James Spader is probably having his best week ever now that he’s been confirmed to play Ultron in the Avengers sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron coming out in May 2015. And while it didn’t go down as badly as the announcement that Ben Affleck would play Batman in the Man of Steel sequel out that same year–a box office battle we can’t wait to see–you might be having some doubts or questions. Have no fear! Here are the top five reasons why James Spader playing Ultron rocks:
1) He’s a cool ass dude – Jimmy, as he prefers to be addressed, isn’t afraid to let it be known that he’s actually kind of lucky he’s acting. He’s been very open about his past and makes no bones about admitting that if he didn’t act, he’d probably still be shoveling manure, a job he once held. You want to see guys like that win. Straight up.
2) He’s got Sci-Fi “street” cred – Obviously, we’re talking about his role as Dr. Daniel Jackson in 1994’s Stargate, but he also went on to do other sci-fi films like Alien Hunter and Supernova, which aren’t that good. Still, Stargate has a cult following and still gets love in certain fanboy and fangirl communities. For me, I love this scene from the film where he comes right in and takes charge.
3) He’s good friends with Robert Downey Jr. – Making his come up during the Brat Pack’s most popular years, Spader and RDJ (best known for playing Iron Man) got to know each other and are still good friends to this day. The thing about this is while there is potential speculation as to whether or not Tony Stark is behind the creation of Ultron in the film, their chemistry could make for some exciting scenes and acting. As an 80s baby, I find this totally freaking cool though. The Brat Pack was bomb back then.
4) He acts his ass off – Very few people can say that James Spader is not a good actor or even an average one. It doesn’t even make sense to me. Proof? His portrayal of attorney Alan Shore in The Practice and Boston Legal. There are very few scenes and actors within them that can bring tears to my eyes, but this is one of them. I haven’t even lost anyone to Alzheimer’s but still his acting found a way to touch on things that I can relate to. He basically hits ya in the feels. Check out the scene in question:
5) He plays the villain well – James has said that despite his intrinsic ability to channel absolute bastards in his films, he’s actually a really nice guy in person. I mean, would a guy who only takes just enough of a salary to pay his bills when working as a big movie star be a dick in real life? In 2002’s Secretary , Spader played Mr. Grey, Lee Holloway’s (Maggie Gyllenhaal) asshole boss with an affinity for BDSM. I won’t spoil the fun for you, but it is a role that actually gets to the heart of who he says he is as a person and the type of characters he plays so well; a real mixture of reality and fantasy. Check out the trailer to get a good idea:
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