*Disclaimer: I paid lip service to this in
the write-up, but it should have been said more strongly. Lee Pace shouldn’t
have played either Calpernia in Soldier’s
Girl or Roy in The Fall. His
talent doesn’t negate the fact that a trans actress and a disabled actor should
have been cast in these roles and lost opportunities because Lee Pace was cast
instead.*
I was
reminded of how much I enjoy Lee Pace’s work when he guest-starred on an
episode of The Mindy Project earlier this
season. He can be a bit hampered by the
role he plays or the project he’s in – I can’t really connect with his
character Joe on Halt and Catch Fire,
and while I the writing doesn’t do him many favors, I know he’s capable of better. However, in the right parts, he’s just
terrific. Here are my favorites from Lee
Pace.
Calpernia Addams, Soldier’s Girl
In the
years since I saw this film, I’ve learned more about the issue of cisgender
actors playing trans roles, and I know the part rightly should’ve gone to a
trans performer, but Pace is still incredible.
Calpernia, a nightclub performer, is utterly winning and sympathetic,
reaching for love in a world that says she can’t have it. Every emotion, from joy to despair, is
beautifully wrought. I also love how unaffected
the performance is; men playing trans women tend to do “impressions” of women
that feel put-on, but Calpernia simply is who she is. I appreciate that.
Aaron Tyler, Wonderfalls
This is
the lesser of Pace’s two Bryan Fuller roles, but it’s still great fun. Aaron’s a bit pretentious, a bit shiftless, a
bit irritating, a bit judgmental, and an absolute riot. Whether he’s giving lectures with salt-and-pepper
shakers, smuggling the housekeeper back from Canada, or desperately denying his
existential crisis, he’s a stitch. He
gets taken down plenty of pegs over the series, and despite his frequent
frustration with her, he’s wonderfully loyal to Jaye.
Roy Walker, The Fall
Another
problematic character for Pace, since we meet former stuntman Roy in the hospital
after the accident that paralyzed him.
Because he spends most of his time in bed, though, the crip-face isn’t
as glaring. At any rate, Roy’s draw is
his relationship with Alexandria, the hospitalized young girl who befriends
him. By telling her a fantastical tale, he
hopes to trick her into getting him a lethal dose of pills, and he’s caring,
surly, sympathetic, and cunning as the plot demands.
Ned, Pushing
Daisies
The
first role I saw Pace in, and the reason I’ll love him forever. Pace is just spectacular as the shy piemaker
who wakes the dead with the touch of his finger. Ned’s heartbreak is gutting, his reticent
happiness is effervescent, his bolder moments are enormously heartening, and he’s
usually hilarious in-between. From his
line readings to his body language, he’s pitch perfect.
Thranduil, The Hobbit
No comments:
Post a Comment