You had me at Julia Roberts
Robin Williams is one of the rare actors we trust to DELIVER. Source: Indiewire.
Whilst there are many actors that have had career-changing performances, iconic roles or great lines, there are really only a handful of actors we trust to DELIVER. You know the type. You don't even care what the movie is called or what the plot is, cos if these 10 actors are in it, then we are IN:
1. Tom Hanks
Helps that we like you IRL too. Source: Variety.
Is the World's Dad and Most Likeable Guy able to make a bad film? From Forrest Gump to Catch Me If You Can, A League of Their Own to Toy Story, he's delivered solid catchphrases ('There's no crying in baseball!'), great films, has stayed humble despite being probs a billionaire by now, and in that way, we trust Tom to deliver every time. And that's all I have to say about that.
2. Allison Janney
My fav Allison is holding a beer. Source: Getty.
Ugh, can we just have a boozy Friday night together already? Janney has had a slow burn into becoming an A-lister, but look closely and her CV is chockablock full of wins and fun af performances - from the weird Principal in 10 Things I Hate About You and trailer trash friend in Drop Dead Gorgeous to her Oscar-winning turn in I, Tonya; if her name is on the poster, I'm in for the ride.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio
Does this guy age? Source: Man of Many.
Not just a pretty face, teaming up with Martin Scorsese early on in his career has turned him from teen heartthrob to bonafide movie star. Think Catch Me If You Can, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf Of Wall Street - all his films are A-grade material, and I'm calling it now - he will 100% get presented with a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, and he bloody well deserves it - even if there WAS room on that damn raft for two.
4. Julia Roberts
Hi best friend! Source: Variety My kweeennn can do no wrong and I won't hear a bad word about her! The woman with the $20 million dollar smile has had our hearts melting ever since she uttered the words 'Hey sugar, you lookin' for a date?' in 1990's iconic Pretty Woman. Side note, this is also what I say to my husband when I am waiting out the front of Woolies in my trackies at 8 pm and he can't get a park so he cruises round in circles until I come out the front with some $3 home-brand cheese. Anyway. America's Sweetheart went on to provide the world with some of the greatest hits of the '90s, including My Best Friend's Wedding, Runaway Bride, and her Oscar-winning turn as Erin Brockovich in the film of the same name. While she's gone for more serious work, you still know it's gonna be a damn good piece of acting - and if not, just mute and look at how beautiful she is. Love you best friend!
5. JK Simmons
You'll always be Juno's dad tho. Source: LA Times
Even though he may not be a household name for the people who aren't as obsessed with film and tv as I, you'll know JK as Juno's lovable dad, as head of the newspaper in Spiderman, as the hiring teacher in the underrated 'The Rewrite', and OMG IN MY RESEARCH FOUND OUT HE DID VOICES FOR THE MOST UNDERRATED CARTOON OF ALL TIME, ANASTASIA. Love him more now. Okay anyway. He also won an Oscar for Whiplash, and I see him on screen and just go 'Oh yay, he's here!' like a comforting soup, JK brings that certain je ne sais quoi to any film he is in.
6. Matt Damon
Wholesome aside from that whole, 'I'm f*cking Matt Damon' thing... Source: Shutterstock.
Matt's the guy every dad would approve of you bringing home. He's likable, dependable, and isn't here to fuck spiders. From bringing us action as Jason Bourne to showing his dramatic chops in Good Will Hunting and The Talented Mr. Ripley (soliddd film), Matt has been able to demonstrate that he can take a multitude of genres and make them his own, spinning any film with his name into an A+ movie.
7. Meryl Streep
I just realised I'm gonna have a Meryl movie party. Source: TIFF
The most nominated actress of all time needs no introduction. Is there anything she can't do and doesn't deliver on? It's not just her acting, but her likeability - Meryl has an ability to appear as extremely low-key and fun in real life, despite completely disappearing into her characters on screen. Some of my personal faves in the vault include her turn as Madeline Ashton in Death Becomes Her, Susan Orlean in Adaptation, and her lead star status in films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Mama Mia, and The Post (I know these aren't the most famous, but they're the ones I like best, and this is my blog, so move on). Next up, she'll be delighting us in a musical called 'The Prom'- and true to form, I don't need to know anything else. I'll be watching.
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8. Robin Williams
One and only xx Source: Variety
Oh, this one will tug at the heartstrings of every 90's kid and parent. Whilst The Birdcage has got to be a personal favourite, Williams got many of us through our childhood, starring in iconic roles such as the Genie in Aladdin, the title character of Mrs. Doubtfire, and Peter Pan in Hook; plus there was Flubber, Jack, Patch Adams...the list goes on. Whilst he also did a string of films in the dramatic sphere, it was in his role as a comedian that Williams time and time again proved that he was in a league all of his own. RIP.
9. Emma Stone
How do I get this kind of hang-out-ability? Source: Vanity Fair
A relative newcomer to the list of bigwigs, Stone has tred her film career path carefully, making sure not to get lost in the realm between the teenage starlet and mega movie star (for the road map, see: Kirsten Dunst, Jodie Foster). Delivering A-grade performances in films such as Easy A, Battle of the Sexes (which I was in, in a crowd scene of about 10000, did you spot me? Will my family EVER SUPPORT MY FILM CAREER AND FUCKING WATCH IT?), and Crazy, Stupid, Love, Emma's star continues to rise after her Oscar win for La La Land. Plus - she's just so damn likable! Be my friend!
10. Bette Midler
Bow down bitches, OG. Source: Parade Magazine
All hail! I mean - please. This is the queen. She doesn't rock cinema, she IS cinema. She is so fantastic that I have legit joined a group of women called The Bettes, where we discuss Bette Midler, watch Bette Midler films, and occasionally wear Bette Midler outfits. Embarrassed? YOU should be embarrassed for not being a part of it! Whilst she has had a formidable career in music, stage and TV, her film record speaks for itself - The First Wives Club, Big Business, Gypsy, Down and Out In Beverley Hills...actually, brb - I gotta go write a script starring Tom Hanks and Better Midler as the parents of Emma Stone who gets in a rel with bad boy Leonardo Dicaprio that she is banned from seeing, even though her best friend Matt Damon has always been there so she sets out to find Leo with her uncle Robin Williams and meets a string of weird characters like gang leader Meryl Streep and candle shop keeper Julia Roberts with a guest appearance from gypsy JK Simmons and... Honourable mentions: Sam Rockwell, James Marsden, Christopher Walken, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Danny DeVito - and who else?
