8) Gary Poulter In Joe
If it seems like there’s an uncanny rawness to Gary Poulter in Joe, then it’s probably because Poulter wasn’t really pretending. He was a man who was in fact quite close to the character he played for director David Gordon Green: a real-life homeless drifter and a drunk and the perfect choice to play the aimlessly wandering alcoholic father in Green’s documentary-style drama.
As a younger man, Poulter had dreamed of becoming an actor, and though he finally got his wish with Joe, he died of accidental drowning and alcohol intoxication before the film was released.
It’s a shame, too, as there are signs he could have gone on to better things: in Joe, Poulter brings a tragic sense of fragility and a touch of unpredictable danger to a deadbeat father.