Rolling Stone’s David Fear asks “Is Cate Blanchett Our Greatest Living Actor?” Notice, not actress, but ACTOR. Is she just the best living actor working today? That’s a hell of question to ponder.
I’ve already tackled the best actors and actresses, but, overall, combining both sexes? It was alreadt tough to narrow down both lists to just ten, but I always knew Cate Blanchett would be number one on the female side. There is no more talented actress than her. I don’t know how much more she has to prove herself to be crowned the undisputed GOAT. And, this was BEFORE I saw her performance in “TÁR.”
Let’s take a crack at this. Purely on the basis of current working actors, that means no Gene Hackman and Jack Nicholson, both of which are unofficially retired. I was also very tempted to add Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Dustin Hoffman, but their best days are far behind them, although, overall, they’ve had even more impressive careers than Blanchett.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Cate Blanchett
Isabelle Huppert
Denzel Washington
Joaquin Phoenix
Leonardo DiCaprio
Julianne Moore
Gary Oldman
Meryl Streep
Jessica Chastain
This wasn’t easy. If we count Daniel Day-Lewis as being still active, he hasn’t made a movie in almost five years, then he’s probably the best current actor. If we don’t, then it’s either Blanchett or Huppert who take the top spot.
The most controversial pick here will be Jessica Chastain, but she has been an absolute force for over 10 years now. Chastain might not have won the Oscar for her best work last year, but it made up for all the great performances she’s given us over the years: “Tree of Life,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Molly’s Game,” “A Most Violent Year” “Miss Sloane.”
I know DiCaprio has his detractors. His appearance here was a must for me. Yes, he gets first dibs on most of the best roles and directors available, but he delivers nearly all the time. His best performance has got to be the gonzo work he delivered in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” followed closely by his Howard Hughes in “The Aviator” and the highly underrated work he did, as an 18-year-old, in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”
I look forward to your thoughts …