10. Matthew McConaughey: Who knew that after 2011, McConaughey would go from a Hollywood punchline after all those rom-coms he did to one of the most interesting actors in the biz? During his McConaissance, he stole his one scene in Wolf of Wall Street, took on a complex yet self-effacing turn as male stripper Dallas in Magic Mike, took us to outer space in Interstellar, and of course delivered a career-best performance as AIDS victim Ron Woodruff in Dallas Buyers Club. He may have had an apparent hiccup with Sea of Trees, but judging by his upcoming slate of projects, I'm sure the McConaissance will live on.
9. Ralph Fiennes: Fiennes has become one of Hollywood's go-to guys for villainous roles like Lord Voldemort, Francis Dolarhyde, and of course, his breakthrough role as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List. But whether he makes us laugh as Gustave H. in The Grand Budapest Hotel, (possible spoiler alert) acts as the new M in the Bond franchise, or even swoons as a romantic lead like in The English Patient while still being the best thing about that awful movie, he will remind audiences that he doesn't always have to get down with his bad self.
8. Jake Gyllenhaal: While I have always been fond of his work, what made him jump into my list of the ten best working today was his performance in Nightcrawler. A completely game-changing and transfomative performance in any sense of the word that is bound to have people hooked and, like myself, take note of his next move.
7. Mark Ruffalo: One thing that I really enjoy about Mark Ruffalo's acting is how he always manages to impress without ever trying to impress. He is usually a very low-key actor who never goes for the big and loud Oscar bait clip or anything like that. Plus, he can not only master blockbusters like The Avengers as the Hulk, but he also remains true to his indie roots in films like Foxcatcher, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and The Kids Are All Right. So, he's got admirable qualities both on screen and seemingly off screen as well.
6. Bradley Cooper: I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of flack for this one. Some may scoff at the fact he has 3 consecutive acting Oscar nominations or just find him overrated. But in my opinion, he's one of our more versatile actors working today and he is one of my personal favorites. Whether he is getting hangovers in Las Vegas, kicking ass as a talking raccoon, doing a complete transformation into a war soldier, or playing a bipolar man yearning to get his life back on track, I am always looking forward to his next move.
5. Edward Norton: While these days, he doesn't work as consecutively as Bradley Cooper or even his fellow Hulk, Mark Ruffalo, when he lands a role worthy of his talents, Edward Norton really brings his A-game. He can go from starting a fight club to fighting as the Hulk. He can switch from a demure alter boy to a sociopathic alter ego in a millisecond. After his reputation for being a difficult actor to work with, he was even able to poke fun at it in his most comedic turn to date in Birdman. Here is hoping he has more work on the horizon.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio: DiCaprio is perhaps one of the few child actors to successfully transition to an adult star. That might be because even in his teen hearthrob days, he was still taking edgy, mature roles. But his commitment to his crafts and willingness to tackle different roles still wins him the respect of audiences as well as critics whether those roles be his vicious Calvin Candie, darkly charismatic Jordan Belfort, romantic Jack Dawson, hard-nosed Billy Costigan, or his elusive Frank Abagnale. Keep up the astounding work, Leo, and that Oscar we want to see you win will be rightfully yours.
3. Tom Hardy: Ever since his breakout, scene-stealing work as Eames in Inception, he caught the eye of a lot of audiences, myself included. Cut to today, he is one of my favorite actors in the business. He can go from playing Bane or Mad Max to acting alone in a car or playing a shy yet mysterious owner of a drop bar with absolute ease. Plus, he'll be playing two real-life twins and be starring in Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's latest film The Revenant as the presumed antagonist. Can this be the year he finally enters the Oscar club?
2. Ben Mendelsohn: I remember when I first saw him as the corrupt businessman Daggett in The Dark Knight Rises, thinking "Who is this guy? He's good." Then there was his complete 180 in The Place Beyond The Pines as a former robber with a heart of gold that really caught my attention before I finally caught his work in Animal Kingdom as Andrew "Pope" Cody, who is one of the most memorable villains in recent memory in my opinion. After his performance in Starred Up as the main character's conflicted father, however, he quickly became one of my top 3 favorite actors currently working. After that brilliant performance that plays the tough card while tugging your heartstrings, as well as his other performances, I now check to see what upcoming films are listed in his IMDB page, looking forward to his next move.
1. Michael Fassbender: With all due respect to the other actors on this list, this was an easy number one. Despite his strikingly handsome looks, he is never afraid to play characters with less handsome qualities, whether it'd be his sadistic Edwin Epps in 12 Years A Slave, his perverse Connor in Fish Tank, or even his charismatic sex addict Brandon Sullivan in Shame who is still like a prisoner trapped in his own skin. Plus, he's proven he can lose a ton of weight for a role, lead a music band wearing a paper mache head, pull off playing an android, and tackle comic book fare by playing Magneto. The guy has simply got it and is currently the best actor working today, in my opinion.
So that was my list of the best actors currently working. Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to write your thoughts in the comments section and share your own top 10. Thanks for reading!
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