7. Paul Rudd
In this sea of acting greatness
Paul Rudd looks a bit like the fish out of water. His detractors aren't without merit. He will be a boom or bust pick for sure, but for the moment hes the it guy in comedy movies. If he leverages his position as a funny-guy-who-can-act and warp himself into an actor-who-can-be-funny we could see something special. Im willing to be a realist here. Theres a reason the it guy in comedy never breaks out. When youre a good comedian people write movies based around your style of funny. People will go to see the movies. You will make lots of money, and eventually the jokes will get old and the typecast stories won't work as well as they used to. If Paul Rudd follows the all too well traveled road laid out before him you won't need to strain your eyes to see where his career will head:
Ben Stiller,
Will Farrel, and
Adam Sandler have all been there before. Even though those comedic actors didn't protect their brands well enough they all eventually showed us one thing. They can act. Each of them has recently appeared or starred in film where they got to show real range and nuance in a role. It's always been too little too late to change their career trajectories, but Paul Rudd still has a chance. What makes him any different? Not much. Each of the actors listed showed equal flashes of brilliance. Most have been bigger names in the public eye. For Rudd, his best chance of avoiding being heavily typecast is a level head and, hopefully, the ability to learn from his peers. Does it seem likely? No. Would I rather him overcome his handicap than James Franco? Yes. Number seven it is.