For every actor it seems like a case of one day you’re this week’s ‘Hot Stuff!’ and the next you can’t even meet someone for a cup of coffee. It’s a seesaw kind of world out there and actors have to be on their toes to stay on top, otherwise they get lost in the abyss. This is no more evident than current ‘Hot Stuff!’ Matthew McConaughey. Now if you need to know his fabled story you can read it here. Once a romantic comedy archetype, playing the usual smooth talking fox with a heart of gold waiting to be unlocked, now a global superstar. McConaughey saw an astronomical leap forward in his career. People were finally seeing all the good that we experienced during the ’90s when he first hit the scene and the phenomenon was quickly referred to as the McConaissance, and boy was it. The cherry on top was his 2013 Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club and his short TV series, True Detective. A fantastic show, a show that people loved and just wanted more of and while it was announced it had been renewed for a second series, none of the cast would return.
Now everyone is looking for the next fairytale story, the next McConaissance. Rewind to the middle of summer 2014, Vince Vaughan gets thrown into the limelight with the announcement that he will grace the small screen alongside Colin Ferrell in True Detective Season 2. Of course, this has drawn unavoidable comparisons about Matthew McConaughey and the rejuvenation of his career in adjacent to Vaughan needing the same treatment. It’s easy to throw Vaughan’s name into the hat via True Detective, like the show could be some sort of symbolic baton to pass from actor to actor, but there are of course others. Here’s a list of actors who I could see having their very own McConaissance or, more specifically, SHOULD have one.
Vince Vaughan
The first pick for reasons already stated. There seems to be a split in opinion about Vaughan’s involvement in the next True Detective and generally about Vaughan in general. Personally, I like him. I’m a fan. The man does funny very well and he’s even more underrated in his rare dramatic roles. Problem, you’ve got to try and appeal to those people who just blind hate him, not an easy task. Now McConaughey had his haters, but with Vaughan, it feels like a different level. Those die-hard non-fans won’t be able to see past the blubbering man-child we’ve been privy to for well over a decade. The thing is,Vaughan really can go. You only have to see him in the remake of Psycho to know that (yes, the remake was pointless but Vaughan still excelled) or his small but impressive stint during Into The Wild. These films showcase his dramatic ability and give him a proven record that seems almost unspoken about. Vaughan’s run in True Detective and what the creators decide to give him to work with will determine his next step.
Outcome: Likely shot, if everything is done right.
Renee Zellweger
Renee Zellweger represents what sort of world Hollywood is. A decade ago she was one of the hottest properties in cinema. One of the highest paid actresses and even named Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year in 2009. Now, well people don’t even give her a second thought unless you count the press and their ridicule towards her appearance. Zellweger has spent a lot of time off screen, longer than most acting hiatus’ take, and it seesm like she took a leaf out of McConaughey’s book, deciding to wave bye bye to Hollywood for awhile, leave the phone off the hook and take some ‘me’ time. She’s making her triumphant return next year in drama-thriller The Whole Truth and we can only hope she is welcomed back with open arms. Zellwegger’s personal life has been as strained as her professional with a string of failed relationships, but now she seems happy and on track and perhaps that’s what she felt she needed before she came back to the world of Hollywood, to be happy and confident in herself. She only has one film cemented so far, but rumours of another Bridget Jones film could help propel her back to the limelight.
Outcome: A hopeful and likely shot for this fallen star.
Will Smith
Will Smith can act, he really can, but it seems to get overlooked consistently, and it’s hard to figure out why. On paper, he has all the credentials necessary to succeed and for a while he did. He’s big, he’s good looking, he’s funny and he has a proven to be a box office success with comedy, action and drama. Behind the screen he’s extremely likeable, charming and is a family man. Surely that all points towards being marketable and bankable? So what’s the issue. You get a sense ego has a big part to play with Will Smith. Now there’s nothing wrong with Smith having an ego, but it has hampered him in certain times, Django Unchained for example. Tarantino originally wanted Smith for the role that ultimately went to Jamie Foxx. Smith reportedly turned it down because he felt he should have had the ultimate heroic moment of killing slave-trader Calvin Candie. Taratino of course being the writer, disagreed and Smith rejected the role. He also seems to want to push his son Jaden onto audiences as much as possibly rather than let us accept him naturally. Again, there’s nothing wrong with that but it seems to be a stumbling block for Smith. Since the success of Pursuit of Happyness, the two haven’t had a successful collaboration since, with the latest being the abysmal After Earth. Jaden’s time will come and Smith Sr. shouldn’t force it. He needs get back to the basics and focus on his own career, because it could see him becoming a juggernaut once again instead of having to settle for bad reboots and poor sequels.
Outcome: Outside chance but with a couple of original films out next year, he may get back on the right track at least.
Zac Effron
My wild card, Zac Effron, is still mighty young, so his blossoming career hasn’t quite hit a stub yet, but he’s always had a sort of astrix on it because of his earlier career choices. After an impressive turnout in Bad Neighbors though, eyes began to turn and take notice. The older audiences began to forgive him for his High School Musical days and just like his career, things are looking up for Effron. Bad Neighbors was a revelation for a lot of people, but you only have to look at his work after High School Musical to see his slow and steady progression. Of course he took the obvious roles that were afforded to him at the time, which was smart, it keeps his name out there and kept him looking like a bankable star. Then he started taking on new roles, more mature roles to prove he can be appealing to other audiences, such as his role in Parkland. Now he seems to be moving into the ‘rated R’ comedies to have a little fun and continue with getting the older generation on board, and it’s working. We Are Your Friends sounds like it could be very good and a road-trip film with Robert De Niro who plays a dirty old pervert sounds truly fantastic. Effron is still young so his career is in no way rutt-ish like the others on the list, but he’s still a wild-card entry and one to watch for the future.
Outcome: A promising underdog who’s limitations seem endless.
Ryan Reynolds
I’ve always had a predilection towards Ryan Reynolds. Just like McConaughey, I’ve never hidden my praise for him. He’s charismatic, he’s sexy (yeah I said it, he’s a sexy sexy man) and he’s funny, hilarious in-fact. His career has meandered somewhat though over the years. He could and should be a leading man in Hollywood right now, so why isn’t he? Reynolds has shown signs of class but he got lost in the pack somewhere, not even being type-cast for specific roles, just losing them completely. While it feels like he takes roles to pay the bills, he’s clearly looking in the right area by three times going for a superhero role (Deadpool counts twice since they’re different incarnations), but sometimes he just has poor judgement and accepts bad roles (The Proposal, yuck). Reynolds started his film career strongly post his Two Guys sitcom, with great comedies like Van Wilder and Waiting, before taking on meatier roles in the action-packed Blade 3 and deep drama Fireflies In The Garden. We know of a few films coming out that he has a chance with (The Voices in particular looks great) and we know from his past he has what it takes. Someone needs to take a chance on Reynolds and he himself just needs to be a little patient. His time will come. He almost feels like a carbon-copy of Matthew McConaughey and for this he feels like my most likely pick to enjoy a huge career rejuvenation. Did somebody say REYnaissance. Had to.
Outcome: Most likely to succeed through his like-for-like attributes.
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