Most of us remember when we saw Milo Ventimiglia in the science fiction action series Heroes. It was far from being his first role, but this is when we all said "this guy has the potential of being a star." He had the looks, but also the acting skills to make us believe in his characters and their motivations. He had mostly been typecast in some genres, but now the whole world knew about him. The exposure afterward was instantaneous.
Today, Ventimiglia has stuck around to television as his favorite medium to work in. It's pretty certain that the role of Jack Pearson in This Is Us was "extended" because people weren't ready to let go during Season 1. There's a magnetism in his dramatic performances that he tends to incorporate in every role. Recently you've seen him in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Sylvio, the man Midge has an affair with, and also in his recent attempt at acting and executive producing TV, the drama thriller The Company You Keep, the ABC show that was unfortunately canceled after one season.
These are Milo Ventimiglia's best performances to date in both TV and film.
10 Mob City
In Frank Darabont's Mob City, Ventimiglia plays Ned Stax, a mobster's lawyer who's also in charge of taking care of any business in 1947's Los Angeles. The series tells the story of a rotten city from the perspective of two men whose friendship and understanding are set on the chaotic territory between law enforcement and the mafia. Jon Bernthal's performance as Officer Joe Teague is a perfect match for Ventimiglia who embodies the slick nature of a man who was caught between a rock and a hard place, and he seemed to be having a blast.
9 Gilmore Girls
Ventimiglia plays the boyfriend in Gilmore Girls. More specifically, Rory's "bad boy of a partner." Introduced in Season 2, Jess Mariano was the partner Rory deserved after sticking with Dean's more conservative attitude. Ventimiglia's role in the comedy-drama was essential to building a career in TV playing male leads. His exit from the show seemed random, but staying would have been unnecessary for the actor who was already looking into other territories.
8 The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Art of Racing in the Rain shows Ventimiglia in a comfort zone of good-natured drama. Nevertheless, his performance as Denny a race driver with a deep relationship with his dog, is very, very good. Ventimiglia adds authenticity and heart to a role that wouldn't necessarily need those because the story is already endearing by itself. Fortunately, the actor always gives his everything regardless of the genre.
7 Rocky Balboa
Ventimiglia must tackle the difficult role of playing Rocky's son in the film that brought back the characters 16 years after the last release. Alongside veteran Sylvester Stallone, Ventimiglia adds dramatic grip to Rocky Balboa by playing a lawyer who doesn't connect with his father's personality now that he must take care of the restaurant and grief over Adrian's death. When you see him for the first time in the film, you can't help but think he was made for this role.
6 Madtown
In Madtown, plays the lead Denny Briggs, a man severely haunted by his past, and whose greatest demons are reawakened when his sister is released from prison, and she makes him face what took place decades ago. Already an experimented Hollywood actor, Ventimiglia heads to the indie world and does great in a thriller that unfortunately not many people were able to see.
5 The Whispers
In the television series The Whispers, Ventimiglia goes for a change. A necessary one to avoid being typecast. He plays Sean Bennigan, a pilot who's presumed to be dead and shows up again when a suspicious death becomes the beginning of a mystery. Bennigan can't remember a single thing about him, but he seems to be under the influence of a supernatural entity that shows itself as an imaginary friend of some very unlucky children.
4 Heroes
In NBC's terrific TV show Heroes, Ventimiglia plays Peter Petrelli, a young man with a fantastic ability. Petrelli is yet another one of a group of superheroes who discover they have to save the world from a ruthless villain. Heroes was part of the TV series craze of the mid-2000s that gave us shows that have perfect first seasons but questionable second ones. Ventimiglia's physicality is so effective that it's hard to believe Hollywood missed out on casting him as a superhero in the film industry.
3 Devil’s Gate
Ventimiglia is Jackson Pritchard in Devil's Gate, a husband and father whose secret is revealed when agents come to his home in the middle of nowhere and demand some answers. The film was panned by most, but it's not nearly as bad as people say it is. Ventimiglia's role saves the film from being forgettable in the beginning. The duality of his character is essential to making the complex premise work.
2 This Is Us
The heavily dramatic NBC show This Is Us featured Ventimiglia in his most famous role to date, Jack Pearson. Pearson is the father of three children and husband, as they grow up to be the family the show revolves around. Pearson's character is only present in flashbacks as he tragically dies at a young age from a heart attack.
It's hard to describe how engaging Ventimiglia was as the loving blue-collar father and husband who gave everything for his family until the very end. Without him, This Is Us wouldn't have been the captivating family drama that made everyone cry after each episode.
1 The Divide
Ventimiglia's greatest role to date is in Xavier Gans' The Divide. There's no question about it. Playing the part of Josh, Ventimiglia perfectly depicts the transformation of man into monster as he's submitted to absolute isolation within a group of people whose best chance at survival is going underground.
Gans' film is a great take on the apocalyptic approach and the drama that ensues when the unexpected becomes dangerous. Alongside the great Michael Eklund as Bobby, Ventimiglia commits to the role by eerily going all the way in portraying madness as the only outcome. This is truly an unforgettable film with unforgettable performances.
Comments
Post a Comment