It is often hard for a comedian who has worked on American or British TV to transform their success into legitimate movie roles. Many of the following names are already big box office stars in film comedies, but unless they want to continue aging in front of their predominantly juvenile audiences, an Oscar will forever remain a dream. However, going by their appearances at the otherwise austere Academy Award ceremony, a few of these stars may actually take on more "serious" film roles and therefore find Oscar nominations are bestowed upon them with ease in the coming years!
1. Will Ferrell – his performance in “Stranger Than Fiction” was superb, so maybe he’s following Robin Williams down the ‘straight’ road to future Oscar glory? Woody Allen’s “Melinda and Melinda” also showed his serious acting chops, although “Semi-Pro”, “Blades of Glory”, “Talladega Nights”, and “Anchorman”, serve only to draw box office and (often very funny!) cheap laughs.
2. Jack Black – granted he’s unlikely to find Oscar glory with the forthcoming “Tropic Thunder”, but his forays into films like “Margot at the Wedding”, or even playing it low-key in “King Kong” or “The Holiday”, show that there might be more to Mr. Black than his entertaining “Tenacious D” musical offerings or a string of character-driven comedies (such as “Nacho Libre”, “The School of Rock”, “High Fidelity”, and “Be Kind Rewind”.)
3. Mike Myers – in a few years time, Myers might be Oscar-nominated for his remake of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, but until then, a career producing the “Wayne’s World”, “Shrek”, and “Austin Powers” franchises won’t convince many people that a talent for many voices is the equivalent of “serious” acting. Still, making that much money for big studios makes you many friends!
4. Sacha Baron Cohen – his Hollywood star is on the rise thanks to “Borat”. Once his “Bruno” character has similarly performed on the world stage, we may forget the likes of “Ali G” and see Baron Cohen in more high-brow projects. Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd” was an early glimpse.
5. Steve Carell – setting aside his contributions to Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” in addition to his recent success with the American TV remake of “The Office”, Carell is carving out quite a bit of success in Hollywood. This summer’s action comedy “Get Smart” followed the charming “Dan In Real Life”, while “Evan Almighty”, “Little Miss Sunshine”, and “The 40 Year Old Virgin” all showed his talent for being the butt of many jokes.
6. Steve Coogan – a well-known TV personality in the UK, with characters Paul Calf and Alan Partridge making it hard for film audiences to accept him in any other roles. Michael Winterbottom’s forthcoming “Murder in Samarkand” might change that, although he was excellent in the witty “A Cock and Bull Story”.
7. Jim Carrey – has he missed the boat? He had a run of terrific performances in “The Truman Show”, “Man on the Moon”, “The Majestic”, and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” to counter his “Dumb and Dumber” / “Ace Ventura” persona .... but no nominations. Surely the Academy will remember him eventually?!
8. Simon Pegg – it is truly one of the mysteries of modern cinema how he has achieved any degree of popularity, in my mind! I suppose playing a lovable loser has worked for any number of actors, but “Shaun of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz”, and “Run Fatboy Run” don’t appeal to me. However, his upcoming roles in “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People”, and the new version of “Star Trek”, show he has come to Hollywood’s attention.
9. Adam Sandler – question: how many “Sandman” movies does it take to make me laugh? Answer: I’ll never know. After “Happy Gilmore”, “Billy Madison”, “The Wedding Singer”, “The Waterboy”, “Big Daddy”, and “Little Nicky”, my eyes were hurting from stabbing pencils into them. However, Paul Thomas Anderson’s misfire “Punch Drunk Love” aside, Sandler in “Reign Over Me”, “Spanglish”, and “Click” gave me hope that he isn’t completely one-dimensional. The Academy does tend to reward names that generate plenty of box office. But he may have to wait a while!
10. Seth Rogen – he has crept in under the radar with roles in “40 Year Old Virgin” and “Superbad”, but it was his turn in “Knocked Up” as an expectant father that brought Rogen into the mainstream. As long as he sticks close to Judd Apatow, or transforms the good will from his leading man comic roles into something substantial, an Oscar nomination for some quirky role in a “award worthy” movie might be in his future.
Honourable Mention:
Ben Stiller
Billy Crystal
Jeremy Piven
Vince Vaughn
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