In 2005, GQ Named the 10 Greatest Actors of the Generation. Their Most Recent Projects Beg to Differ

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (34)

Russell Crowe — Robin Hood

Johnny Depp — Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Nicolas Cage — Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Ghost-Rider-Spirit-Of-Vengeance-International-Movie-Poster1.jpg

Clive Owen — Killer Elite

killer elite clive owen.jpg

Benicio Del Toro — Wolfman

John C. Reilly — Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie

Don Cheadle — House of Lies

Gael Garcia Bernal — A Little Bit of Heaven

Leonardo Di Caprio — J. Edgar

Jim Carrey — Mr. Popper’s Penguins

(Source: GQ)

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Comments

Gael is killing it though with Andre 3000 and Adrian Brody in that razor commercial!

Posted by: Alyson at February 28, 2012 4:04 PM

Dr. Steve Brule is a creation and performance of genius. Really cannot be held against him.

Posted by: The Only New Zealander at February 28, 2012 4:07 PM

GAEL, NOOOOOOO! Oh man, I had no idea about that surefire turd he had in the works.

Aside to Alyson: AGREED! V.pleasant surprise on my TV.

Posted by: Sanity Fair at February 28, 2012 4:19 PM

Should have picked Colin Farrell. Since 2005, The New World, Ondine, In Bruges, Triage (brief appearances in Horrible Bosses & Crazy Heart, not to mention Imaginarium) & the woefully underrated Fright Night.

Colin Farrell is the most underrated actor.

Posted by: ginmuse at February 28, 2012 4:20 PM

You had to go and mention Colin Farrell, ginmuse, and now I'm giggling and my stays have ripped open! As to his acting, he's going to be fine. He looked like a supernova at first, but I think he's going to be a slow burn instead. Character actors have more fun choices anyway.

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 28, 2012 4:28 PM

You short-changed Jim Carrey by not aligning him with his Leap Day movie...

Posted by: melia at February 28, 2012 4:33 PM

What a weird year to choose "actors of their generation", just at the start of the Depp-Pitt wane. But then, GQ is a bunch of idiots, so I'm not surprised.

Posted by: Pants at February 28, 2012 4:42 PM

I very much enjoy Gael, Andre, and Adrian in their hot little commercial, but I sort of feel like they should pull off their ties and rip their shirts open or roll around sexily eating hamburgers or something. In the name of gender equality, of course.

Posted by: idgiepug at February 28, 2012 4:53 PM

I think this list proves one point. It's too long. It's kind of like making a list of the top 10 NFL QBs so you can include people like Romo, who I don't think would even make my list. Seeing John C. Reilly in the top 10 makes me wonder if Adam Sandler was 11th.

Posted by: Matt at February 28, 2012 4:59 PM

The Only New Zealander - you're damn right. Brule rules

Posted by: Riles at February 28, 2012 5:08 PM

GQ is so fucking stupid.

The only ones who come even close to the title are Depp and DiCaprio, and even then they're pushing it. Don Cheadle is great, but, come on.

Posted by: figgy at February 28, 2012 5:25 PM

@Alyson, YES!

Posted by: TheEmpress at February 28, 2012 5:44 PM

I think Nicholas cage is every bit as good an actor as ----say----Oh, hell, Chuck Norris

Posted by: Rapidio at February 28, 2012 6:31 PM

@Rapidio Dude take cover, you just PISSED OFF Chuck Norris.

Posted by: JAJenks at February 28, 2012 7:10 PM

@Pants, Dustin obviously picked THIS particular "best actors" list because the clowny shit they've been in fits this schtick. No way these guys are the best alive today. Seriously? Don Cheadle? Nicolas Cage?

Posted by: Johnnyboy at February 28, 2012 7:50 PM

About Don Cheadle - Is House of Lies so bad you overlook The Guard?

I find that unacceptable, sir.

Posted by: Big Softie at February 28, 2012 7:51 PM

I gotta say Rowles you nailed it with this list.
These guys sold out right after that GQ list came apparently.

Posted by: logan at February 28, 2012 8:59 PM

@Pants & @Johnnyboy

All of these guys, even Jim Carrey, were considered the best actors in the world around 2005. And in DiCaprio's case, J. Edgar was more of a career anomaly than indicative of his position today.

Posted by: Devil Child at February 28, 2012 10:18 PM

These guys sold out right after that GQ list came apparently.

Posted by: logan at February 28, 2012 8:59 PM

Johnny Depp sold out a year before this list came out, DiCaprio and Reilly were in most of the best movies of their career after this list was released, and at no point in the careers of Nicholas Cage or Jim Carrey have they ever not been sellouts.

Posted by: Devil Child at February 28, 2012 10:26 PM

This is a bit unfair to John C. Reilly, given that he also starred in Roman Polanski's "Carnage" and Lynne Ramsay's "We Need to Talk About Kevin". Both excellent films that aren't particularly embarassing.

Posted by: Talia at February 29, 2012 12:48 AM

Oh, Clive . . . my poor, poor, Clive . . . show us where the bad mustache touched you.

OH, WAIT . . . we can see it.

Posted by: Lauren at February 29, 2012 12:51 AM

Who are these people? I vaguely remember them and as for going to the movies, do people actually do that any more? Video killed the radio star and cable killed the movie star.

The best actors are in cable TV now. Walton Goggins, Tim Olyphant, Peter Dinklage, any of the cast of Deadwood.

Film is seriously lagging behind cable TV at this point.

Does anyone know how to write an actual film anymore? Or are there just treatments that get produced.

Wow, this really makes me sad. Someday I would love a reason to go out and watch a movie on the big screen...if I could find a real big screen like the one I grew up with. Leather chairs, a balcony, twinkle lights, paintings of italian villas on the walls, marble bathrooms and that was at the end of it's beautiful life. My mother had more stories to tell.

Posted by: Jennface at February 29, 2012 4:28 AM

I die a little inside asd I see that sappy poster of my Gael with that ...that...featherweight.

Posted by: klingonfree at February 29, 2012 9:59 AM

"Dr. Steve Brule is a creation and performance of genius. Really cannot be held against him."

Precisely this.

Posted by: Seany D at February 29, 2012 12:05 PM

Oh, oh wow! I just got it.

You don't like Tim and Eric, huh?

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Posted by: Brian at February 29, 2012 12:09 PM

Jim Carrey looks so Canadian in that header pic. California be damned: Scarborough never leaves you.

Posted by: J. K. Barlow at February 29, 2012 12:40 PM

When did Jim Carrey do a Wolfman movie?

Posted by: Drake at February 29, 2012 12:50 PM

That J Edgar poster makes me think of what an asshole Diane was to Frasier. Mr. Poppers Penguins was kind of good.

Posted by: Alexis at February 29, 2012 2:47 PM

This made me laugh, hard. But then when the laughter ended I realized it was just masking my tears
:(

Posted by: BrandonBombay at February 29, 2012 4:28 PM

JCR deserves to be on that list even more now than he did 7 years ago (which is to say, a lot). In fact, I'm surprised GQ was smart enough to pick him then.

Posted by: prof talc at February 29, 2012 6:14 PM

DiCaprio's best work was pre-Titanic: Besketball Diaries, Gilbert Grape etc.

Posted by: cinekat at March 1, 2012 6:44 AM

I'm guessing nobody took time to watch house of lies or study don cheadles achievements. Best african-american actor alive. Also they may not be the best of our generation but four of thoe men are in some of the best and most finacial successful movies of all-time. But wolfman sucked big animal wang.

Posted by: theunwrittentruth at March 1, 2012 8:08 AM

@theunwrittentruth ...

But as long as you see Cheadle as an "african-american actor" you're a racist mofo, beyond which any further comments become irrelevant. But the point of this post wasn't to categorize by race or even find the top ten. It was simply so Dustin could showcase these "supposedly best" actors against some of their more craptastic efforts. But you're still a racist.

Posted by: Johnnyboy at March 1, 2012 9:20 PM

It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it's time to be happy

Posted by: Rizwan Khan at March 30, 2012 4:12 PM

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In 2005, GQ Named the 10 Greatest Actors of the Generation. Their Most Recent Projects Beg to Differ

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