Guy Pearce started out, like all good Australian actors, in Neighbours, but has since gone on to make his name as one of Hollywood's most reliable character actors.
He returns to our screens later this month in Drake Doremus's New York based drama Breathe In, so to whet your appetite we're taking a look at five of his best performances.
So are there any we are missing? Let us know in the thread below.
1. LA Confidential
Back in the 90s, where fresh-faced Guy was winning over critics in an ensemble crime movie with fellow Aussie rising star Russell Crowe. In LA Confidential, Pearce plays an idealistic young cop eager to prove himself in the police force, and accidentally offends Lana Turner in the process.
2. Memento
Memento was a career-defining moment for Pearce with his memorable performance as a man doomed to forget. In Christopher Nolan's second feature Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, an insurance investigator who loses the ability to form new memories following an incident in which his wife was murdered. With nothing but his own notes and photos to guide him, Leonard goes in search of his wife's killer. Pearce was far from Nolan's first choice for the part, behind Brad Pitt and Aaron Eckhart among others, but it's now hard to imagine anyone else inhabiting the role in quite the way he does. Vulnerable and permanently bemused, the film was praised for its accurate portrayal of a memory loss victim.
3. Lawless
Lawless, the bootlegging western set during prohibition, finally made it to our screens in 2012. Among an all-star cast, including Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Shia LaBoeuf, Pearce still manages to stand out as Charlie Rakes, the special deputy from Chicago sent to Virginia to close down the sale of illegal liquor for good. With a parting to rival Moses, Pearce exudes bad-guy every second he's on screen.
4. The King's Speech
The incredibly successful King's Speech saw Pearce as soon-to-be king Edward VIII. His portrayal of the prickly, antagonistic prince opposite Colin Firth's earnest George VI showed Pearce really can act in any accent.
5. Lockout
Is Lockout one of Pearce's best films? No. But in terms of showing his range, his foray into loud action nonsense shouldn't be forgotten. He plays a wisecracking badass called Snow who's tasked to rescue the president's daughter from a giant space prison overrun by its violent inmates. Pearce seriously bulked up to play the role, an accomplishment that shouldn't have been too challenging for the former amateur bodybuilder. Once holding the title of Mr Junior Victoria, Pearce shows that being a bodybuilder and being able to act aren't mutually exclusive.
Source.
He returns to our screens later this month in Drake Doremus's New York based drama Breathe In, so to whet your appetite we're taking a look at five of his best performances.
So are there any we are missing? Let us know in the thread below.
1. LA Confidential
Back in the 90s, where fresh-faced Guy was winning over critics in an ensemble crime movie with fellow Aussie rising star Russell Crowe. In LA Confidential, Pearce plays an idealistic young cop eager to prove himself in the police force, and accidentally offends Lana Turner in the process.
2. Memento
Memento was a career-defining moment for Pearce with his memorable performance as a man doomed to forget. In Christopher Nolan's second feature Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, an insurance investigator who loses the ability to form new memories following an incident in which his wife was murdered. With nothing but his own notes and photos to guide him, Leonard goes in search of his wife's killer. Pearce was far from Nolan's first choice for the part, behind Brad Pitt and Aaron Eckhart among others, but it's now hard to imagine anyone else inhabiting the role in quite the way he does. Vulnerable and permanently bemused, the film was praised for its accurate portrayal of a memory loss victim.
3. Lawless
Lawless, the bootlegging western set during prohibition, finally made it to our screens in 2012. Among an all-star cast, including Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Shia LaBoeuf, Pearce still manages to stand out as Charlie Rakes, the special deputy from Chicago sent to Virginia to close down the sale of illegal liquor for good. With a parting to rival Moses, Pearce exudes bad-guy every second he's on screen.
4. The King's Speech
The incredibly successful King's Speech saw Pearce as soon-to-be king Edward VIII. His portrayal of the prickly, antagonistic prince opposite Colin Firth's earnest George VI showed Pearce really can act in any accent.
5. Lockout
Is Lockout one of Pearce's best films? No. But in terms of showing his range, his foray into loud action nonsense shouldn't be forgotten. He plays a wisecracking badass called Snow who's tasked to rescue the president's daughter from a giant space prison overrun by its violent inmates. Pearce seriously bulked up to play the role, an accomplishment that shouldn't have been too challenging for the former amateur bodybuilder. Once holding the title of Mr Junior Victoria, Pearce shows that being a bodybuilder and being able to act aren't mutually exclusive.
Source.