2. Jackie Earle Haley
It may something of a back-handed compliment but part of Haley's appeal lies in the simple fact that he has the
face of a character actor. It's a face that has long resigned the prospect of a rom-com lead role (although that would be quite something) and has instead crafted a career from the maladjusted and macabre. It's also a face that, for his biggest role, he was required to hide behind a mask. Continuing further with the comic book theme, Haley was brilliantly cast as Rorschach/Walter Kovacs in Zach Snyder's adaptation of
Watchmen; a part that utilised his predatory potential from 2006's
Little Children. With his ruffled ginger hair and crooked smile, you could easily mistake Kovacs for Alfred E. Neuman. That is, if Neuman had been set upon in a bar brawl. Next came Martin Scorsese, who locked Haley in a hospital for the criminally insane to give
ShutterIsland its creature from the dark. George Noyce may be crazy ( not to mention inordinately creepy) but he's the only one who seems to have it all figured out. Following this, the role of Freddy Krueger in Samuel Bayer's remake of
A Nightmare On Elm Street seemed like a natural progression. Being typecast as a prisoner or paedophile doesn't sound like the best way to break Hollywood but, so far, this unconventional formula has made Jackie's a face we'll never forget...