The first actor who comes to mind as hitting his stride 30 years into his career is Bill Murray, and he’s also a good example of how it’s hard for us outsiders to know whether this is due to an actor becoming more aware of themselves and their strengths, or collaborators who have become well acquainted enough with them to properly utilize their tools. As with most things, it’s more than likely some mix of both.
Murray always had an interesting expressiveness to him, an aloofness that added to his comedic roles, but a deep sincerity that added some emotional heft to his characters. Working with Wes Anderson first on Rushmore and then on The Royal Tenenbaums, Murray began to look to more independent, serious roles at the end of the 90s, but it was in 2003 with Lost in Translation that he unleashed the power of his subtle expression, portraying a burnt out star doing Japanese commercials for some extra cash. I don’t think there’s been another director who has utilized the Bill Murray stare as effectively as Sofia Coppola does, as simply holding the camera on his face is enough to keep us interested.
There’s always something going on in those eyes even when it appears like there’s nothing going on. And it took decades before we finally, thankfully, got to experience their full potential.
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