Since it's Halloween, I thought I'd do a more topical post. Therefore, today I'd like to discuss some roles in horror movies that famous actors and actresses played. Especially for respected, Academy Award winning people, who were in cheesy, disrespectable horror flicks early in their careers. So here we go. Enjoy the macabre holiday, while still being safe!
1) Marisa Tomei: Long before she was the Academy's Best Supporting Actress for her role in "My Cousin Vinny" (1990), and even longer before she made for an uncomfortably attractive Aunt May in the Marvel Universe "Avengers" and "Spiderman" movies, Marisa Tomei was an extra in a, shall we say, rather graphic and embarrassing movie, 1984's "The Toxic Avenger." This movie, for those who haven't had the pleasure of viewing it yet, is about a bullied janitor, Melvin, whose accidental toxic waste bath changes him into a hideous, but good-hearted superhero. It was made by the folks at Troma, the New York-based studio that specializes in low budget/bad taste movies. Tomei has a tiny scene, as an uncredited health club girl, but in the DVD commentary director Lloyd Kaufman said more footage was shot, but not used.
2) Mira Sorvino: Sorvino has had an up and down career, highlighted by her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing a squeaky-voiced hooker in 1995's "Mighty Aphrodite." However, her second movie role ever was in 1985's "The Stuff" as an uncredited lab/factory worker. That was the movie about a yogurt-like dessert which turns consumers into gross monsters, manufactured by a mysterious, evil cabal. In case anyone's wondering, "The Stuff" is tragically bereft of Academy Awards, given that three other 1985 releases were also about killer desserts. (Citation needed.)
3) Angelina Jolie: These days Jolie is a respected actress, aspiring diplomat, and evidently bent on adapting every child in the world. However, her 3rd role, and her first starring role, was in the sci-fi classic "Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow" (1993). The first film, "Cyborg" (1989), was a Jean Claude Van Damme vehicle. He didn't return for the sequel. Meaning Jolie was in a movie that "The Muscles From Brussels" thought was beneath his talent.
4) Leonardo DiCaprio: Dicaprio has gone from being regarded as a light weight pretty boy to being regarded as....a lightweight pretty boy with some acting chops, as he's had acclaimed roles in films like "The Gangs of New York" (2002), "The Departed" (2006), "Inception" (2010), "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), and "Once Upon a Time....in Hollywood (2019). He even got his long awaited Academy Award for Best Actor for "The Revenant" (2015). However, very early in his career he appeared in "Critters 3" (1991). No, not the rip off of "Gremlins" (1984). And not even the first sequel to the rip off of "Gremlins." So probably one credit that he omits from his resume.
5) Clint Eastwood: Eastwood, of course, has had a long, eventful career in Hollywood, both as an actor and as a director. He's done tons of Westerns, action movies, dramas, and some comedies, and even a musical. He's won the Best Director Oscar twice, for "Unforgiven" (1992), and "Million Dollar Baby" (2004), and has been nominated as both an actor and director for others. But his first role was even more embarrassing that those two movies in which his best friend was an orangutan. He played Jennings, a lab technician in the sequel to "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954), titled, "Revenge of the Creature" (1955). And he's not a square jawed, heroic type either--he's the cheesy comic relief.
6) Patricia Arquette: Arquette has had a very solid and lengthy acting career as well, with roles in "True Romance" (1993), "Ed Wood" (1994), and 2014's "Boyhood," for which she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Her first role, though, was in 1987's "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors." Which is a surprisingly good slasher movie sequel, but is clearly not as respectable to a Academy member. The movie, effective as it is, features Arquette being nearly eaten by a giant, phallic-looking Freddy Krueger snake creature, and also features a hot young nurse turning into Freddy, and scores of post kill quips, of varying competency.
7) Dana Carvey: Carvey's career has stagnated in the past 15-20 years, but for a while he was a big time comic actor, known for his roles on "Saturday Night Live" (1986-93) and the "Wayne's World" movies (1992 and 1993). His first real role was also in a slasher movie sequel--"Halloween 2" (1981). He has a blink and you'll miss it role as a television assistant. So not exactly a funny character. Alas, he doesn't get any interaction with this Michael Myers, unlike the Mike Myers who was the title character in "Wayne's World."
8) Andy Kaufman: Kaufman was clearly known for his surreal, combative, performance art approach to comedy. As such, aside from his role in the television show "Taxi" (1978-83) and a few others, he didn't act much. However, his first role was in the underrated sci/horror movie "God Told Me To" (1976, and see my blog post on it on June 15, 2019). Kaufman plays a police officer who murders folks during the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City. Oddly, Homer Simpson's quote in one of the Halloween Simpsons episodes is (mostly) appropriate for the movie--"Aliens, bio-duplication, nude conspiracies--Oh my God, Lyndon LaRouche was right!"
9) Rachel Weisz: Weisz is yet another Oscar winner here, for 2005's "The Constant Gardener". She's had a very respectable career as well, appearing in "The Mummy" (1999), "About a Boy" (2002), and "The Favourite" (2018) among others. Early on, though, she was in "Death Machine" (1994). According to the description, it's about a shady weapons manufacturing corporation, and cybernetically-enhanced supersoldiers, set in the way off future date of 2003. Although, I guess you can say that unlike many of the others on this list, at least the humiliatingly cheesy horror flick Weisz was in wasn't a sequel to another humiliatingly embarrassing horror movie.
10) Henry Cavill: Cavill these days is synonymous with playing Superman, sometimes with a bizarre looking upper lip. But, one of his first major roles was back in 2005's "Hellraiser: Hellworld." This title lacks a number, but this is the 8th film in the "Hellraiser" franchise. Or a full four films AFTER the one that showed Pinhead and the other cenobites in space. (Shockingly, I kind of enjoyed this one. It was certainly much better than the 5th, 6th, and 7th entries in the series. A low bar, for sure, but still.)
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