Friday, July 19, 2013

Top 10 First R-Rated Performances by Child Actors

When it was announced that Emma Watson was going to star in Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, the blogosphere was alive with anticipation. Hermione was going to smoke! Snort! Drink! Curse! When the fervor died down and the film was actually released, we were privy to a nuanced performance of lost youth. Watson’s role as Nicki delivered far beyond my expectations, and it also got me thinking.

Below are 10 great performances from well-known child stars. The catch: all of these roles were the first time the already-famous actors appeared in an R-rated film. If an R-rated movie was a child actor’s first role (think Natalie Portman, The Professional or Johnny Depp, A Nightmare on Elm Street) then they weren’t considered. This list is about youthful stars who branched out superbly into more risqué material.

10. Zac Efron – The Paperboy (2012)
Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy is a southern white trash clusterfuck of sexuality, violence and paranoia. It was far from a perfect film, but it never pretended to be a perfect film. Casting Zac Efron as the lead was a risk. Up until this film, Efron’s on and off screen persona was as a good old boy – well mannered and humble. His Paperboy role was a gamble, and in my eyes, one that paid off rather well.

9. Selena Gomez – Spring Breakers (2013)
I’ve always appreciated Gomez’s work in Spring Breakers, but I fell absolutely in love with it a few weeks ago while I watched the DVD’s special features. In the making-of doc, Gomez admits that she was very nervous that her role as Faith would upset her loyal fan base of young women. Her anxiety caused her to have a meltdown on set, but instead of giving up, she stuck with it. Director Harmony Korine became aware of Gomez’s insecurity, and he let it motivate her performance. So, in a lot of ways, Gomez really is Faith, and that certainly works for me.

8. Shailene Woodley – The Descendants (2011)
I had never heard of Shailene Woodley before she played George Clooney’s angry daughter in The Descendants. But missing her work on The O.C. and The Secret Life of the American Teenager didn’t really matter, as she was utterly breathtaking in The Descendants. Her character, Alexandra, is a perfect embodiment of teenage angst. The partying, the insecurity, the parental distaste – Alexandra was a girl who thought she had it all figured out, and it was profoundly moving to watch her realize she didn’t.

7. Ellen Page – Hard Candy (2005)
Page’s Hayley Stark had me fooled in every single scene of Hard Candy. I adored her one minute, then detested her the next. I wanted her to win, then I wanted to see her defeated. I never knew what to expect or how she’d ultimately turn out, and that is thanks much in part to Page’s skilled work. I love how she used her innocent, petite figure as a means of seduction, before turning into a remarkable badass.

6. Sean Penn – Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
What’s not to love about Jeff Spicoli? As the forever stoned, carefree dude of Ridgemont High, Penn delivered as iconic a performance as he ever has, which, considering he’s never played any character like this since, is a truly incredible feat. Jeff Spicoli is a comic staple of American cinema, you can’t not love him.

5. Emma Watson – The Bling Ring (2013)
First off, yes, I know that technically Watson’s role in This Is the End marks her first appearance in an R-rated film, but Top 10 First R-Rated Performances by Child Actors (Not Including Glorified Cameos) was too long of a title. So, back to The Bling Ring. As I mentioned in my intro, there’s nothing about Watson’s work in this film that I wasn’t utterly taken with. She played an elitist teen void of tearful monologues, anguished screaming matches, or raging domestic battles. Nicki is so self obsessed, it’s almost as if she isn’t even there. This performance is the work of a very skilled professional, and it’s only the beginning. (Note: It has been brought to my attention that Watson’s first, actual, technical appearance in an R-rated film was her brief turn in My Week With Marilyn. I have no excuse for my oversight other than temporary memory lapse and cinematic apathy. So basically, Watson’s role in The Bling Ring shouldn’t be included on this list. But I’m leaving it anyway. So there.)


4. River Phoenix – Stand By Me (1986)
My best friend growing up was a lot like Phoenix’s Chris Chambers from Stand By Me. Impulsive yet thoughtful, dangerous yet determined – hell, they were even both named Chris. I was Gordie, the sympathetic observer, and Chris was Chris, the passionate fighter. He stood up for the little guy, social alliances be damned. I swear, watching Stand By Me is like watching a portion of my childhood on screen. I suppose that’s why I’m still so drawn to the film, and Phoenix’s flawless performance in it.

3. Ryan Gosling – The Believer (2001)
Danny Balint is the worst kind of anti-Semite. He’s self-loathing, angry, and, most importantly, secretly Jewish. Watching a very young Ryan Gosling spew Nazi rhetoric is terrifying, but the scenes later in the film, when Danny develops a sense of compassion, are the ones that truly show Gosling’s strength as an actor. By 2001, Gosling was well known for various child-friendly films and television series, and The Believer marked a turn. A turn that is still gloriously revealing itself to us.

2. Evan Rachel Wood – Thirteen (2003)
Catherine Hardwicke’s Thirteen is one of the most horrifying films I’ve ever seen. It so accurately shows the sudden decay of youth; how a cocktail of substance, influence and angst can make for a teenage monster. Just writing about this movie sends chills down my spine, for I am reminded of its final scene. Evan Rachel Wood being held by Holly Hunter on the kitchen floor. Crying, begging, pleading. Will everything be all right? No, probably not anytime soon. But hopefully, maybe, someday.

1. Jodie Foster – Taxi Driver (1976)
What I’m drawn to most in child acting is self-assuredness. The tricky part is, if a kid acts too confident, then it can come off as cocky, which rarely lends itself to good results. Noting all that, Foster’s role as teenage prostitute Iris in Taxi Driver may be the most self-assured film acting I’ve ever seen from a child. Iris is confident, while not having a clue. She’s street smart, while being completely brainwashed.

It’s funny, when you look at how many roles Foster had prior to 1976, it is more than double the amount Robert De Niro had. So, in a very loose way, it’s as if they were both creatively young. And watching Travis Bickle lecture Iris about the realities of life (when he could damn sure use a lecture himself), makes for one of the film’s best moments. Perhaps the best way to encapsulate Foster’s work in Taxi Driver is to say that she created a young woman worth fighting for. We don’t have to agree with her life choices, but we, like Travis, can sympathize with her situation. I love Beatrice Straight in Network, but as far as I’m concerned, that was Jodie Foster’s Oscar.

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49 comments:

  1. Nice list - good idea, and a number of films I need to see (I've never ever heard of The Believer, which sounds like a film worth tracking down). I was going to suggest Joseph Gordon-Levitt's star-making turn in Brick, although apparently he appeared in a film called Latter Days a couple years before that.

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    1. Thanks man. The Believer is crazy intense and Gosling is superb in it. Actually, JGL was in a number of R-rated films before Brick. The Road Killers, technically, but his debut in a somewhat good R-rated film was The Juror.

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    2. I don't know what it's rated (though I think it has to be an R at least) but I thought that JGL's best role to date was in Mysterious Skin. Such a powerful and dark film.

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    3. Fair enough - my knowledge of what is and isn't an R-rated film is pretty rusty given we have a very different ratings system over here. :)

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    4. Mask: In the US, Mysterious Skin is technically not rated, but yeah, that is an amazing JGL performance. My second favorite to Manic.

      CCpop: Oh man, I can't even keep the absurdity of the MPAA straight half the time, so it's all good. You know, I do have a question for you though. Is your country's rating's system as much of a hinderance to art as America's? The MPAA is seriously misguided.

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    5. Alex, I feel that our rating system is pretty good, at least compared to America. Language seems to be considered in context, and nudity isn't the really scary thing it seems to be in the US (PG films can have occasional nudity, though anything sexual seems to be an M - though an M is just a guide, so it's essentially the equivalent of your PG-13 I think).

      Problem is that Australian films are still aimed at the American market for the most part, so if someone's trying to make it big they're going to have to follow all those silly MPAA rules like only using "fuck" once in the picture.

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    6. Yeah, that IS a major problem. No matter the country, the MPAA still has its hands around everyone's throats. Sucks.

      Thanks for the info on your rating system though. I'm really interested in stuff like that.

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  2. Wow... that's a great list. With the exception of Spring Breakers (which I haven't seen), I would definitely agree with you on this list.

    I still love Sean Penn's performance in Spicoli as Fast Times was just on TV (just in time for that classic nude scene... holy shit... Phoebe Cates just turned 50). I recently told Chips from Tips from Chips that there should be a sequel just involving an old Spicoli. Who could not want to see that?

    There's one performance that I think deserves a mention although it's really more of a TV movie but one w/ a subject matter so grim that Ted Turner refused to have it shown on TV or release it theatrically. It's Bastard Out of Carolina starring Jena Malone as a young girl who is abused physically and sexually. To this day, it's a film that is quite intense to watch but her performance is so good that it's amazing how far she's come. I'm not sure if it's R-rated but its subject matter does make me think it's a R-rated film.

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    1. Thanks man, glad you liked the list. I seriously can't wait for your review of Spring Breakers. I think you're going to dig that one.

      If Sean Penn reprised his character from Fast Times, he would make $50 mil overnight, and it could be damn funny too. That's a great idea.

      Man, Bastard Out of Carolina is so intense... wow. I haven't seen that one in years. And yeah, even though it premiered on Showtime, Malone's performance definitely deserves in honorable mention. She is amazing in that film.

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  3. It's so weird, I've read a couple of reviews and it sort of seems as though I'm the only one who actually really enjoyed The Paperboy. It's far from perfect but I really dug it and the atmosphere it created along with Efron's performance as the extremely sexual, and sexualized, Jack.
    This is a cool list though, I really dig the Hard Candy and The Believer pics. Those are two films that definitely shocked me as to how intense they were despite how young both lead actors were at the time. Having seen both Page's and Goslings newer material beforehand, I knew they could act, but seeing just how aggressive and intense they could be so early on was just striking. I feel like a fool for having not seen Thirteen yet despite having heard nothing but good things about it and definitely need to see it as soon as possible!
    And it's so weird that Stand By Me and Fast Times... are both R-rated films, I didn't remember them being Rs when I watched them. Wow.

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    1. The Paperboy... ah, it's hard for me to say I "enjoyed" it, you know? (I didn't "enjoy" Daniels' Precious either, but I did think it was the best film of 2009.) Anyway, I like The Paperboy more than most mainstream critics, I think. Groovy, hypnotic little film.

      Thirteen, man, you gotta see that one. It is crazy intense but a very, very good film. Fast Times is actually kind of a hard R for its time. Lot of sex, nudity, cursing, drug use. A comedy, but an earned R all the same. Stand By Me shouldn't be R. Just a few teenagers saying fuck from time to time, as teenagers always do.

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  4. Very cool list. I had no idea 'Stand By Me' was R-rated!

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    1. Thanks man. Yeah, a few f bombs in Stand By Me. Silly MPAA.

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  5. Nice list. Jodie Foster was ahmazing in that film. I really have to watch Believer. And oh god, I loved Shailene Woodley so much in The Descendants.

    I don't know if Leon is R-rated or not, but Natalie Portman's performance there is actually one of my favourites of all time.

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    1. Thanks! Oh, if you're a Gosling fan, you must watch The Believer. It isn't hunky Gosling, but it is remarkable Gosling.

      As for Portman... you gotta read my intro, homegirl ;-)

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    2. Sorry, this is completely tangential but I have no idea what it means in vernacular or I don't know anyone else who uses it but I love it when you use that word - Homegirl. :D

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    3. Haha that's awesome. Homegirl... how do I explain homegirl...

      I suppose "homeboy" was around first, used mainly as a term of endearment between dudes. Homegirl caught on later as a term of endearment for guys to use for gals. Or something.

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  6. Fantastic list. Nice to see Penn here for Fast Times, that's one of my favourite 80s comedies for many, many reasons (*cough*PhoebeCates*cough*). There are also some others here that I still need to see, and even though I saw your number one coming before I even started reading, it's still the perfect pick. Excellent stuff!

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    1. Thanks man. Phoebe Cates, man... the, uhh, impact... she's had is incredible.

      But seriously, glad to hear you're a fan of that film. I always enjoy hearing when "serious" movie guys like us dig fun flicks like that.

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  7. Great job with putting Thirteen on that list. I can't belive this was director Catherine Hardwick's debut film. She showed some real promise with this, but each movie after that have been utter failures

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    1. Thanks man. Sadly, I'd have to agree with you. I dig Heath Ledger in Lords of Dogtown, but beyond that, I can't say I like any of her other films. Which is definitely a shame. Thirteen is so raw and perfect.

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  8. Wasn't My Week with Marilyn Emma Watson's first "R" rated role.

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    1. Right you are. Shows how much I liked that film...

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  9. Great list bud. I saw Thirteen right before high school and it sort of prepared me for it. Wood was great, as well as Nikki Reed who I feel like should be in more stuff nowadays but rarely so ever shows up at all.

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    1. Thanks man. Thirteen is a real jolt, isn't it? Brutal film.

      I think Reed is an amazing talent, and a really cool person. Sadly, I can't say I've seen her deliver anything comparable to her Thirteen performance. Mini's First Time is... okay, but not great. I guess she focuses more on her music now, which is cool.

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  10. Haven't seen some of these performances but Woodley and Page took me completely by surprise. Hard Eight was the first Ellen Page film I saw and have loved her ever since.

    As per Emma Watson, she sure is one of the exciting talents to watch for in the industry and For the purpose of your list, I think she sure fits into the category but may be its just me, I always expected that from her. Even the last couple of HP films are pretty dark and grim and you can see she was ready for it then.

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    1. That's really interesting that you saw a role like Nicki for Watson coming. It's certainly not rare for a massive child star to try something dark and bold, but I was pleased to learn that she had THAT in her. Can't wait to see what she does next. I'm just hoping she stays away from a never ending cycle of period dramas, you know?

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    2. I haven't seen The Bling Ring yet (not out in Australia til August), but I definitely agree with you SDG. While Hermione is definitely a goodie-two-shoes character on the surface, you can really see a rebellious, almost volcanic anger bubbling under the surface in the later HP films. I would not be surprised to see her doing very well as an actress in future years.

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    3. That's good to hear. Maybe I need to rewatch those later HP flicks.

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  11. No love for Reese Witherspoon in Freeway?
    -Dan

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    1. Watch S.F.W., then, my friend, you will understand.

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  12. Shailene Woodley, Emma Watson and Evan Rachel Wood are all great picks. I don't get the love for Foster in Taxi Driver sadly.

    Was surprised that Portman wasn't on your list, but then I saw your intro ha.

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    1. Thanks man, glad you dig some of the picks. Taxi Driver is my favorite film of all time. I love everything about it.

      Ha, thanks for reading the intro!

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  13. Foster was amazing in Taxi Driver. Walking the streets, then wearing those silly, little-girlish glasses -- everything in her performance echoed that mix of childish innocence with vampishness and harsh experience. It was heartbreaking.

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    1. Yes, yes, yes. This is why we get along so well :)

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  14. Fantastic job as always man. LOVE that Jodie Foster and Evan Rachel Wood top your list. Ellen Page and Selena Gomez are also brilliant choices. Shamed to say I still haven't sen The Believer yet. I need to get on that.

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    1. Thanks man, really appreciate it. I think you'd like The Believer. It's powerful and raw. Damn raw.

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  15. Oh my god, it's been forever since I've seen Stand By Me. And I can't wait to see Shailene Woodley in the Fault in Our Stars (I love the book, I think she's a great choice for the main character). I feel bad that at the time I thought her performance in The Descendants was overrated - very good, but overrated. I guess I went in to that with expectations for the whole film too high though. I think she's wonderful though.

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    1. I actually haven't heard of Fault in Our Stars, but I'm pumped that you're excited for it. Definitely gonna keep my eye out now. I think she looks great in the upcoming The Spectacular Now. I hope she has a great career.

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    2. The book is one of my absolute favourites and it is such a good role for her (playing a teenager with terminal cancer - I will probably be in floods of tears)

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    3. Oh wow, sounds intense. I think she'll be great in it.

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    4. I'm very excited for her upcoming roles, especially The Spectacular Now.

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    5. Same here. I think she'll do great work in that film.

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  16. Some fantastic performances and some very memorable films there. Interesting that the list features mainly films made in the last decade - an indication of the use of child actors in adult films, or perhaps simply the favored choices of the critic.

    I was particularly impressed with Ellen Page in Hard Candy. A tough subject and a significant challenge given the constraints of the limited stage in which the story takes place.

    Shailane Woodley was great in The Descendants. Loved that film. Haven't seen her since though.

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    1. Funny that you mention that most of the performances are from the last decade. Often when I'm done making a list, I find that the films I've chosen are limited to a specific period of time. Can't explain it, just how my brain works I guess.

      I haven't seen Woodley since either. But I think The Spectacular Now looks pretty good. Interested to see if she delivers.

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  17. Great list. Have you seen Alpha Dog? It's a brilliantly acted, well-written film, which chronicles the kidnapping of Nicholas Markowitz. I can't remember how old Anton Yelchin and Emile Hirsch were when the film came out but they are so amazing in this film.

    I never rated Emile but he really shone in Alpha Dog.

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    1. Thanks. Alpha Dog is a really solid flick. Hirsch and Yelchin's performances wouldn't have counted here, per my silly rules, but either way, solid movie and very solid performances. I really need to watch that one again, actually.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

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  18. The list is good (except The Paperboy). Agree with the order. But you forgotten Linda Blair for The Exorcist. I would place at #2.

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    1. The Exorcist was actually her third R-rated film, not first. But still, a great performance.

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