Man on Hollywood Fire

He is simply a confident bad ass. This is how most people would describe the acting abilities of Denzel Washington. Washington never seems to disappoint in any role he plays, and there have been several. However, in nearly every role he either displays extreme confidence or an extreme lack of care and bad ass attitude. Most of the time he possess in both in his roles and that is what makes him one of the most successful actors today.

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On of his earlier roles involved teaming up with former NBA star Ray Allen. The movie was called He Got Game, and it followed the life of a young basketball star as he struggles to make a college decision on where he will play basketball. His father, who is played by Washington, attempts to influence him in this decision in return for a shorter jail sentence. The greatness in how Washington plays his role is supported by the fact of how invested he seems in helping his son make a decision. It appears as if Washington is truly in jail and that this is his last attempt to both reduce his sentence and connect with his son.

However, his first true masterpiece and Oscar worthy performance came in the form of a movie called Training Day. Washington played a bad ass cop who is confident in his abilities to manipulate people and get them to do his bidding. The story centers on a young rookie’s training day. Washington leads the rookie down a dark and dangerous path and this creates for an extremely vibrant plot line. This is perhaps one of Washington’s best movies and a trailer for it can be seen here.

His next major film was Man on Fire. The one true distinction about this film is that it portrayed Washington as a man who finds purpose in his life. Even though he still kills multiple people along the way, he seems to be truly invested in saving the life of a little girl whom he is the bodyguard of.

More recently, Washington has played some more diverse roles. One of his more interesting ones was the role of a drunken pilot in the movie Flight. After his plane goes down, Washington’s character is questioned about his intoxication and must travel down a dark path to redeem himself. In order to prepare for this movie, Washington actually spent countless hours in the cockpit of an airplane. In reality, he never had to fly one. However, he did this to familiarize himself with the controls and thus create more authenticity. He even used a flight bag from a real life pilot in order to further the authenticity.

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Overall, Washington has surely played some high profile roles. However, what makes him great is not the role, but how he plays it. He approaches each one differently even if it may not appear so. There is not a general genre that he participates in. He simply takes whatever role interests him. Most often this just happens to involve him being a bad ass of some sort.

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.

The Lead Brother

Good acting often comes from real life experience, and in Mark Wahlberg’s case, he has plenty of real life experience. At the young age of 14, Wahlberg dropped out of high school and lived the life of a drug dealer. He would soon commit assault on two men and be sentenced to jail. It is there that he decided to turn his life around and become one of the most diverse actors in Hollywood.

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Simply put, Wahlberg can seemingly play every role in the acting industry. However, some of his best stem from his drug dealing and altercation filled past. In his role in the movie Contraband, he actually plays a world class international smuggler. Wahlberg’s knowledge of dealing and drugs allow this movie to come to life. His tough guy with a bad attitude role is similar to the one that he would have projected onto the streets during his dealing days.

He was cast into a similar role in the movie Four Brothers. Here he plays a feared and convicted felon who along with his brothers are determined to avenge the death of their mother who was shot in cold blood. This role would have hit Wahlberg close to come. In real life he was the youngest of 9 children and he was a convicted man. However, his experience is what makes this particular movie incredible.

Now as mentioned before, Wahlberg doesn’t just play the bad guy drug dealer role. He can play everything from being a football player to a cop and even to a loving teddy bear owner.

One of Wahlberg’s earlier roles was based on the true story of football player Vince Papale in the movie Invincible. Here Wahlberg showcased his ability to play a more serious role. Through his acting dedication, he makes it seem as if he has been playing football all his life, and he truly becomes invested in the team.

From here he would go on to show that he can also play the role of the good guy in The Departed. He plays a detective determined to take down a mob boss at whatever cost. This role was different in that Wahlberg wasn’t the center of attention. He had a supporting cast with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. However, this did not limit his acting abilities. He actually was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Next, Wahlberg took over the comedy industry with movies like Ted and the Other Guys. In Ted, Wahlberg’s entire role is based on acting alongside a supposed real life teddy bear. This obviously has its challenges. Nevertheless, Wahlberg was able to turn the movie into a masterpiece.

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More recently, Wahlberg has starred in Lone Survivor as war hero Marcus Luttrell and as Cade Yeager as the lead role in the 4^th Transformers movie. Lately, he has even been producing some of his own movies and showing that he can truly do it all in the movie industry. He is making new experiences for himself that are turning him into an acting legend. 

I am Iron Man

Everyone loves a good comeback story. This can be seen all throughout today’s society. People adore stories about comeback stars like Rocky or even the Mighty Ducks. However, perhaps one of the most prominent comeback stories in real life is that of movie star Robert Downey Jr. One of Hollywood’s most prolific and successful stars was once an ex con and a cocaine addict.

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At the young age of 8 Downey was introduced to drugs by his father. Unfortunately, by the team he was in his 20s he had become addicted to them. For a time, the addiction was manageable and his addiction actually played into his roles. In a movie called Less Than Zero, Downey played a gay junkie who was struggling through life. This would be a partial glimpse into what the future may hold for the young Downey.

He was on the rise with movies like Chaplin. Here he portrayed the life of Charlie Chaplin, a British comedic actor. The role earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for best actor. However, this was in 1993. He would soon fall hard into drugs and lose himself.

Over the next several years, Downey became practically a nobody. He was arrested on multiple drug charges and spent some time in prison. However, eventually he would come clean after three years on probation. This step would set him up to be one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.

His big break came with the production of the hit film Iron Man. Here Downey’s work is truly incredible. He plays the role of genius billionaire philanthropist Tony Stark. He builds himself an iron suit and fights evil in his free time. Downey plays this part exactly how it is meant to be played. He is arrogant and cocky to the point where it often gets him in trouble. However, at the same time he still shows the loving and caring qualities that come with being a superhero. During this casting, Downey showed his determination by eating 5,000 calories per day and packing on 25 pounds of muscle. Overall, this became a truly versatile role.

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This part would cast him into two sequels and another series involving Iron Man entitled The Avengers. However, along the way Downey proved to play parts consisting of more than just a superhero. He would go on to play Sherlock Holmes in a duo of movies that showed his ability to be a witty and clever detective who can seemingly solve any crime. Additionally, he recently took on a role with co-star Robert Duvall in The Judge. Here he plays a lawyer determined to keep his aging father out of prison while the two have barely spoke in years. His emotions of hatred and at the same time love make the movie come to life.

              As of today, Downey has reached #8 on Forbes highest paid celebrities, making $80 million last year alone. He has since won the Academy Award for best actor and is without a doubt one of the best actors in Hollywood. Overall, his story truly is a one of superhero magnitude.

A Star Bigger than the Titanic

From a sunken ship to a shooting star, these are words that could be used to describe the career of the great Leonardo DiCaprio. The young and hopeful actor was fighting for a role in the movie industry by putting together a string of small time roles such as The Basketball Diaries and a modern day spin off of Romeo and Juliet. However, these roles would fit to prepare him to star in one of the most iconic and profitable movies of all time, Titanic.

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DiCaprio was cast as the young Jack Dawson. A poor boy who won a ticket on this iconic boat by chance. Here he falls in love and the story explains the tale of the two lovers in what appears to be the final moments of their lives as the ship sinks. DiCaprio’s passionate love and desperation allow the movie to come alive. He makes it appear as if he is truly fighting for his life. This allows the audience to connect with the story and feel the pain, suffering, and desperation of the victims of the Titanic in their final moments.

From here DiCaprio became one of Hollywood’s biggest sensations. One of his next major roles came along with co-star Tom Hanks in Catch Me if You Can. This role is extremely different from DiCaprio’s previous. Here he plays a young forger who becomes anything he wants at the risk of being caught by Detective Hanks. The versatility shown in this move is astounding. DiCaprio is able to play roles as a pilot, lawyer, and doctor all while barely staying out of reach of the police. The trailer demonstrating some of DiCaprio’s work in this movie can be seen here.

Following this movie, DiCaprio had several very successful movies including The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond and Shutter Island. In this movies he played everything from a ruthless diamond hunter to a deranged detective. However, one of DiCaprio’s more interesting roles came with the production of Inception. Here he plays a con artist of sorts who develops stages of dreams in order to plant ideas inside people’s minds. This performance landed the movie inside the top 15 greatest movies of all time according to IMDB.

In more recent years, DiCaprio has taken on some of the most challenging roles of anyone. His ability to play a drugged up Wall Street broker in The Wolf of Wall Street is incredible. He admits that he has never done drugs, yet he plays the role as if he had been an addict his whole life. The fake seizures and blackouts he has while on these drugs make it seem unbelievably real.

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DiCaprio continues to show his dedication in his latest movie, The Revenant. In order to prepare for this role, DiCaprio took extreme measures. He claims to have slept in animal carcasses, trudged through freezing waters, and ate raw meat. All this just to make a movie come to life. Perhaps, his latest role will win him the Oscar that he so rightfully deserves, but which has eluded him so far.