Penelope Cruz. Sophia Loren. Javier Bardem. Marion Cotillard. Antonio Banderas.
That is just a sampling of European actors to make a big splash State side. But one actor that looks to slowly be doing the same is Belgian import Matthias Schonaerts.
Schonaerts had a slight breakthrough with 2011 Best Foreign Language Film nominee Bullhead and 2012's Rust and Bone where he co-starred with Marion Cotillard. While Cotillard garnered most of the film's buzz, with good reason, they couldn't quite muster up a strong campaign for her male co-star.
Since then, he has appeared in more English language films like Blood Ties and The Drop where he gave a performance worthy of Supporting Actor recognition in my opinion. He was also all over the place in 2015 with Far From The Madding Crowd, A Little Chaos, The Danish Girl, The Loft, and even Suite Francaise which was released straight to video. He also had A Bigger Splash which premiered at Venice last year and will be released in theaters in May.
According to his Wikipedia page, he is currently filming an HBO miniseries about Lewis and Clark which is executive produced by industry darlings Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, and Edward Norton. HBO films produced by Tom Hanks, like Game Change and John Adams, have had plenty of Emmy success. So maybe he'll get props for his work on the small screen.
Ever since I saw him in Rust and Bone, I've labeled him as the Belgian Brando. So if he gets the right American role that allows him to live up to that title and showcase his ability to mix sensuality and sensitivity, then he could finally join the Oscar club in the future. The fact that he keeps his slate quite full gives me hope that said role will come sooner rather than later.
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