Click here for musical slide show
presentation showcasing Bruce Payne's
qualifications for playing a film hero
Introduction
The 2004 Oscar sweep for Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is a triumph not only for director Peter Jackson and for J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnificent trilogy, it is a vindication of the importance of the role of the heroic in human experience. We yearn for heroes and the heroic, as mythologist Joseph Campbell has pointed out so eloquently in The Hero with a Thousand Faces and his other books. We always need heroes. Movie fads come and go but heroes remain a constant in literature and film.
Why do we need heroes? The eminent psychologist Rollo May has suggested that heroes embody our highest aims and give us role models. "We hunger for role models," writes May, "as standards of action, as ethics in flesh and bone like ours. A hero is myth in action…The hero carries our aspirations, our ideals, our beliefs. In the deepest sense the hero is created by us…That is what makes heroism so important, it reflects our sense of identity, and from this our own sense of heroism is molded."
What
is
a hero? Sulky-faced boys and
women assassins may be the current rage but they fail the test of hero
in the classic sense. In this sense, a hero may be defined 
as a person
of exceptional courage, nobility and strength; someone who could serve
as a role model or ideal. In classic mythology a hero was often divine
or semi-divine, as, for example, Hercules, but that is not a necessary
requirement. The great stories of literature embody the first
definition. We need only think of Beowulf,
the Dumas, Scott and
Sabatini classics, or Tolkien’s Lord
of the Rings, for example.
The Hero in Film
In
general terms, a hero is a person of exceptional courage, nobility and
strength; someone who could serve as a role model or ideal. “The
hero of an epic is a human being with characteristics a society admires
and often wishes to emulate,” writes the author of the essay “The
Epic Hero.” “The hero is male, attractive, and unusually
strong and able. He is a trained solider or warrior and believes in and
follows the code of honor for which he is willing to sacrifice his
life…The hero is considered better in most respects than the common
man.” In an essay entitled “The Hero Myth,”
John L. Flynn writes “Heroes take arduous journeys, confront dragons
(and/or other mythological creatures), discover lost treasure, and
change the nature of the world through their singular acts of courage
and selflessness. They are legendary figures, endowed with great
strength or ability, who dare to heed the call of adventure…heroes
endure much
opposition, hardship, and danger to transcend the realm of
the commonplace. They are often the living embodiment of a society's
ideals, and are admired as much for their noble qualities as the
difficult tasks they undertake.”
In other words, a hero, particularly an epic hero, is larger than life,
with great presence and strength, someone who inspires others to follow
him through great trials and tribulations. Tall order? Tough shoes to
step into? You bet it is. Finding actors who can pull off such hero
roles these days is very difficult, as we shall see.
We would like to note parenthetically, however, that epic heroes are
only one kind of hero. In classic mythology and story-telling, there
are actually two hero archetypes. One is the hero who is an ordinary
person who finds within her- or himself the strength to rise to
greatness. We see two examples in the Lord of the Rings trilogy: Frodo,
who heretofore has lived a quiet hobbit existence, and his even more
humble companion Samwise. Sam has never even been out of the
shire; the world he ventures into with Frodo is unimaginable to him yet
he saves Frodo and that allows Frodo to save the world of Middle
Earth. These heroes serve as stirring role models for ordinary
people. Heroism is not confined to the noble and extraordinary. The
mythic purpose of the ordinary hero is to convey the message that
everyone has within themselves the power to act nobly and well.
The more obvious hero archetype, the hero of epic stories, is the noble
or warrior hero. In Lord of the Rings,
this role is best exemplified by Aragorn. What both hero
archetypes possess in common is great personal inner strength and
integrity.
The classic epic warrior hero is usually depicted as larger than life,
a leader who can inspire other to follow him. In Lord of the Rings, Aragorn’s
strength and nobility of 
character,
determination, and integrity do
just that. If the director had failed to find an actor who could
project these characteristics, the film would have seriously faltered.
Interestingly enough, it almost did. Viggo Mortensen was not the first
choice for Aragorn. For reasons mysterious to us, the first pick was
Stuart Townsend, a British actor who was not even 30 years old at the
time the filming began. He was quickly rejected as “too young.” One
look at photos of Townsend (who played the foppish Dorian Gray In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
should have been enough to convince them he was the wrong person. Yet
another pretty boy who looks even younger than his age, it is hard to
imagine him having the authority and presence to pull off the role of
the kingly Aragorn. In contrast, Viggo Mortensen, who was over 40 when
cast for the role, became an instant star with his mesmerizing
portrayal of Aragorn. With his piercing blue eyes and intense presence,
Mortensen has the charisma to be taken seriously as an epic hero.
To be convincing as an epic hero, the actor must have charisma,
presence, an aura of commanding authority, and in some almost
indefinable way, the look of a hero. When they are on screen, your eyes
are on them, not the other actors. Think of Charleton Heston in Ben Hur and El Cid. Think Liam Neeson in Rob Roy; Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, Harrison Ford
in the Indiana Jones series. What all of them have in common is
an aura that convinces us that they could inspire people to follow
them, that they have the strength of purpose to accomplish great things.
In the wake of the success of Lord of
the Rings, there have a number of epic films, including a movie
about Alexander the Great, one about the fall of Troy and yet another
film about King Arthur. These films have not fared well with the
critics, however. One of the main reasons the critics panned
these films is the insipid and unconvincing portrayals of the main
characters by Colin Farrell, Brad Pitt, and Clive Owen, respectively.
Hollywood, ever obsessed with youth and box office popularity, casts
pretty boys or, in the case of Owen, currently touted but not
necessarily talented actors, and wonders why they get bad reviews.
Of Alexander starring Colin
Farrell, Entertainment Weekly
said "Oliver Stone directs this ancient-world epic with a startling
lack of personality or vision." It has a rating of 
C-. The
Chicago Tribune called the
story “boring” and Farrell’s portrayal of Alexander
“overpacked.” “Colin Farrell,” says the reviewer at
romanticmovies.com, “is a little slight of build and the blonde wig
doesn’t do much to make him an imposing figure.” “Colin Farrell
looks uncomfortable delivering the windy material,” says eonline. “Then
there are all of the pretty young Greek boys…And even pretty doesn’t
make it interesting—not even when pretty wears a toga.”
Troy with Brad Pitt as
Achilles fared even worse. “The greatest soldier in all of Greece’s
armies is Achilles, played by an unconvincing Brad Pitt” writes the
reviewer at aggressive-voice.com. “In Troy, Pitt fails to dazzle us. I
doubt that Pitt’s performance is what Homer would have had in mind.
Pitt fails to deliver on the emotionally
heavy scenes.” The movie
reviewer at colossus.net is even more unkind: “The characters in Troy
are paper thin. The biggest disappointment is Brad Pitt's Achilles,
whose miniscule personality is over whelmed by his bronzed skin and
bulging muscles. Despite having bulked up for the part, Pitt defines
the term ‘miscast.’" Most unkind of all is futuremovies.co.uk, which
says: “In Troy, Pitt may be physically impressive in the combat scenes,
but he is just too pretty and gives a one-dimensional performance; for
the entire film he either squints at us or off into the distance, as if
to tell us that somewhere, somehow he must go to the toilet. He lacks
the fire in his piggy eyes.”
Clive Owen’s portrayal of King Arthur was also panned. “Clive Owen's
performance as Arthur is the main problem,” says thezreview.co.uk. “ He
just doesn't 
have
the presence to pull off such a commanding role. This
is supposed to be a man who the knights would die for and a leader they
would follow into hell itself, but Owen just doesn't project this in
the slightest.” Joshua Sandefur at moviejustice.com agrees: “I
think this movie was doomed the second Clive Owen was cast as the lead,
as the guy is just boring and the most uninspiring leader I've ever
seen.”
It takes more than a pretty face to be a convincing epic hero, more
than mere box office popularity to have the presence and stature an
epic hero requires. Hollywood and the movie business have fallen
woefully short of the mark. If they continue to be obsessed with mere
looks or popularity to the exclusion of appropriate casting, i.e.,
actors with true presence, strength and acting ability, they will
continue to make epics that flop.
Contrast these movie flops with the smashing success of Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings, based on J.R.R.
Tolkien’s phenomenal trilogy, one of the most popular and influential
books of the 20th century, was faithfully rendered on screen rather
than butchered. True to the spirit of the original, it told an epic
story in uncompromisingly epic terms. It did not pander to decadent
tastes for movie star glamour boys. The accountants didn’t dictate the
cast. Most of the main cast were relative unknowns. The most well-known
actors were Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Christopher Lee as Saruman.
Hardly pretty boys. Instead, the cast was picked for appropriateness
for the character; every actor was perfectly cast. This
attention to quality paid off. Return
of the King, the third of the series got an Oscar for Best
Picture. Maybe there’s a lesson here, Hollywood. Oh and did we
mention that it made a lot more money than Alexander, Troy and King Arthur are ever likely to
make put together?
Who Should Play in the Next Round of
Epic Heroes?
Many of the actors who in the past who have had the charisma and
authority to carried off epic roles are getting too old for many of
these roles. While there is still room for Sean Connery as Allan
Quartermain in The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen and Peter O’Toole as Priam in Troy (the critics agree that he
stole the show), epic heroes like Beowulf or Taliesen, the Greek,
Celtic and Norse heroes, call for men in
their prime. This means 30s through 50s; it doesn’t mean 60s nor does
it mean 20s.
What actors are left that are in the right age range and who have the
authority, presence, charisma and acting talent to carry off epic hero
roles? Not many, in our view. A few like Liam Neeson, Antonio
Banderas or Kevin Sorbo come to mind. The many who do not leap more far
readily to mind. Actors who have played heroic roles but who, in
our opinion, have failed to carry them off convincingly, include
(besides the ones cited above) Gerard Butler, George Clooney and
Christian Bale, to name only a few.
One actor who does fit the bill, who does have the charisma, presence
and acting ability to carry off an epic hero role is Bruce Payne. We
don’t just say this because we are fans of his. We are fans of his
precisely because he had these qualities to begin with. Critics
and film reviewers, who have been noting his charismatic qualities for
years, would agree. In the 1980s movie Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire,
for example, one reviewer stated, "Bruce more or less steals the show.
Bruce Payne is a charismatic presence with a performance which ranks
with those handful of evil genius." Of Passenger 57, a reviewer for
DVDBarn.com writes: “Bruce Payne in the ROLE OF HIS LIFE as terrorist
Charles Rane… As good as Snipes is as Cutter, Bruce Payne nearly steals
the show, because from the time he appears in the film's opening scene,
Bruce Payne turns Charles Rane's every line into
Shakespeare…” Bruce’s role as Phillip Covington in Warlock III
prompted critic John Fallon to write: “Bruce Payne gives a
charismatic, subdued scary performance. I couldn't take my eyes off
him. Bruce Payne is all charm.” Richard Scheib, a reviewer for
the Science Fiction, Horror, & Fantasy 
Film Review Database wrote
of Payne’s “magnificently theatrical charisma and presence” in this
same role. Even within
one of his films, Payne is seen as having
presence. In
Kounterfeit, even one of the
other characters describes his
character Frankie as a man with “a very, very strong presence.”
Bruce Payne knows how to project intensity, power and authority,
crucial qualities for an epic leader. As Jacob Kell in Highlander: Endgame,
Payne’s intense aura of menacing power and invulnerability made him the
standout performer in this film, and virtually the only actor to be
praised in this otherwise lackluster film. His portrayal of
Damodar in Dungeons
& Dragons was highly praised by many reviewers and
was likely to have been a factor in reprising his role in the D&D
sequel, the only actor from the original to do so. Of his role as
Damodar in the original, Internet critic Prof J writes: “Payne has a
true lock on how to play a character that is menacing even without any
show of power. His portrayal of
Damodar calls to mind Doug Bradley's
portrayal of Pinhead in the Hellraiser films, so coldly, coolly
arrogant and confident is his character. Above and beyond the grade I
give to this film, Payne has earned himself an A+ in my
gradebook.” Other roles in Payne’s repertoire that exude great
power and authority include the imperial and imperious Domitian in The Apocalypse,
the haughty General St. Martin Dupre in The Cisco Kid and Cassius in Cleopatra.
A true epic hero must also project nobility. Though Payne is better
known for his portrayal of villains, he is equally adept at playing
heroes and good guys. As Jurgen, the mysterious operative in the TV La Femme Nikita,
Bruce’s intense and charismatic portrayal of one of the few good guys
in the Kafkaesque secret organization known as Section earned him the
rating of most popular character of the second season, tying with
Nikita herself. In Silence Like Glass, Payne’s
portrayal of the quietly heroic Dr.
Burton is dazzling. Dr. Burton, a
cancer specialist whose very calling is noble, radiates sweetness and
kindness. His character’s gentle prodding of one of the cancer
victims is an important ingredient in her successful recovery (based on
a true story), making him one of the everyday heroes who often gone
unsung. Another quietly heroic character is Dr. Baker in Britannic,
a charming, gentlemanly medical officer who is the only one who dares
to raise questions about the war.
Another critical ingredient in any film portrayal of a hero is the Look
of a Hero. One of the reasons Farrell and Pitt were considered poor
choices by many critics is their pretty boy looks, as the reviews
quoted above show. Owen, not a pretty boy by a long stretch,
looks more like a back street brawler than a king who became a
legend. We want our epic heroes to look like heroes—manly
features with strong jaws, fiercely intense eyes, bold noses. No wusses
or pretty boys need apply. We want a Connery, Mortensen, or Eastwood.
In earlier times, we wanted a Barrymore,
Wayne or Flynn. The photos on this web site and this page give ample
proof that Bruce Payne has the right look. The strong jaw, the piercing
eyes, the magnificent nose, all add up. Bruce Payne for Hero, that's
our vote.
When it comes to portrayal of the qualities that an epic hero must
have, Bruce Payne has it all—charisma, presence, authority, ability to
project goodness and nobility, and the look of an epic hero. When
it comes to heroes, Bruce
Payne rules.
© Copyright 2004 and 2005 by Bruce’s Angels