The American Sniper

One of the youngest and most upcoming actors in the movie industry today is without a doubt Bradley Cooper. A few short years ago, Cooper was a small time nobody. He had no major films and was unknown. However, then the production of The Hangover changed all of this. From that point forward, Cooper has demonstrated again and again what it takes to make a great movie by using great acting.

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In 2009, a small rated R movie was debuted called The Hangover. This would go on to be an extremely successful movie and produce one of the most profitable rated R series of all time. This was due largely in part to the astounding work Cooper does as a lead role. Throughout the duration of the movie, Cooper plays the leader of the group as three drunken friends try to recall what happened to their fourth friend the night before. In this role, Cooper demonstrated a very dry sense of humor that he utilizes to make great comedy movies such as this one.

Following the production of this movie, Cooper’s career went exponentially up. One of his next major roles came in the form of the movie Limitless. Here Cooper plays a low life who takes a drug that unlocks all parts of his brain. Cooper displays a dominant and powerful personality throughout the movie that makes the audience love it. Whenever negative effects of the drug come into play, it actually appears as if Cooper is in as bad of shape as his role is supposed to be. This is just simply amazing acting.

Nevertheless, Cooper’s high point up until today came with the box office shattering debut of American Sniper. Cooper was set to play the role of military hero and lethal sniper, Chris Kyle. However, at the time Cooper did not resemble a military man at all. He had to get in shape and fast. The actor went through rigorous training in order to gain the physique that he needed. His regime included waking up at 5 a.m. every morning and working out for five hours. Additionally, he would consume about 6,000 calories a day. This is true dedication.

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It was that kind of dedication that made American Sniper so successful. At the time, the movie became the highest grossing film of 2014. When it was all said and done, the film made near $350 million domestically and a total of $547 million worldwide. These were simply astounding numbers, and they were all reinforced with the acting ability and dedication of Bradley Cooper throughout the movie.

Overall, the best part about Cooper is that he is still on the rise. He has already produced several astounding films and there is without a doubt more yet to come. So far he has played a war hero, a hungover friend, and a low life genius. The only question that remains is which role will he play next?

Jonah Hill Takes Hollywood

One of the brightest young actors in Hollywood is without a doubt Jonah Hill. The young man has seemingly turned into a star overnight in all aspects of the movie industry from comedy, to biographies, and even to action movies. The craziest part about it is that he is still on the upslope of his career. This is possible only due to the amazing work that this man has done so far.

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Hill’s first small break in the movie industry came in a very small role as a customer in the hit movie The 40-Year Old Virgin. Hill was not a major character nor did he have any large contribution to the plot line. However, his performance still seemed to spark attention from outside sources. He would go on to participate in many other films. However, his first real part came in the form of the lead role in the comedy Superbad.

In Superbad, Hill plays the comedic part of a young teenager whose only goal is to get alcohol and party. However, the task of getting alcohol seems to put a damper on their night as it becomes more difficult than they thought. Throughout this movie, Hill combines the confusion of a typical high school student with comedy that blends for a perfect movie.

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Following, this movie Hill’s next major success came in the real life story of the Oakland Athletics’ baseball team entitled Moneyball. Here Hill plays a statistics analyst who in doing so helps to improve the overall play of the organization. This process is called sabermetrics and it is one that Hill had to prepare immensely for. The young actor had to spend time with a statistics tutor and even speak with groups of real baseball scouts in order to gain an opinion on the topic. This made for a very successful movie.

His next success came in the form of the comedic masterpiece that is 21 Jump Street. Hill plays alongside co-star Channing Tatum as cops who go undercover as students in order to uncover a drug problem within the school. This is easily my favorite comedy of all time and it has since produced one sequel and is in line for a second.

Another major part for Hill was in the Wolf of Wall Street. He plays the assistant to Jordan Belfort, and plays it to perfection. Hill had to wear fake teeth and use an accent for the part. This accent came from a seemingly unusual method. The actor described how he would call various stores such as Best Buy and use his accent in order to practice it without being publicly recognized. This seems to be genius and is perhaps one of the reasons why Hill is such a great actor. His unconventional methods allow him to transcend past being a normal everyday actor.

In today’s society, Hill may not be as young as he once was. However, he has still been a very large figure in the movie industry and will continue to be for a long time to come.

The Dark Knight

When most people think of Christian Bale they simply think of him as Batman. However, some of his most diverse roles and award winning ones have come in other films that he has been a part of. Most notably, in 2011 he won an Oscar for best supporting actor in The Fighter. Overall, it was not simply his acting that earned him this award, but his dedication to the role and to every role he plays. This dedication is what seems to make Bale one of the greatest actors of all time and not simply just Batman.

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Although it is true that seemingly nobody knew who Christian Bale was before his Batman debut, his true genius in his acting career came slightly before his first role as Batman. In 2004, Bale played a role as an industrial worker who was suffering from a year of no sleep and slowly losing his mind. However, the best part of his role in this film is the turn around that he has to make at its conclusion.

During filming, Bale weighed a mere 124 pounds. At the end of filming, he had a mere six weeks before the beginning of Batman to be in “superhero shape” for Batman Begins! This means he had to gain 61 pounds in nearly six weeks! This seems like nearly an impossible feat. However, with dedication like Christian Bale’s, he was able to make it happen. The actor went on a strict workout routine and ate nearly every 2-3 hours in order to gain so much weight. This remarkable transition can be shown below in a truly stunning picture.

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Those on the set of Batman Begins were truly astounded by his physique. Nevertheless, this was not the only thing that made Bale perhaps the greatest actor to be ever cast as Batman. His deep voice and vigilante attitude throughout the Dark Knight trilogy allowed for the movies to become so successful. As Bruce Wayne, Bale was able to act as a rich playboy who seemingly has too much money to blow. However, as Batman he was able to play a rough and tough superhero who takes matters into his own hands.

His performance in the second installment of this series entitled The Dark Knight is one of the reasons it was so successful. It has been ranked as 4^th best movie of all time by IMDb. This is truly a remarkable feat.

Outside of Batman, Bale should his diversity in acting by playing a druggie trainer in the movie The Fighter. Bale seems to play the part so well it actually appears as if he is on drugs. Although, this was a supporting role to that of Mark Wahlberg, it was Oscar worthy none the less.

Following the conclusion of Batman filming Bale took on several big time roles including a part in American Hustle. For this movie he gained 43 pounds and even shaved his head to play a genius con artist. This transition was similar to his previous, however this time it was all fat. The once superhero now had a 40 pound gut all for the sake of acting.

Overall, Bale has shown time and time again that he not only has the acting skills to place him as one of the best of all time, but he has the dedication to do so as well. He is not simply just Batman.