I thought of this while I was in Europe. There are so many actors and actresses that come over from Europe and make a splash in American cinema. Just look at Spain’s own Penelope Cruz. She came over here in the early aughts with some sexy duds and then a strong return to form in a film ‘back home’ and she’s become an international success; even winning an Oscar for her work with our very own Woody Allen. So, I ask, which of the European imports is your favorite? This means, which actor from Europe who has become a star in AMERICA (they can still make films ‘back home’, but they have to have achieved success in America by working with Hollywood) is your favorite.
This is strictly Europe too, so I don’t want to see an Australian pop up in the comments (because we all know they are everywhere).
And too, this isn’t confined to recent entries either. You can go back as far as you want. What is funny is that as much as I want to dig back and find someone with a longer career (and I have a few in mind), I keep coming back to the same actress; Marion Cotillard. Maybe because she’s more recent and her career is so ‘in my face’ at the moment, but truly, she has morphed into such a star in just a few short years. When I first saw her (my personal first experience with Cotillard was in 2006’s ‘A Good Year’, where she flirted with Russell Crowe) I was smitten, and my adoration and infatuation has only grown. From winning an Oscar (granted, in her own tongue) and then bursting onto the scene with great roles in big films like ‘Nine’ (better than Oscar nominated Cruz from the same film) and ‘Inception’, she has honed her craft and continues to be the most interesting part of any film she’s in.
There are few faces in Hollywood at the moment that spark my interest has sharply as Miss Cotillard’s.
