges In Scenes. She Knows How To Go From Coy, To Angry, To Abrasive, To Serious And She Makes The Transitions So Flawlessly That It Takes A Moment To Realize That It's Not Really Happening, It's Only In A Movie.

7. Hillary Swank-
* Need I Say More. She's Plays Lesbians With Sexual Identity Issues, Boxers, Civil Rights Activists, And Even A Girlfriend Of "steve's" On "90210" For A Few Episodes. Her Acting Range Is So Amazing, And She's Willing To Dedicating Her Entire Body, Emotions, And Abilities To You For As Long As You Need Her. She's Amazing.

8. Al Pacino-
* No Specific Reason, I'm Just A Huge Fan Of Scarface.

9. Olivia Wilde-
* Alot Of My Storylines Have Something To Do With Homosexuality, Or Misunderstood Teens. She's Played All Of Those Roles And Even Combinations Of Them. I'm Not Really Very Familiar With How Far Her Range Is But From What I Have Seen Of Her Acting In "skin" And "the O.c.", She Seems Like The Type That Can Be Molded To Fit Whatever Role You Have In Mind For Her.

10. Ryan Phillipe-
* Like I Said Before, Alot Of My Storylines Have Something To Do With Damaged People Or Misunderstood Teens, He Has That Ability To Play The Unpopular Kid In School, The Condescending Asshole From The Hampton's, Or The Love Sick, Self Damaging Teen In Your Lit Class. I Like His Range Of Sadness, It's Really Intriguing To Me.
 
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I Get The Concept Of The Eye Thing. Its Important Cuz When An Actor Is Trying To Show Emotions, Most Of It Relies On The Eyes. Someone Might Be Trying To Appear Angry Or Sad But If Your Eyes Are Dull, There's Basically No Point. Its Like Trying To Drink A Glass With A Hole At The Bottom, It Appears To Look Okay When You Have It On The Table, But When You Try To Do Anything With It, You Don't Get Anything Out Of It
 
Off the top of my head:

Edward Norton
Jack Nicholson
Daniel Day-Lewis
Robert De Niro
Russel Crowe
Natalie Portman
Meryl Streep
Kate Winslet
Johnny Depp
Leonardo Di Caprio
Yeahhh. All in one film, preferably.
 
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