"Sam Elliott Discusses His Iconic Western Image in ‘The Hero’" Topic

"It's hard to pin-down the iconic Sam Elliott performance. Between the good-natured biker of Mask to Swayze's bestie in Road House to, of course, The Stranger in The Big Lebowski, Elliott has elevated each of these supporting roles into fully fleshed characters, suggesting more with a simple drawl and smile than most actors could in an eight-page scene. Elliott, at one point typecast only in Westerns, has steadily built up a storied career – popping up in big-budget tent-poles like The Hulk & The Golden Compass or critical darlings like The Contender & Up in the Air; but despite all these terrific performances, the actor's rarely been front and center of a picture. Which is probably why The Hero is such a welcome surprise, a film that finally allows Elliott the spotlight he so richly deserves.

The Hero plays off Elliott's persona – as Lee Hayden, a ‘Western' actor who never got his due, Elliott taps into the frustrations of an actor who can do so much more than don a cowboy hat. After being diagnosed with cancer, Lee begins to question his life choices, striking up a relationship with a much younger woman (Laura Prepon) and attempting to rekindle his dormant acting career. Elliot, unsurprisingly, is terrific in the role, resisting the urge to ever overplay into the melodrama of the script. There's a show-stopping scene about midway through the picture, wherein Lee practices the audition sides for some particularly awful sounding YA-film, yet in Elliott's hands, this meta-joke scene becomes the emotional lynchpin for the character and the film as a whole…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Thank you Tango

I see photos of both Sam Elliott and Kermit the Frog, sometimes with captions supporting and sometimes attacking the Trump administration. I wonder, what he really thinks. I hope he and Kermit are being paid for use of their pictures by both sides, but I somehow doubt it.

Grelber
P.S. Having typed that, I can now wonder how he'd feel being lumped in a group with Kermit the Frog.

He is a vastly underrated actor who elevates any film in which he appears. His voice affects my wife more than "Ahnold's" pecs. I hope he is getting a good income for his great ad voice overs.

Agree!.

Amicalement
Armand

Heard part of the interview on All Things Considered -Weekend Edition. Also liked him in "Gettysburg" as BG John Buford.

He's fantastic in Justified as well.