Sex appeal

As a person who tends to find the appeal of most people, celebrities whatever; I would say there’s a very specific sex appeal to a person who by all accounts would be considered handsome/beautiful/attractive, but plays every single role they’re given so hard it’s difficult to separate them from the madness, absurdity, or even, pitiable quality they embody. PSH for example, rip to a legend beyond legends. One of the most inspiring actors who ever lived. Also, inarguably, one of the sexiest men who ever lived. One of the greatest scenes I’ve ever seen (and the most sensual) remains the moment in Love Liza(2002) where PSH opens the door to his empty house  after huffing gasoline for hours and greets the person at the door with a far gone smile and glassy eyes. His movements are slow and languid (from the gasoline induced brain damage surely) and he’s selling it all so convincingly. If I’d showed up at his door and he came out smelling like petrol and leaning against his door frame like that you couldn’t convince me he hadn’t been huffing something! The back and forth of “is that smell gas?” And PSH ‘s effortless “Gas? What? Noooo.” With that smile? Life changing. I guess I’m thinking about this rn because I’ve been into Sebastian Stan for a while and I’ve just watched Fresh(2022), which, I’ll admit freely he’s really hot in. Up until the point where he gets shot in the face I’m thinking “wow, he really is beautiful though”

Now, maybe you’re thinking; couldn’t you say that about any actor? There’ll all trying their best aren’t they? And yeah. There’s some merit to that. But there’s a certain quality to a person who’s giving everything they’ve got (and got it to give) that I just don’t feel in every performance. Someone who really feels like they’re  trying to prove something. Like, Tom cruise in all the mission impossible movies PALES in comparison to 1994 Interview with a Vampire Tom Cruise. In every scene he’s apart of in that movie you can feel him selling it to you. You can practically see the heat behind his eyes. He’s telling you “I deserve to be here” in every whisper, shout and gyration. I think the same about Cate Blanchett in many of her roles. She was a monster in Tár. I thought the same thing about Hugh Dancy for a while too. He thrummed with effort in almost every role I saw him in. His body hummed a low “I deserve to be here. I deserve to be here. I deserve to be here.” in every scene. It was distracting! The list of people I’ve felt this for is as long as my list of favorite actors. No shorter. 

I need a new movie to watch. Isabelle Huppert’s in this new South Korean film by a director I don’t think I’ve heard of. Hopefully I’ll be able to see it.