The most surprising thought of the weekend hit me. Bill Pullman used to be some sort of... (should I go as far as to say it??)... sex symbol. Seriously, he had to have been because he rocked the movie scene like crazy in the 90s. While the TV was playing in the background, I noticed two movies in a row had him as one of the leading men, "While You Were Sleeping" and "Independence Day". Was there just a shortage of attractive, appealing men in the 90s?? As I started thinking about this, I realized that he's just one of those actors that instantly irritates me when he pops on the screen.
Bill Pullman seems nice, don't get me wrong... but I can't say I've ever been bowled over by his acting skills or ever once looked at him and thought "Wow... now, that's the man I fantasize about being with." And it's not the fact that he's quite a bit older than me. Tom Hanks is too but yet I "get" it with him. He's not the typical I'm going to drool while watching him and hope he pops into my dreams tonight kind of man either, but he has this sort of even-balanced full-package appeal that I don't argue. It makes me root for him to end up with the girl in the end no matter what the situation.Which, now that I'm piecing these thoughts together, is probably why it was so easy to root for Tom Hanks and not Bill Pullman in "Sleepless in Seattle". In fact, Bill Pullman's character Walter in that movie is exactly what I tend to think of Bill Pullman as... stuffy, OCDish, lots of annoying little problems and tendencies but overall a nice guy. Hmm... okay, I'm seeing a definite link here. Maybe I've seen "Sleepless in Seattle" a bit too many times and have a built-in bias.
Interesting the influence that can be had on me without even realizing it... good job Sleepless in Seattle and TNT/TBS/any other station that play it over and over again. It's a version of hypnotism, I swear. Still, though... I can't be the only one that thinks this about him, right?
Bill Pullman, I do love you but only when you play the guy I expect you to play... not a sex symbol, not the one that wins Sandra Bullock's heart or is a powerful, demanding man leading the entire U.S... Only as "Walter." You, are a great Walter, and you should take pride in that.
2 comments:
Lauren! I just saw these posts shared on G+! And I totally remembered the name 'pencilerasershavings' and what do you know, I'm still one of the members.
In any case, I wanted to say that Mr. Pullman was riding on a wave of success in the '80s/90s. He was the leading man in one of my favorite movies from childhood, "Spaceballs." John Candy and Rick Moranis were the goofier, bigger stars, but alas not the typical sex symbols.
However, I'm not a female so I'll accept your opinion 100%. :)
lol That's awesome, Trev!! And you're right, though- John Candy & Rick Moranis aren't exactly sex symbols. But they didn't play in any movie where they were supposed to serve as the man of the hour stealing the female's heart, right? Maybe they did. I may need to have a 80s/90s movie favorite viewing party someday to truly analyze these theories!
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