William Hurt, RIP (MCU actor, Dune TV actor)

[Techwright]

Oscar-winning actor William Hurt passed away March 13 of cancer.

 

In a body of significant work, I'd point out two that qualify for this forum:  

Heroic Duke Leto Atreides in the the cable TV version of Dune.

Manipulative rogue General (Later Secretary of State) Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 

With Dune, despite it looking like a limited budget work, Hurt managed to breath life and humanity in Duke Leto in a way his predecessor in the Dune movie of the 1980s was not able to (or didn't have the minutes to do so).    I knew Leto would have a limited roll in the work, but I found myself wishing Hurt had more to do.

 

Thaddeus Ross is always a pain in the neck regardless of the medium, and Hurt captured that well, first as General Ross in the Hulk movie that belatedly was accepted into the MCU, and later as the promoted Secretary of State that was such a snake, manipulating the story to guilt the Avengers into signing the Accords and force them under his patronizing command.

 

I'd heard through the rumor mill a while back that the MCU planners were looking forward to a third conversion of Ross, turning him into the Red Hulk.  I wondered about that at the time, knowing Hurt was approaching his 70's.  I thought it an uncomfortable risk to plan distantly for a character whose actor might not be able to perform the role when they were ready for it, and might not even be alive. I wasn't aware that he was also battling cancer.

I don't know if Red Hulk (and Hurt?) will show up in She-Hulk.  I wonder if the MCU will recast the role to gain the Red Hulk, and possibly continue the emotional button pushing of Ross, or like Black Panther, will they retire the role?  Hurt was very good in the role, but like I said regarding the decision about Black Panther:  the character should survive the actor.

 

https://variety.com/2022/film/news/william-hurt-dead-kiss-of-the-spider-woman-1235203576/

[Cancrusher]

I wonderful actor and a terrible human being.  Having always admired the man for his portrayal of soft-spoken, wise and gentle, fatherly figures, I was horrified to learn that he regularly physically abused his girlfriends and spouses.

 

I feel the same way about his death as I do the death of my own father (who also abused his wife):  The world is now a slightly better place.

[The_Warpact]

I always liked him in everything. My favorite is Mr. Brooks (Kevin Costner) id Marshall who was just a very blood thirsty alter ego. Their conversations always crack me up.

 

RIP

[Techwright]

On 3/27/2022 at 1:56 PM, Cancrusher said:

I wonderful actor and a terrible human being.  Having always admired the man for his portrayal of soft-spoken, wise and gentle, fatherly figures, I was horrified to learn that he regularly physically abused his girlfriends and spouses.

 

I feel the same way about his death as I do the death of my own father (who also abused his wife):  The world is now a slightly better place.

Funny you should mention that.  I'd seen a couple of interviews way back (I think one was in relation to the TV Dune) where Hurt was questioned about the thoughts and feelings of his characters and he started giving very curt answers to the interviewers.  It was clear he was very irritated to the point of angry with them for bringing this up.  His highly annoyed, barely-in-check responses amounted to "It's a role.  I just play a role.  I don't care what the characters feel or think."  Which I found surprising at the time both for his rudeness, and for his seeming lack of empathy towards the role he played.  How does one become a great actor and portray well a character if they cannot at least picture how the character thinks and feels?

[battlewraith]

1 hour ago, Techwright said:

Funny you should mention that.  I'd seen a couple of interviews way back (I think one was in relation to the TV Dune) where Hurt was questioned about the thoughts and feelings of his characters and he started giving very curt answers to the interviewers.  It was clear he was very irritated to the point of angry with them for bringing this up.  His highly annoyed, barely-in-check responses amounted to "It's a role.  I just play a role.  I don't care what the characters feel or think."  Which I found surprising at the time both for his rudeness, and for his seeming lack of empathy towards the role he played.  How does one become a great actor and portray well a character if they cannot at least picture how the character thinks and feels?

 

There are many different schools of thought regarding acting. Some are external and focus more on the physical presentation of the actor. Others are based on internal motivation to varying degrees--the most extreme being method actors that stay in character throughout the entire course of production. 

 

I don't think it's wise to draw conclusions about anyone's acting craft based on promotional interviews they give. Some actors just hate giving interviews on their work. Some are just trying to earn a paycheck and don't actually  like the material they're promoting.