As we continue Actor Month here's Murtada on Matthias Schoenaerts & Michael Shannon.
One might ask what do Matthias Schoenaerts and Michael Shannon have in common. A hulking body (stocky Schoenaerts and tall angular Shannon). Intensity? Yes but also a certain menacing danger that sweeps through in every performance. It's a danger that comes out sexy with Schoenaerts and somewhat evil with Shannon. One never knows what they are going to do next, and that's why they are so mesmerizing to watch.
Actresses are lauded for emotional honesty, actors for their intensity. Both Schoenaerts and Shannon are definitely intense, burning bright on screen. In addition to that Schoenaerts brings a sensitivity that made him the perfect match for some of the best actresses in the last couple of years. The names tell the story: Cotillard, Winslet, Swinton, Mulligan.
Schoenaerts’ earthy rugged masculinity announced him as a star in the first couple of movies that made their way to the US, Rust & Bone (2012) and Bullhead (2011). His duet with Cotillard is so potent, it brought him comparisons to Brando. And we can see why those came by. He was crude and gruff, yet tender. We could see why Cotillard’s character would fall for him, even if he didn’t. A gentler, more sensitive but no less dangerous Stanley Kowalski. No one could resist.
In Far from the Madding Crowd (2015), he was less dangerous. Outwardly at least. The warmth he brought to the part of the quiet Gabriel Oaks, made the choice for Bathsheba obvious, plot be damned. Or was it just me screaming “What’s wrong with you Carey? Say Yes”, 20 minutes into the 2 hour movie. It’s again that sensitivity that makes him more than a great actor. It makes him an actress. He’s emotionally volatile but also available. We can read his face. His characters might not be verbose, but they don’t hide their emotions.
Shannon is not quite the actress Schoenaerts is. Although there were glimpses of that in Midnight Special (2016). Many of his admirers love his collaboration with Jeff Nichols. However it is Ramin Bahrani who might have found his sweetest spot. In 99 Homes (2015) he was menacing but had an earthy swagger that was irresistible. It’s a big bold performance. He had to go big, after all he was the embodiment of all that’s wrong with America. Yet Shannon shed away the metaphor and showed the life size character behind it.
On stage I was fortunate to see Shannon 2 years ago in a Brooklyn staging of Eugene Ionesco's The Killer, a meanderingly long sometimes confusing play about life’s big ideas and themes. Shannon matched the play's big themes with a visceral and intense performance. But he added a disarmingly warm presence, that even when I got lost in the play's abundant dialogue I never lost the connection with him. Shannon was a monster of emotions on stage. One didn’t know whether to run away from him or towards him. Whatever he was doing, it was miraculous.
And he’s just as unpredictable in interviews. Like when he was asked, as Superman’s vanquished nemesis Zod, right before Batman vs Superman was released who would win in that contest.
“I’m so utterly unconcerned with the outcome of that fight. So profoundly, utterly unconcerned. I can’t even come up with a fake answer. I guess I have to root for Superman because he killed me, so I would hope that he would continue his killing spree and become like a serial killer Superman. That’s a new take on Superman. We’d all be in a heap of trouble if Superman was a serial killer. He could just wipe us all out. But then he’d be lonely.”
He’s funny but still dangerous. That’s the Shannon we’d like to see onscreen. And while we are it let’s get Schoenaerts in a comedy. Maybe the both of them in one film, shouldn’t we be so lucky.
Schoenaerts achieves that combination of earthiness and danger by being spontaneous on set. Here’s what he said in 2015:
“Yeah, you study and all of that, but you cannot determine the inflections in a sentence before you’ve even got to the set and before you’ve heard your partner say what he or she has to say. What kind of bullshit is that?”
Which of his co-stars do you think Matthias was shading?