If you wanted to make an Oscar-winning film, who would you pick for your lead role - without knowing what the movie is about?
In the 90s I prob would have gone with Denzel or Tom Hanks, but now I go with Russell Crowe. This guy is a phenomenal actor and has done a wide range of movies.
I have a few movie scripts that I'm working on. I don't expect anything to come of them obviously, but you always keep in mind what actors you would like to play the roles. It helps the creative process. Sean Penn and Morgan Freeman would be ideal form my roles for two fathers of the lead characters (if budget were no issue).
A good young actor I like is Shia Labeuf. The transformers movies and the new Indy film have cooled me off on him a bit, but he was amazing in "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" and "Disturbia." Very talented kid.
Ethan Hawke is a very underrated actor and has shown quite a bit of range. I recently saw him in "WHat Doesn't Kill You" and he nailed the Irish gangster part. If you haven't seen "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," you have to. Great films.
He was also in "Dead Poet's Society" and "Hamlet."
Sean Penn was incredible in "Milk." I actually saw the documentary before the movie, so I had a good sense of Harvey Milk the person. I can't believe how Penn nailed down the character to every last mannerism.
Some of my favorite actors: Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman (excellent in "Last Chance Harvey), Robert De Niro