Top 5 less popular Hollywood actors that need our love

The recent death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman made me realize how little people know of him, if at all. Although I'm not in support of a man with 3 kids who ODed on heroine, I did like the actor he was and more importantly, his characters. It got me thinking, there are so many actors out there who appear on screen and it's obvious that actor playing that character. Case in point, Nicolas Cage for ANY role he plays looks like Nicolas Cage pretending to be someone else.

Then there are the character actors who get into the skin of their roles, making a fictional person seem more real than most people we meet. Think Johnny Depp, you wouldn't recognize him if you met him in real life barring the looks. The Oscar has evaded him as many times as Leo DiCaprio.

But you've atleast heard of these people. What of the talented actors who are hardly known and even hardly cheered for? Not everyone can be an A-lister like Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Barack Obama. Most of them are "That-dude-who-played-that-dude-disguised-as-another-dude".

This is a list of those actors who've done so much in their career creating a vast array of characters, that they deserve our respect, but we're too busy checking out the latest phones online. They've been ignored by awards and the public at large since they've been doing small roles to acting in otherwise bad movies. This list is completely biased and you can add in the comments section if there's a Hollywood actor out there who needs our love. This is the list of...

Top 5 less popular Hollywood actors that need our love

#5 : Robert Pattinson

Image courtesy Wikipedia, since I didn't want to Google this asshole's name

Just kidding! Fuck this guy!

#5 : It's a tie - Ewan McGregor

For those who watch movies, you may know him as the guy from the new (horrendous)Star Wars trilogy. For those who love movies, you will know him as the heroine addict, Renton from Trainspotting. Ignoring the much hated prequel trilogy as a younger Obi Wan Kenobi, McGregor has portrayed a Southern naive young man  in Tim Burton's Big Fish(2003) as well as Jim Carrey's love interest(yes, love interest) in I Love You Phillip Norris(2009).

I like him personally since he's an avid motorcycle traveler, having traveled from his native country of England to USA via Russia(aka, the long route) all the while helping UNICEF in the countries he crossed. Why aren't the ladies swooning over Mr. NiceGregor yet?

Ewan McGregor is the definition of non-eccentric theater actor who keeps getting small and insignificant roles in mediocre movies. He needs a pat on the back and some oil for his bike.

Recommended watch: Trainspotting, I love You Phillip Norris, The Ghost Writer, Big Fish, The Men Who Stare at Goats

Not recommended: The Star Wars prequel trilogy

#5 : It's a tie - Idris Elba

I didn't add Idris Elba to not seem racist. He'd completely slipped my mind till I saw Pacific Rim(2013) once again in theaters. Apart from the awesomeness of giant robots punching giant monsters in the face, I noticed that the best parts of the movie were the scenes with this man.

I would think that you can make any movie awesome by putting in Idris Elba. Take Prometheus(2012) for instance. The set design and production was amazing but the story was convoluted at best(screenplay vomit at worst). The filler scenes which happens so that we can digest(regurgitate) the plot, weren't boring due to the his character of Captain Janek. You might think I'm giving him far too much credit and you would be wrong.

I'm not a huge fan of the (obligatory)Thor movies(2011, 2013), but apart from Sir Anthony Hopkins and the delightful Tom Hiddleston, only Elba stands out as non interchangeable character

Sadly, despite being a competent actor who can play both menacing as well as compassionate, Elba needs to get more roles to show off his acting chops. Let's give him a thumbs up for his talent and one more for that moustache.

Recommended watch: The Thor movies, RocknRolla, Pacific Rim, Mandela: The Walk to Freedom

Not recommended: Prometheus, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence

#4 : Bryan Cranston

Why is the much beloved Heisenberg on this list? Hasn't he been getting enough attention now that Breaking Bad ended? Well, you may be surprised to know how this man appears in almost every movie in smaller roles. Except for Little Miss Sunshine(2006) and Argo(2012), you'd have hardly noticed him in Saving Private Ryan(1998), The Lincoln Lawyer(2011), Contagion(2011), Rock of All Ages(2012) among many other movies. 
But what really made me impressed with Walter White is his resume on voice acting in a whole lot of different characters - Vitaly the Russian tiger in Madagascar 3, Slizzard the nasal voiced villain in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, James Gordon in Batman: Year One and several characters in The Simpsons and other animated shows. He even played the voice of Ram in Ramayan: The Legend of Prince Pam in the English dub.
Best part? He'll be in the upcoming Godzilla remake as well as having a role in the next Kung Fu Panda. After all, he is the one who knocks. Give this great man a hug!
Recommended watch: Argo, The Lincoln Lawyer, Little Miss Sunshine
Not recommended: Slizzard episode in Power Rangers, Total Recall, John Carter, Drive. (Just checkout YouTube for those clips.)

#3 : Edward Norton

Poor Eddy! He was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar on his debut role as a molested and later murderous alter boy with multiple personality disorder. He lost to Cuba Gooding Jr's portrayal in Jerry McGuire(1996). He was once again nominated for his role in American History X(1998) as a racist skin head. This time he lost to Roberto Begnini and his 20 cups of coffee. While the elitist buffoons failed to acknowledge him, we'll forever remember the menacing "There never was an Aaron, Counsellor" and Derek Vinyard's eerie smirk while being arrested for brutally murdering a black man in cold blood just minutes ago.
Most people recognize him as the Narrator from Fight Club(1999). He made us empathetic towards the everyman as much as he did for the neo-Nazi and a murder suspect. He's an example of someone who looks similar in every role but is entirely a different person.
Let us pray to the movie gods to bestow upon this poor talented man, better roles and better opportunities to shine, which has evaded him as much as he has evaded the limelight.
Recommended watch: Primal Fear, The People vs. Larry Flynt, American History X, Fight Club, The Italian Job, Moonrise Kingdom and a 10 second cameo in The Dictator.
Not recommended: Kingdom of Heaven, The Illusionist, The Incredible Hulk, The Painted Veil

#2 : Guy Pearce

Easily my favourite actor in the list for several reasons. He's good looking, talented and has done a variety of roles and people hardly know him other than Memento(2000). Granted, that is one of the best movies of all time, it still didn't showcase Pearce for what he fully is.
Hardly anyone knows his role as an annoying drag queen in the little known Australian comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert(1994). While he was floating along playing minor roles and (far)side characters in landmark movie L.A. Confidential(1997) and The King's Speech(2010), no one bothered to notice this man changing physically and mentally for each role.
I was watching a neigh unheard of movie Lockout(2012) on TV when I noticed that the acerbic bulked up protagonist looked remarkably similar to a bulked up Guy Pearce. Only when the credits rolled(yes, I saw the whole thing) did I know that I was looking at Guy Pearce, the only saving grace of a drab and clichéd sci-fi film.

He was equally witty and charming as the villain in Iron Man 3(2013), a role I felt mirrored the already witty and charming Robert Downey Jr. But far from the onscreen and internet sensation that is Robert Downey, Pearce remains in the shadows of greater actors and bad movies.
How about we invite Guy Pearce for nice dinner and ask him why he doesn't believe in god?

Recommended watch: The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, L.A. Confidential, Memento, The Proposition, The King's Speech, Lockout(Just for his role), Lawless and Iron Man 3
Not recommended: Ravenous, The Time Machine, The Count of Monte Cristo, Prometheus

#1 : Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman is the cinematic chameleon that people hardly notice, with just a single Oscar nomination. Watch the above video, he's played a Wanna-be Jamaican pimp, JFK's assassin, a comical bad guy in the Fifth Element with a southern accent, the menacing badguy in Leon: The Professional, unrecognizable as Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, a witty gay poet,  Dracula and of course, the most realistic Commissioner James Gordon this side of trimmed moustaches.

Watch the video above and you'll know what I mean.

This is all apart from the fact that he did the voices as the villain in Quest for Camelot and Kung Fu Panda 2.
No one has been proficient enough playing the bad guy while being a good actor. Gary Oldman deserves a standing ovation for being the most unsung hero after Mr. Hoffman's passing.
And you thought he only played Sirius Black.
Recommended watch: Sid and Nancy, Prick Up Your Ears, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, JFK, Bram Stoker's Dracula, True Romance, Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, Air Force One, Quest for Camelot, Dark Knight trilogy, Kung Fu Panda 2, Harry Potter series.
Not recommended: Lost in Space,  A Christmas Carol, Planet 51, The Book of Eli and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy