The Daario Launching Pad, And Why We Shouldn't Calculate Success
Ed Skrein left Game of Thrones to become a movie star, and his replacement, Michiel Huisman, seems to have gotten there first anyway. But what's more successful, a slew of supporting turns or being the new Jason Statham? Doesn't matter.
Ed Skrein is tall, lanky and handsome, with a clean jaw and fair skin. Michiel Huisman is also tall, lanky and handsome, though much more hirsute -- he's a bit swarthier. Both have played the same character on HBO's Game of Thrones, the roguish soldier Daario Naharis, with skill and charm. Each has used the role to launch into the front of casting directors' minds, with Skrein leaving the show after season three to become the new anchor of the cinematic Transporter series, while Huisman has plugged along with smaller roles in Wild, World War Z and as the romantic interest in last weekend's number three box office draw, The Age of Adaline. Buzzfeed's own Jarett Wieselman talked to Huisman last week before his new movie premiered, hinting that we may have found a new star.
But what's a better definition of success? Being noticed in a bunch of stuff and working without pause or being the top billed star every once in a while? Skrein made his choice, but could Huisman beat him to the success punch anyway?
"Star quality" is tough to define. We can compare the box office receipts of each actor's films, but the fact of the matter is, neither one can claim to be the first reason a majority of people saw their work onscreen. Wild was the Reese Witherspoon show, and with good reason. World War Z was the same, but for Brad Pitt. Skrein's big breaks haven't even hit theaters yet, with The Transporter Refueled this summer and Kill Your Friends expected sometime later in the year.
It's more than simply being about acting ability. Both guys score high as Daario, although Huisman has the advantage of spending more time in Westeros. Skrein's take was sweet-ish, playing up the character's attraction to, and desire to impress the queen he serves, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Huisman is more comfortable in his skin and position, having already secured her trust and approval. He's more detached and slightly sardonic, although he recognizes responsibility of protecting an important person.
In his supporting turns, Huisman has been a little more memorable than just anyone. He's not "a guy." You buy him as a mourning Deadhead in Wild and he's passable as Harrison Ford's son in Adaline, with that charm we expect from any offspring of Han Solo.
But Skrein is the new Jason Statham, at least in literal terms, having bodily replaced the action star as Frank Martin in The Transporter Refueled. That's a cozy gig in an eminently watchable series of movies. Perhaps he does not need to try as hard to plumb the depths of the human soul, but if he can flash a wry smile, punch a bunch of people, drive cars off of bridges and wear cool suits, he's got a lot going for him. The film's trailer suggests that's exactly what we'll get.
Both of these men are solid at the craft of what they do. They will both make a lot of money. But comparing and contrasting them in terms of money and slippery definitions of "buzz." It's what people will do, but it ultimately doesn't matter. Success here means that they have created characters we want to follow, giving them a bit of interior life and refuse to leave these onscreen people as cyphers unable to project an ounce of honesty. That's what matters, so let's stop the horse trading and enjoy the work.
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