13 Actors' Favourite Movies You'd Never Expect

8. A Man For All Seasons - Kevin Smith

Beverly Hills Ninja Christian Bale
MGM & Columbia

The Movie: Based on Robert Bolt's play, and probably one of the few movies to win Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor Oscars while also being wholly endorsed by the Vatican, A Man for All Seasons depicts Sir Thomas More's refusal to annul King Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Why You'd Never Expect It: The comic auteur's other choices were more predictably down-the-line picks like JFK, Jaws, Do the Right Thing and The Last Temptation of Christ, all brilliant movies but much better-known and more accessible than this historical drama.

Given Smith's clear fondness for geeky fare, it's surprising his fave is something so blatantly divorced from that.

What He Said: "A Man For All Seasons is basically porn for people who love dialogue. Paul Scofield’s brilliant performance. Robert Shaw’s equally brilliant performance as Henry the VII. It’s always appealed to me. I was 13 years old the first time I saw it. Absolutely fell in love with it because it’s wall-to-wall language with compelling performances. And [it’s] about something to me, in terms that I was raised Catholic."

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.