Another Woody

Have you met any Woody Harrelson fan so far? Me neither, except for in mirror. Ok, fan could be too heavy a word for me, but I generally like a movie if Woody is present. He surely is a good actor (great, actually), especially when it comes to dark comedies and decaying drama. But I think it is his pair of eyes that shows a crooked way of looking at life and the proof of his sense of humor, and that alone made me his kinda-fan.

Woody started his journey of life with a childhood as horrible as the darkest nightmare. His father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, went to prison, convicted of the murder of a federal judge when Woody was only seven. His career began in NYC theatre in Neil Simon's 'Biloxi Blues'. Then came the hit TV series, "Cheers". During following years Woody appeared in many theatres few of which he wrote also. His film career began with a few run-of-the-mill movies like 'White Men Can't Jump', 'Cowboy Way' and 'Money Train', though he drew serious attention when he appeared in Oliver Stone's controversial movie 'Natural Born Killers'. But it was the cult classic 'The People vs. Larry Flynt' that gained him the huge critical acclaim. Of course he did movies like "Indecent Proposal" and I sincerely tried to like the movie (and failed, in spite of Demi Moore's etheral beauty). Recently he was seen in the Oscar nominated film "North Country". It was too predictable a role for him and he sleepwalked through it (in a good way of course, come on, I am his fan!). Other than acting he is into various environmental activities, and has been honored for his activism by environmental groups like American Oceans Campaign, Rainforest Action Network and the Colorado Hemp Initiative Project. His website http://www.voiceyourself.com/ talks about his views against wasteful consumerism and towards healthy sustainability.

My loyalty to him was not born out of nothing. Larry Flynt was great, I can't think of anyone else for the role, and I was hooked. Then I saw him playing the role of a mentally challenged guy in the play "On An Average Day" at Comedy Theatre in London. It had only two characters/actors (the other actor being Kyle MacLachlan, known for his role as Charlotte's lover and spouse in Sex and the City) and was nearly a 90 minutes play. But Woody was amazing, he took the control of the whole thing and the audience was glued to the seat throughout the otherwise predictable and mediocre play.

It has been long since we haven't seen him in a role that can utilize his talent (and the crooked smile). And a dark comedy is always good. Anyone listening?