Sam Worthington won the gene pool lottery, no doubt.
And it appears he’s just as lucky with his Hollywood projects. The Aussie actor has scored three hits back to back to back, but he had very little to do with their success.
Worthington “stole” “Terminator Salvation” from co-star from Christian Bale, but mainly because Bale turned in the flattest performance of his career.
“Avatar” became an uber-blockbuster thanks to its eye-popping 3-D effects and seamless blend of technology and storytelling. Worthington’s Sully character could have been played by any actor without it impacting the film’s bottom line.
This weekend, Worthington’s “Clash of the Titans” remake crushed the box office competition, but critics (myself included) blasted him for his bland leading performance.
The oversized scorpions showed more personality in the film.
Yes, Worthington’s a lucky man, indeed. But winning streaks always cool, and soon he’ll be attached to a clunker or two and Hollywood will have to re-assess its feelings for him. Audiences will do the same.
But he may be a better actor than we suspect.
Some actors excel in every film they’re in — think Michael Caine for a prime example. Others tend to rise – or fall – to the level of the project.Mark Wahlberg can be riveting on screen in the right project – like “The Departed.” But in “The Happening” and “The Yards,” I’d rather watch a monocolor test pattern.
So let’s see Worthington team up with a talented director and read lines from a script which doesn’t include clunkers like “shock and awe” and “release the Kraken.”
Only then will we know he’s good as well as lucky.
(Photo: Sam Worthington plays Perseus in the box office hit “Clash of the Titans.”)
Related posts:
on 
on 
on 
on 
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Worthington has always seemed like that one guy everyone knows who just falls backwards into success without trying. I agree though, the first time he picks a role in a bomb we’ll get to see if he really has any staying power. On the other hand, if his next role is one that he knocks out of the park then I would say he’ll be sticking around for a while.
The jury is still out, Blackhawk … but I like your ‘falling into success’ description. Very apt.
I caught a little heat for saying this over at Big Hollywood, but I still believe it to be true: Worthington is the Vin Diesel of 2010. Three big-budget movies in a row, and he’s been a black hole of charisma in all of them.
But who knows, maybe one of these days he’ll get a role that surprises me. I thought Heath Ledger was basically just a pretty boy until I saw him in The Dark Knight. Boy, was I wrong about that.
+JMJ+
I was pretty underwhelmed by him in Terminator: Salvation, though I thought he’d be a compelling Romance novel cover model.
You’ve had several posts about the loss of real movie stars recently, Mr. Toto. They’re in the back of my mind as I evaluate Worthington now.
Me too, Enbrethiliel. I look at the crop of today’s young stars and I wonder where the next Harrison Ford is … or even Dennis Quaid!
I actually think James McEvoy has potential … although he doesn’t have the physical presence to go with his talents.
Was that a jab at short people Christian? As an American who happens to be 5′8″ on a good day I take offense to that and will soon be filing a discrimination complaint
On a side note, I love the new layout of the site.
As a proud 5′9″ (5′10″ on an overly optimistic day) I would never do such a thing. But if McEvoy is gonna go the action route he’ll be less convincing than, say, Jason Statham!
Thanks for the site feedback — I owe it all to RentaGeekMom.com! (highly recommended web guru)
Worthington’s casting success shouldn’t be a shock – this was a town that had to flip over manhole covers to find one convincing, blonde-haired, athletic guy to play Captain America.
Hollywood may as well be called Lilliput when it comes to actors; Ford came by in person during the pre-production on “Clear and Present Danger,” and if he was over 5′8″ himself, we all were NBA centers.
(Actresses deny age; actors deny height – it’s worth a blog entry to examine this amusing industry observation.)
It also may inform JFNW’s lament over the Search for Steve Rogers – recent years of small-statured lead action stars does create a dearth of NFL-dimension actors who actually CAN act.
D.