Through the Opera Glasses - 13 - Actors' Sexualization Versus Talent, Part 2

Last week I looked at high profile, cerebral actors and actresses - and how easy it was to locate super-hot sexy shots of the actresses. But not the actors. I wondered whether the actresses felt the need to portray themselves as highly sexualized, even though five of the six women are Oscar winners, and the sixth (Julianne Moore) has been nominated for an Academy Award four times.

On the other hand, I also wondered if these women felt that they had every right to be sexy, especially since most of their film roles were not. A revenge-of-the-nerdy-girls kind of thing.

This week, I'm looking at a different group of actors and actresses. These are the acknowleged hotties.

I'll start with the actresses.


Jessica Alba
















Kate Beckinsale
















Jessica Biel












Angelina Jolie
















Eva Longoria
















Eva Mendes










Among this group of women, the only Oscar winner is Angelina Jolie. Other major award winners in this group are:

Kate Beckinsale - London Critics Circle Film Award

Jessica Biel - ShoWest Star of Tomorrow Award 2005

Eva Longoria - Screen Actors Guild Award

The obvious question arises: are these actresses not taken seriously because they showcase their beauty and sexuality? Every one of them have an edgy film in their CV's (the showbiz resume) - except for Eva Longoria, who has an edgy TV show instead.

Jessica Alba - Sin City - directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Kate Beckinsale - Winged Creatures - directed by Rowan Woods

Jessica Biel - The Illusionist - directed by Neil Burger

Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart - directed by Michael Winterbottom

Eva Longoria - Desperate Housewives - created by Marc Cherry

Eva Mendes - Once Upon a Time in Mexico - Robert Rodriguez

Now, let's have a look at the hottie men. Last week I could barely find a shirt-opened-to-expose-some-chest shots of the actors. This week...easy peasy!


Jensen Ackles










Jamie Bamber













Vin Diesel
















Josh Holloway
















Dwayne Johnson
















Jason Statham












What do we make of our men here? Are they merely brawny, not capable of being brainy?

Half of these actors are television actors. Half of them are action film stars. Believe it or not, the roughest-toughest of them - Vin Diesel - is also a writer, a director and a producer.

Do you suppose the hottie men will have their chance to give outstanding performances in cutting-edge films? In this group, surprisingly, the women hold the slight advantage over the men in the quality of roles they've been able to play. Will Josh Holloway be doomed to play good ole boys after Lost wraps? Will The Rock be forced to play Scorpion Kings, or will Dwayne Johnson find a challenging role he can truly inhabit?

Watermaid says Isn't it a question of age and the times in which we are living?

Thomma Lyn says there is an unfortunate tendency to typecast talented actors and/or actresses into "same old, same old" roles to showcase their Eye Candy Quotient instead of their acting talent.

Jeeves says these actors also become showcases.

Wanted

Last Friday my cousin picked me up after work and we treated ourselves to dinner and a movie. I'd been waiting for months for Wanted to be released, and my cousin really loves James McAvoy - me, too! - so we were psyched.

You have to understand a few things about me.


I'm not a chick flick kind of gal. I'm a Kill Bill kind of gal. Wanted is exactly what I want - and this film delivers in spades. My cousin literally sat on the edge of her seat several times. It's fantastic.



I can't get enough of superhero origin stories. Wanted follows this format, even if Wesley, the main character played by James McAvoy, is not technically a superhero.


Both my cousin and I have a soft spot in our hearts for the tortured hero.
















And we both have a healthy appreciation for James McAvoy. It's win-win, really.


I've mentioned previously how much I love Night Watch and Day Watch, two Russian urban paranormal films by director Timur Bekmambetov.


"Wanted marks the Hollywood debut of a Kazakh filmmaker named Timur Bekmambetov," writes Brian D. Johnson for MacLean's magazine, "who's like the directorial equivalent of the Russian mob. Wielding the camera like a switchblade in a steam bath, he could teach Quentin Tarantino lessons in savagery and give James Cameron a crash course on how to shoot a fight scene on a derailing train. Wanted is one hard-core, blood-drenched action movie."



Best of all, the Russian actor I love so much from Night Watch, Konstantin Khabensky has a supporting role in this film. And for the first time, I got to hear him speak in English!!




Work it, James.











Here's the trailer. Oh - I've already seen the film a second time, on Canada Day. Twice and counting...