“Yeah it’s me, I’m here, so get over it and move on.” Don Cheadle - Iron Man 2

I would never, ever have guessed how sweet he was based on his roles. He has an Uberdouche face that is so so so good at expressing dickishness. But his interviews make me want to give him a hug and bake him cookies. I’m happy for him and I hope he is successful.

I think he should just play the same character, and in the first episode of the third season, everyone says, “You look different,” and he replies “Shaved the moustache.”

I agree, and he seems a geniunely nice guy all around, if you watch some of his interviews he’s nothing like his most famous character, always giving thoughtful and earnest answers. Watching “Goon” completely changed my impression on the man.

Good choice, always thought William Scott was underrated and he seems to do great work no matter what he’s in. For example, he gave the only non-embarrassing performance in Southland Tales, and made Stifler into an iconic character.

What a stupid thing to take from Michelle’s comment.

The dynamic becomes much more apparent when we reverse the power relationship Oswalt was talking about, from who gets hired to who people work for. Lots of bosses are jerks. But for some portion of those guys, people flock to work for them, despite the fact that they’re well-known abusive screamers. It usually happens…

That’s a rather silly straw man. Assholes can make art, but in a collaborative industry, they will endanger their careers if no one wants to work with them. Exceptions will be made for the best, but let’s be honest, this dude isn’t anything that special.

He started out as a surly asshole, but his character grew. I thought Crawford was spectacular on that show. Always disappointing when an artist you admire turns out to be a douche in real life.

It’s times like this that I remember that literally nobody watched Rectify. This guy gave one of the best performances on one of the best shows ever, and nobody even expresses sadness at hearing such disappointing news about Teddy?

i rewatched iron man 2 recently and the audacity of the don cheadle introduction scene is amazing.

He does look like every guy who’s going to shoot you in the back during the big heist.

I think this assumes that “tortured genius” types are universally jerky and universally disliked by their peers and employers. A lot of them get very loyal followings and friendships from people to whom they are not assholes and/or people who are so overwhelmed by their talent they become the “genius”’s boosters.

There’s also an element that for as much as we love the “tortured geniuses” narrative, not all asshole artists are great and not all great asshole artists are assholes for the same reason their art ends up great. There are Stanley Kubricks who treat their actors like shit because they have a very specific vision that…

Yeah, they shouldn’t even bother coming up with a new character; just an old-school no-apologies-or-explanations recast.

I remember a moment in Damon Wayans’ sitcom “My Wife and Kids” after one of his kids got recast, where during the new actress’ very first scene he stops her and stares at her face for a good thirty seconds looking puzzled. She asks “What’s wrong dad? It’s me, your daughter. The same daughter you always had.…

I guess this explains why David Cross now works at Taco Bell.

Recast it & give Murtagh a new, female partner. Done and done.

I think Oswalt’s point is relevant to collaborative art, like acting or working in a writers room. He was saying that if you can choose between dozens of ostensibly equally talented writers, why take on the headache of choosing one with a reputation for being a jerk? Or if an actor is making the set—a workplace shared…

Patton Oswalt had a bit in one of his more recent comedy specials (or maybe it was an interview) about how it used to be the case that if you wanted a great performace or inspired writing you’d often have to put up with assholes and “tortured geniuses,” but with increasing connectivity it’s much easier to find…