Vive la France!

I think there is a general consensus that we are in the midst of a male acting crisis. No one from "our" generation [those born say post 75] has truly broken out and is revolutionizing the silver screen. You could argue there has always been a male acting crisis. In general men are often less interesting to watch on screen than women thanks to societal norms that dictate men can't really appear too vulnerable or weak onscreen. We get freaked out and uncomfortable. Passivity is just so euro faggy and betrays the American male spirit. So we often get performances that are stoic, constipated, and restrained. THINK Kevin Costner who in almost any of his films whether he is a serial killer, betrayed husband or terminally ill always gives this perplexed, confused look as if he can't find his car keys. Things I fear are about to get worse. With the baby boomer generation, who are the largest portion of the population and possibly the greediest and most self involved, we might never get a chance to fill the screen. The actors from this era seem to be digging their heels in refusing to evacuate the leading man position. We are still being asked to take Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford as legitimate action heros. Sylvester Stalone is in talks to revive the Rambo franchise and we all remember the atrocity that was Up Close and Personal which had a 107 year old Robert Redford romancing Michelle Phieffer. This all leads me to dystopian nightmares of erotic thrillers played out in convalescent homes.
DAMNIT, I want to see myself up on the silver screen, okay? We are in trouble. We are awash in a sea of Orlando Blooms [this generation's Mark Hamil] and Jake Gyllenhaals. Nice guys, cute, with noble intent but zero charisma and mediocre acting chops. Okay, okay there's always an exception to the rule, Ryan Gosling shows incredible promise and at this point seems incapable of giving an uninteresting performance. So what is my solution you ask? How do I turn this article from just being a complaint ridden rant into something positive, active, and hopeful? The answer is simple. We must look to where America has looked in the past when she was in trouble. France. Yes, France. There is a whole gaggle of young male actors bursting with energy, passion, and talent. It also helps that many of them are MEGA cute! My friend Arnold and I want to start a Tigerbeat Magazine but only feature art house European actors amidst panda stickers and neon pink hearts. Many of these boys need to come to the US pronto, brush up on their English skills and grace our screens. We need to mix it up, where's globalism when you need it?

I want to start with my personal favorite. Melvil Poupaud. Sigh, oh Melvil. He is currently in the NYT YSL Spread palling around with Stefano Pilati who says this of him, ‘‘There is something real and imperfect about him — he was able to wear the collection effortlessly. In his films, Melvil plays complicated characters — beautiful, conflicted and ultimately tragic. There is a richness and depth to his evocation on screen that resonates with the ideas behind the collection and my work in general at Yves Saint Laurent." Tasty! See LeTemps qui rest, Broken English, Un homme perdu



Next is Roman Duras who is perhaps my favorite young screen male presence. I recommend The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Russian Dolls, and Dans Paris. A leading man if I ever saw one.


Big up to Louis Garrel for doing a lot of interesting, varied, challenging work. He also likes to get fully naked a lot, just putting that out there. See Ma Mere, Regular Lover, Love Songs
So French!


Perhaps the most "Hollywood" of the lot is Gaspard Ulliel who brings a unique intensity and physicality to his roles. Sadly people across the pond took note and cast him in Hannibal Rising. Oops! However see Strayed, The Last Day, and A Very Long Engagement for less embarrassing fare

Jeremie Renier perhaps has the most impressive list of films under his belt having worked with a lot of big names. He often gives understated, ego-less performances. See The Promise, Criminal Lovers, The Pornographer, The Child, Private Property