Actor Obsessions: A History

Like I told you before, I'm gonna explain these actor obsessions I've had. I'll try to put them in chronological order ... okay ... here ...

1. Daniel Radcliffe - I was in 6th grade when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out in theaters. I became instantly obsessed with Daniel Radcliffe. Actually, I felt as if I was IN LOVE with him. He's pretty much the same age I am, so that was good ... I mean, when I was younger, most of the big stars that I liked were much older. You know, all the teeny bopper musicians and such. So it was cool to have an extremely popular movie star my own age. Still is. I still am in love with him! Yay!

2. Al Pacino - This one began in 9th grade. My dad allowed me to watch The Godfather. The star in the movie was actually Marlon Brando, but I noticed Al Pacino. I mean, I REALLY noticed him. I decided I wanted to see Scarface. Soon thereafter, Scarface came on TV, and since it was censored, I was allowed to see it. The rest is history.

3. Jake Gyllenhaal - It wasn't until late 11th grade when my next big actor obsession began. It all started after I saw Brokeback Mountain. The star in the movie was actually Heath Ledger, who I thought was absolutely brilliant. I ended up falling in love with Jake Gyllenhaal ... and I ended up spending a lot of money to see as many of his films as possible.

4. Joaquin Phoenix - This one began during the summer after 11th grade. I decided to watch Signs one night ... and I ended up watching it 4 times in one week. But it wasn't until a little bit later, while I was in Gatlinburg, that I watched Signs again and decided I loved that actor that played Mel Gibson's character's brother. Then I saw as many of Joaquin's movies as I could; a lot of money was spent once again. Obsessions are expensive.

5. Dominic Monaghan - Early in my senior year, my best friend started telling me about "Lost." I had never watched it, but I was very interested in everything my friend had to say about it. Before I even saw the show, I decided I liked the character Charlie. I finally got to watch the show in October. Then I knew I loved Dominic Monaghan. There isn't as much Dominic material to spend money on. I did rent all three Lord of the Rings films and decided they didn't show that little hobbit, Merry, nearly enough. I count this as an obsession because I spent a lot of time watching Youtube videos of interviews of Dominic to make up for the lack of movies.

6. Jim Carrey - Since I was about 5 years old, I was a big fan of Jim Carrey. My family and I saw Dumb & Dumber, The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, The Cable Guy, and Batman Forever in theaters just because of him. My love of him was renewed when I saw The Number 23 in theaters. Most people thought that wasn't a good film, but I loved it. Then I watched all those wonderful films of his again, and I watched as much "In Living Color" as I could. It was a big obsession in 2007. I was going crazy.

7. Edward Norton - Near the end of senior year, I watched most of Fight Club on television. I decided I liked it. A lot. When it came on TV again a few weeks later, I watched the whole thing. And I liked it even more. But I didn't fall in love with the "big star" of the film, Brad Pitt. I loved Edward Norton. And so, as with the rest of these actors, I watched as many Edward Norton films as I could. That's how I do things. I wish I'd been able to see The Incredible Hulk in theaters!!

8. Steve Carell - Around the beginning of my freshman year of college, my best friend introduced me to another TV show: "The Office." And thus began another actor obsession: Steve Carell. Actually, I wanted to make sure I REALLY loved him before I went spending all my money on his films. I'd wanted to see Dan In Real Life before I even saw "The Office", so I went to see it with my father when there was a sneak preview showing of it a week before it premiered. I loved it, and I loved Steve Carell. And I saw Dan In Real Life two more times in theaters. Now I've seen all the movies in which he Steve Carell the main star. I still need to see the movies in which he is just a minor character ...

9. Mark Wahlberg - You know how it was The Number 23, a movie that many considered a flop, that made me realize how much I LOVED Jim Carrey? Well, another horror movie considered a flop by many made me fall in love with Mark Wahlberg. The Happening! I loved it! I don't see what everyone's problem with it was! Maybe it wasn't as SHOCKING as Shyamalan's other films, like The Sixth Sense. But I did love it. And I thought Mark Wahlberg was great. His character was a really good leader AND he provided a little comic relief in a mostly intense movie. This obsession is still going strong. I saw The Departed because of him. And other films. Like Planet of the Apes. Which I loved, no matter what you think.

10. Christian Bale - I'd decided I wanted to see The Dark Knight, but I wanted to see Batman Begins first. FX showed Batman Begins on TV one day, so I watched it. And the obsession happened pretty much instantly. And it's still going. I've seen The Prestige and The Machinist and American Psycho and The Dark Knight, of course. I want to see more!!

11. Leonardo DiCaprio - When I first saw Titanic way back when it was still new, I loved Leo! But it wasn't until I saw Titanic on TNT several weeks ago that I realized I STILL love Leo! Yay! I already owned The Aviator on DVD, so I watched it. And I had recently seen The Departed. And I bought Titanic and The Basketball Diaries. So this one is still going, too.


Honorable Mentions:

- Tobey Maguire - I've loved him in all three Spider-Man films. But those films and Pleasantville are the only movies of his I've seen. I mean, If I was REALLY obsessed with him, I would have at least seen Seabiscuit ...
- Daniel Craig - He's the best James Bond ever. Casino Royale is one of my favorite movies ever. I saw Munich and Road To Perdition, but I don't consider this a real obsession because I didn't spend an extraordinary amount of money or time on him. I still love him and I am eagerly awaiting Quantum of Solace!
- Jude Law - I'd always found him attractive, but I didn't decide I loved him until I saw The Holiday. I saw Road To Perdition and Closer, but ... you know, it's the same thing with Daniel Craig. He didn't rule my entire life for any extended period of time. So it's not a real obsession.
- John Krasinski - I actually fell in love with this "Office" actor before Steve Carell, but it was more difficult to become obsessed with him because his body of work isn't as extensive. But I still love him! I need to see Leatherheads ...
- Topher Grace - Yes, I am obsessed with "That '70s Show," and Eric is one of my favorite characters, but the only other thing I've seen Topher Grace in is Spider-Man 3. Oh! I did see In Good Company, but that was ages ago ... I barely even remember it ... perhaps I should see it again soon.
- Ashton Kutcher - Kelso's my other favorite "That '70s Show" character, but ... I don't think I've seen any of Ashton's films. I only saw part of Just Married yesterday morning. I'm going to watch The Butterfly Effect on FX Monday night. And my mom and I are planning to rent What Happens In Vegas on Tuesday night. So maybe a full-fledged obsession is in the near future.


I hope this didn't bore you to death. Bye!