Who's the best actor currently working?

[kidsick5000]

I'm probably going to throw this to Oscar Isaac at the moment, simply because over the last year, I saw him Ex Machina, Show me a Hero and as Poe Dameron, and *each* time I thought the acting was great, went to look up who played that character and it was him. At this point I'm no longer fully convinced he's only one person.

I would say Domhnall Gleeson has the potential to be. Like Oscar Isaac, if you took his Ex Machina and Star wars roles, yu would not think they were the same actor.

[hamble]

Mads Mikkelsen,Meryl Streep,Billy Bob Thornton,Marion Cotillard,Edward Norton.

[great_badir]

One of the worst actors of the last decade. (Strangely, he used to be good)

Not that I think he's the best (note I put him in the versatility camp, although I would argue he fits in the screen presence camp too), but he's hardly the worst.

[mikeyg27]

I would say Domhnall Gleeson has the potential to be. Like Oscar Isaac, if you took his Ex Machina and Star wars roles, yu would not think they were the same actor.

Also, having just seen The Revenant I was amazed Gleeson was the same guy in Star Wars (although I thought he was kind of meh in Star Wars).

I like Bradley Cooper when he actually tries. There are definitely times he's just cashing in but he's got the chops and the charisma to switch between Actor and Movie Star as needed. I've got to say I developed a lot more respect for him after seeing him on stage in The Elephant Man last year because he was fucking great in that.

I've also been rewatching Malcolm In The Middle lately which has reminded me of something else: as good as Bryan Cranston is as Walter White, he's at least that good as Hal in MitM. In fact, he's always an absolute delight as a comic actor. I haven't seen Trumbo and I doubt I can be arsed but I'd quite like it if he won the Oscar just so he has all three of the major American acting awards (he already has an Emmy and a Tony) and then we just need to work out how to get him a Grammy for the full EGOT.

[biggytitbo]

Sad to see Nicholas Lyndhurst overlooked in this thread yet again.

[thecuriousorange]

Mark Ruffalo. The way he turns himself green while expanding to an enormous size like that is something surely no other actor can do. Except Edward Norton. And Eric Bana.

[Glebe]

I would say Domhnall Gleeson has the potential to be. Like Oscar Isaac, if you took his Ex Machina and Star wars roles, yu would not think they were the same actor.

Yeah, he's shaping up well... I suppose just being in Force Awakens has sealed his famed, but he's a talented bloke and looks well on the way to stardom anyway.

[Absorb the anus burn]

Stanley Tucci is always good to watch.

[Crabwalk]

I think Paul Dano will become one of the greats.

[kitsofan34]

I think Paul Dano will become one of the greats.

Woo yeahhhh, love me some Dano. Just finished "Love & Mercy", where he plays Brian Wilson. It's ace, have you seen it? I really admire Dano's (presumably) rather thin filmography, a rate of roughly one film a year, along with his unpretentious nature towards wherever the best work may lay. I'm referring here to his recent appearances on BBC 1's War and Peace, which is a rather odd place for him to turn up in, along with his role on Steve McQueen's upcoming HBO series.

Of course the best trick an actor can do is to make us forget about The Actor and reach a fully realised state where we believe  They are now the  Character in question. The likes of Dano, Oldman, Isaac and, to a lesser extent, Gleeson[nb]not much of a fan sorry ladz[/nb] shy away from press, they're not a ubiquitous face. The big stars, your Damon's, your Clooney's are having to work a lot harder with their profiles to convince you they're somebody else, not afforded the artistic privilege of a subconcious clean slate in the viewers mind at the beginning of the film.

[CaledonianGonzo]

I think Paul Dano will become one of the greats.

Currently smashing it in War & Peace.

[Gulftastic]

Stanley Tucci is always good to watch.

True. 'The Core' was on this weekend and even in that load of bollocks Tucci was great fun.

[Crabwalk]

Woo yeahhhh, love me some Dano. Just finished "Love & Mercy", where he plays Brian Wilson. It's ace, have you seen it? I really admire Dano's (presumably) rather thin filmography, a rate of roughly one film a year, along with his unpretentious nature towards wherever the best work may lay. I'm referring here to his recent appearances on BBC 1's War and Peace, which is a rather odd place for him to turn up in, along with his role on Steve McQueen's upcoming HBO series.

Yes, he's fantastic in 'Love & Mercy'. Even in supporting roles in films like 'Prisoners' he's completely consumed by his characters and you can tell how much thought and emotion he invests in his work.

I've not started 'War and Peace' yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be great to see him in a longer-form piece of work.

[madhair60]

Sheamus.

[Dr Rock]

Channing Tatum

[phantom_power]

Joe Piscopo