Aaron Eckhart, Say It Ain’t So!

I’m not a big fan of Google or Yahoo News Alerts clogging my e-mail accounts. However, I do have one created for any news regarding my favorite actor Aaron Eckhart. I clicked on this morning, and got some disturbing information about him: he’s going to star in some big budget action spectacle called Battle: Los Angeles. It has to do with a platoon of Marines fighting extraterrestrial beings taking over the city of Angels; apparently Eckhart will lead the troops.

“Underwhelmed” and “mortified” would be the words that came to mind when I read the plot. I really don’t want my favorite lantern-jawed, cleft-chinned actor to do such a film. Why? Aaron is so much better than formulaic action movies. He’s above that.

In many ways I guess I can understand why he’d sign for such a movie – he’s been the king of independent films for so long – which don’t pay actors millions of dollars – and perhaps buoyed by his biggest success, playing Harvey Dent/Two-Face in The Dark Knight, Aaron wants to get paid! He’s 40 and it’s time to get points on the profits and all that other stuff, right?

And that’s OK; but I’m not going to lie because it looks my favorite actor in the world has gone “Hollywood.” I hope though that after filming Battle: Los Angeles, he will go back to doing what he does best, playing roles that have a certain sort of complex meanness to them, like Chad or Mr. Vuoso. Even better would be for him to reteam with Neil LaBute who put him in his first film In the Company of Men and come up with something that is reflective of today’s miserable times.

You're still my favorite actor, Aaron, but don’t stray too far from your roots.