There’s an actor who has a long list of movies and television shows under his belt, has been in some well-known and successful projects, but doesn’t seem to be a household name. Who is this actor I’m speaking of? Well, it’s Corey Stoll. Still don’t know who I’m talking about? He’s been in movies alongside the likes of Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Johnny Depp, Angelina Joelie, and Tina Fey. He recently portrayed villain Darren Cross in Ant-Man and Buzz Aldrin in 2018’s First Man, alongside Neil Armstrong.
Stoll’s filmography dates back to 2004, but perhaps some of the best-known works of his are House of Cards and The Strain. As one of the first victims of Frank Underwood in season one of House of Cards, Stoll portrayed Congressman Pete Russo who for the most part wanted to do the right thing, but was too consumed by his addiction to drugs and alcohol. And on The Strain, he played the main character Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, where they put a god awful wig on him in the first season or so. Seriously, stop covering up this beautiful bald man.
Although, one of his best-known roles is as writer Ernest Hemingway in Midnight in Paris.
Besides these big roles, Stoll has been a guest on such well-known shows like NCIS, CSI, The Good Wife, and even a main role on the short-lived Law & Order: LA (which I argue that it shouldn’t have been canceled).
With such a long list of parts, why does Stoll not get the recognition he deserves? While most of his roles have been either one episode here or there and not the biggest of roles in movies, he still delivers memorable performances. Stoll has the ability to show anger, sadness, happiness, and even creep us out a little. He had a small recurring role in the HBO Girls as Dill Harcourt, the high-profile boyfriend of Elijah Krantz.
Besides First Man, Stoll has most recently been in the Amazon Prime shows The Romanoffs for its second episode. While the series itself is not particularly enjoyable, Stoll always gives a well-done performance with a surprising twist at the end. I know that he may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it would be nice to see him get the recognition he deserves and although Lex Luthor has already been cast in The CW’s Supergirl, I truly believe Stoll could play the well-known Superman villain in some capacity.
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
