Talent is attractive and Philip Seymour Hoffman is full to the brim with it.
He has starred in many great films, from Hollywood blockbusters such as The Ides Of March to quirky British films like The Boat that Rocked. And Hoffman’s new film, The Master, looks set to take this year’s award season by storm.
In the Paul Thomas Anderson movie, Hoffman plays the charismatic leader of a new spiritual movement, who draws in a fragile World War II veteran, played by Joaquin Phoenix. This almost sounds a rather tame role for a man who has played a plethora of weird and deeply disturbed characters; in Todd Solondz’s Happiness, he is the dysfunctional creep tossing himself off to strangers on the phone. Although a fantastic film, maybe not the best viewing choice for your next night in alone! Then there’s Capote, which won him the Oscar for his flawless impersonation of the great American author Truman Capote, a man full of self-loathing and deep-rooted narcissism.
Trawling through interviews on YouTube to research an actor who I believe is incapable of giving a bad performance, I was overcome with how likable he seems.
He seems genuine and grounded, both attributes that are not in abundance amongst Hollywood stars. In his 2006 Oscar acceptance speech, for instance, he thanked his mum for everything she’d done for him in his life. I know it seems cliche, but Hoffman’s speech was different. He genuinely seemed to be talking from the heart.
Charlie Wilson’s War is one of Hoffman’s great films from the last decade. It saw him win another Oscar nomination for his portrayal of maverick CIA operative Gust Avrakotos and it is one of the few Tom Hanks films where Hanks is outshone and out acted by his co-star. Hoffman steals the film with a very powerful and funny performance.
Hoffman is to me, the sexiest man in Hollywood because of his beautiful consistency. ‘Sexiest’ and ‘consistency’ are not two words you often see in the same sentence but Hoffman is deserving of this paradoxical claim. His performances are varied depending on the character but they are always executed brilliantly. His choice of films are diverse and rarely weak. He systematically and ruthlessly steals the show in every role he inhabits.
Yes, Pitt and Clooney are good actors whose films I have enjoyed but they can never quite match Hoffman’s unerring ability to draw you into his character. That’s what makes Hoffman sexier than the more aesthetically pleasing actors of his generation.
