Another fun conversation starter before SXSW invades the film community.

I posted late last night a photo of Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon.” Here’s an actor that over the years has cemented his status as one of the great performers of the 21st century. His performances have been A-caliber, in films as wide-ranging as “The Master,” “Her,” “Joker,” “Two Lovers,” “Inherent Vice,” and “I Walk the Line.”

Is Phoenix the best actor of the 21st century? It’s certainly a conversation worth having. His eccentricly unpredictable style has matched the decade’s mood perfectly. Maybe we should stack him up with other 21st century contenders and see where he stands. Certainly Daniel Day-Lewis (who is supposedly retired) must also be included among the greats.

After much deliberation (like, half an hour) I came up with these 11 stalwart actors:

Joaquin Phoenix
Daniel Day-Lewis
Leonardo DiCaprio
Denzel Washington
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Christian Bale
Gary Oldman
Oscar Isaac
Brad Pitt
Adam Driver
Nicolas Cage

The case for Tom Hanks and Russell Crowe was definitely debated. However, after storming the aughts with incredible work, both actors have been starring in mostly average fare these last ten years. Hanks is also very much a ‘90s guy with his Oscar nominations all coming in that decade.

As for the “McConaissance,” that happened from 2011-2014, an amazing streak of films for four years and then he came back down to earth. McConaughey is still a fantastic and charismatic actor, but he just hasn’t had the consistency for him to be included here.

Jake Gylenhaal came very close to being included as well; from 2000-2020 his acting credits included very strong performances in “Brokeback Mountain,” “Zodiac,” “Nightcrawler,” “Donnie Darko,” and “Stronger.”

As for Nicolas Cage, well, you can read my essay here on why he should be considered a great actor and among the ten most influential. I wrote last December:

“His gonzo-style acting, which he calls “Nouveau Shamanic,” is the kind of advancement of the acting art form that we haven’t really seen otherwise since probably Brando going method in the late ‘50s. Cage credits this style of performing as being inspired by the book The Way of the Actor from Brian Bates, which describes the parallel artistry between the ancient shamans and thespians. Cage has, more realistically, summoned up his acting style as a hybrid of German Expressionism and "Western kabuki".

Am I missing any?