It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and I feel like telling you all about the actors that I think deserve more respect. When I say “respect”, I mean more roles, more roles of substance, and more people talking about them. This list is in no order in particular and while I have other actors I believe could be on this list, these actors are the ones I feel are overlooked the most.
Corey Stoll
I have to start out the gate talking about Corey Stoll. Whenever I see people talking about beautiful bald men in Hollywood, I never see them mentioning Corey Stoll. Not only is Stoll amazing on the exterior, but he is a great actor. My personal opinion is that he should fire his agent, as they’re not getting this man the roles he deserves. While I liked seeing Stoll in projects like West Side Story, Ratched (as horrible as I found the show), and Bagdad Central, they did nothing for him. Corey shined in projects like Ant-Man, House of Cards, and Dark Places. He was a stand-out in the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark and if you’ve never watched it, I liked him in Law & Order: LA. He’s in Billions now, but I still don’t see him getting the respect he deserves.
Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd has the potential of being the next Tom Hiddleston. I get a very “Loki” vibe from him, but that’s beside the point. Lloyd has been in projects such as Game of Thrones, Legion, and more, but I never hear people mentioning him when we talk about talent. And Lloyd has a lot of it. Even in despicable roles like Viserys in GOT, he’s able to bring sympathy and compassion to an otherwise hatable role. I particularly liked him in Peacock’s Brave New World, where most people focused on the traditionally good-looking actor, Elden Ehrenreich. I’m still upset that was canceled.
Boyd Holbrook
Believe you me, I’m so happy Boyd Holbrook is finally getting some recognition after playing The Corinthian on Netflix’s The Sandman. But, it’s as if people forget that Holbrook played one of the best on-screen villains in a comic book movie in 2017’s Logan. I mean, we talk about Logan being the single greatest CB movie ever, but we never talk about Holbrook? Holbrook not only slayed both the aforementioned projects, but he was great in the first two seasons of Narcos on Netflix. Yes, Pedro Pascal also was fantastic and I love seeing his career skyrocket after the show, but Holbrook deserves major love.
Gustaf Skarsgard
Alexander, Bill, and Stellan Skarsgard are powerhouse actors. But, do people forget there’s another crazy talented actor in this Swedish family? Skarsgard is best known for his role as Floki on Vikings, but you need to check him out as Merlin in Netflix’s Cursed. It’s a great show and I’m upset it was canceled after one season. Don’t let that sway you though, Skarsgard is insanely talented and I wish shows would give him more screen time. I was so excited he was going to be in season two of Westworld, only to be disappointed by how little screen time he was given. What gives?
Bruce Langley
Bruce Langley has not been in a lot. He’s a fairly young actor who you may only know from American Gods, but my GOD, he does a great job. The way Langley played Technical Boy in all three seasons was great. He developed the character and showed to me and others that he can easily play other roles. I mean, as you know (if you know me), I’m praying for the day we get an ending to American Gods, if anything just to see Langley again. But, I need networks to give this man more roles, because I’m not ready to see the end of Langley.
Scoot McNairy
Scoot McNairy has been a plethora of things. Go look at his Wikipedia and realize that this man has been in so many projects we’ve seen. From Narcos: Mexico, Halt and Catch Fire, Godless, Sleepless, True Detective, and more, if makes me genuinely sad that McNairy isn’t a household name. I think people need to pay attention to McNairy and the talent he brings to everything he’s been in. Even in a small role such as the one he played in Batman v Superman, he killed it.
Tom Pelphrey
Do you know how I know that people are disrespectful to Tom Pelphrey? The man gave the performance of a lifetime in Ozark and STILL WASN’T NOMINATED FOR IT. Pelphrey is being talked about now on social media, but only because he and actress Kaley Cuoco are having a baby together (which, by the way, yay! congratulations!). Pelphrey has been in many things and has been a stand-out in all of them. I loved his performance in Banshee and honestly, he was the only bearable character in Netflix’s Iron Fist. I don’t blame people for not wanting to see Finn Jones return as the titular Marvel character, but I’d pay good money to see Pelphrey reprise his role as Ward Meachum.
Who is an actor you think deserves more respect and airtime?