Is there an Oscar winner that you haven’t heard of? Probably not. But we bet there’s a handful of award-winning performances that you haven’t seen, which is totally worth looking into. Take, for example, the career of Robert Pattinson. While he’s been in the business for a while now, making cameos in a few high-profile flicks here and there, he’s still largely unknown to the public at large. But then again, maybe that’s the whole point. Let’s take a look at his filmography, analyze some of his more notable performances, and see if we can figure out exactly why we’ve never heard of this man.
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
If you’ve even considered going to see the movie ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ you’re already well aware of how good it is. If not, then let us briefly enlighten you: Mr. Banks is the name of the character played by Tom Hanks in the movie, and he’s the head of a theatrical division at a film studio. While on one of his many business trips to London, Mr. Banks decides to have a meeting with a couple of kids from St. Olaf’s School who are performing a play, and he ends up falling in love with one of the young actors, Ruth Wilson. After the meeting, which serves as the jumping-off point for the story, Banks asks the kids if they’d like to come work for him in Hollywood. The kids are ecstatic and happily accept his offer, which leads to an amusing subplot where we see Ruth Wilson trying to convince her jealous friends that she’s staying in L.A. for her career, and not because she has a secret boyfriend.
The Rover (2013)
While ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ is a lighthearted comedy, ‘The Rover’ is a dramatic comedy-drama about an irresponsible and underachieving man named George, who decides to give up his life of leisure in order to save his marriage. A somewhat surprising contender for the granddaddy of all romantic comedies, ‘The Rover’ also stars Andrea Riseborough, with whom George becomes infatuated. As the movie opens, we see George attempting to woo and charm his beautiful, intelligent, and independent-minded neighbor into giving him another chance at happiness. Unfortunately, his charm isn’t exactly working, and we see that she’s genuinely uninterested in even considering his proposal. It turns out that she’s already in love with another man, a much more suitable match for her, and so she rejects George’s advances. At this point, George decides to prove to his neighbor that she was wrong about him, and that, in fact, he’s a good person who’s just had a bad streak. He sets out to right all the wrongs in his life by becoming the best man he can be, taking care of his ailing father, and finally getting the love of his life. The story of ‘The Rover’ is, in many ways, a familiar one: the rom com protagonist gets a second chance at happiness; the movie itself was largely based on the true story of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. But what makes this movie special is that, in addition to being an incredibly loveable character, George is also a fully dimensional person. He’s not perfect, and he makes some very poor choices that bring him down, but he’s also not a villain. He’s just a guy who wants to be happy and doesn’t understand why he can’t be, which makes him all the more lovable.
Cosmo Cosmo (2015)
One of the best films from Sundance this year is ‘Cosmo Cosmo.’ It tells the story of a young woman, played by Billie Eilish, who’s looking for love as well. She meets a nice guy named Cosmo, played by Omid Abtahi, and they fall in love. But it turns out that, like George in ‘The Rover,’ Cosmo isn’t quite what he seems. Turns out that he also has a dark side, and he uses his charm to get what he wants, whether he’s conning girls into thinking he’s a good guy or cheating on them. It’s a really well-made movie, and Omid Abtahi is fantastic as well. We love a man who knows how to wear a suit and tie and still look like a slob, and so does Billie Eilish. We also love how even though it’s a romantic comedy, the movie doesn’t shy away from being extremely provocative. For example, there’s a scene at the end where Cosmo cheats on Billie Eilish with her best friend, and another one, much more brutal, where he rapes her. These scenes, along with others, definitely made us talk about it afterward. It also got us thinking about how, as romantic comedies go, ‘Cosmo Cosmo’ is actually pretty dark.
High Maintenance (2019)
The wonderful Rainn Wilson plays the title role in ‘High Maintenance.’ Billie Eilish and Jimmy Fallon’s production company are developing the semi-autobiographical screenplay, which follows the story of a romantic lead who ends up in a committed relationship with a woman he meets while picking up some flowers for her. He’s a hapless pothead who lives in a world of flowers and weed, and he has an unusual way of expressing himself, which may or may not endear him to the people around him. But his is a story that many men can relate to. When it comes to picking up flowers for girls, many of us have probably tried it, and many of us, especially those of us who are sensitive, may have ended up in a similar situation. We’re assuming that if you’re reading this, you either are or have been in a committed relationship. So, for that matter, have you ever tried picking up flowers for a woman you’re in love with? We think you’ll relate to the helpless, confused romantic lead character of ‘High Maintenance,’ and that’s what makes this movie one of the best of the year. So far, the reviews are phenomenal, and we can see why: the script is sharp and funny, and Rainn Wilson really is wonderful as the pathetic yet lovable main character.
Darkest Hour (2019)
‘Darkest Hour’ is one of the most beautiful movies we’ve ever seen. It was also one of the most surprising. We didn’t see it coming at all. If you’re a fan of Greta Gerwig, you’ll especially love this movie. It’s the story of a young woman, Ada, who travels to London to meet with an old friend of hers, Len, who she’s heard has been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. She needs to come up with a plan to save Len’s life, and quickly, because time is running out. The two reminisce about their time in London, which serves as a sort of time warp that takes us back to a simpler, more innocent time, when their friendship was just beginning. It’s a fantastic ensemble cast, boasting an incredible array of Hollywood A-listers, which makes it that little bit more special. As great as they are, it’s still sad to see these famous faces in such a poignant story about an incurable disease that slowly but surely kills its victim. While it’s an incredibly touching story, we couldn’t help but wonder, after experiencing it, just how much longer Len had left. It’s an important question, and probably the kind of question anyone in a similar situation would want answered. But now, with the grace of God and some quality end-of-life care, maybe he can say goodbye to everyone he loves for a little while longer.
That about sums up our series on the under-appreciated actors and actresses in Hollywood. While many of them never rose to fame and fortune, which is a real shame, we think a lot of them are worth knowing about. If you’re an admirer of any of the abovementioned performers, then we think you’ll enjoy learning more about them, especially since some of them, like Robert Pattinson, are still relatively unknown by the general public. Who knows? Maybe, one day, if we all work hard enough, we’ll finally see these wonderful actors and actresses on our big-screen TVs and in our theaters.