Actor Shea Whigham is taking the Michael Caine approach to his craft. Work early, work often. And, in Whigham’s case, make the audience pleasantly uncomfortable along the way.
Whigham, who co-stars in the new legal thriller “The Lincoln Lawyer,” is racking up a string of small but impressive performances playing characters you’d never want to meet.
In “Lawyer,” he’s a snitch whose testimony is guaranteed to crack up audiences. In the little seen “Barry Munday,” he played the kind of man’s man your wife warned you to stay far away from.
The first time the actor caught my attention was in “Splinter,” the 2007 horror sleeper about a creature which hosts on the bodies of its victims. Whigham played a career criminal forced to fight the titular monster along with a couple he kidnapped earlier in the film. He’s the heavy, but his charisma blows past his co-stars and makes you root for him, immoral behavior and all.
Whigham’s currently starring on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” and other recent credits include “Pride and Glory,” “Machete” and “Wristcutters: A Love Story.”
Whigham’s presence won’t be confused for Caine’s any time soon. The former is much more likely to play a thug, a redneck or someone who would make a woman clutch her purse tightly when passing. But Whigham makes it hard to look away when he’s on screen.
(Photo: Actor Shea Whigham is making a habit of stealing scenes in Hollywood.)
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for highlighting him, Mr. WWTW. I will be keeping an eye out for him in the future.
He’s great on Broadwalk Empire, but you forgot the “he’s really hot” part. Because. He’s. Really. Hot.
He is a wonderous actor, plus the fact that he is probably the most handsome man ever, I think I found my future husband!