Samantha Morton
I don't mean to overstate things, and I actually have (or, **had**) some objectivity when I say that Samantha Morton deserves to have status as being one of the greatest living actresses today. And these are a few summarized reasons why I think so:
The first time I saw "Minority Report" I didn't think much of it (it took another viewing or two), but the one character I did remember was Agatha.
And when she played Queen Mary Stuart in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age", there was a scene where Queen Mary discovers that all of her plots have failed and she has been betrayed and exposed, and that this will result in her own death.
Morton depicted Stuart's reaction, which was completely surprising to me, when she lifted both of her index fingers to point at her own forehead, shaking and grimacing, and unable to express herself in words. I mean. THAT, to me, conveyed complete outrage and frustration bordering on madness. With two FINGERS!! Lol
Before that, in "The Libertine", she played Elizabeth Barry, and I remembered how well she portrayed an actress being pushed beyond her limits.
There was also a moment in The Harvest when her character appeared to break out of her delusion and hang on to the terrified boy just as his real mother might. In that moment, I thought I saw her own terror and desperation, too.
The reason I find her so amazing, and what ties these brief examples together, is that every time I have seen her perform, I did not recognize the actress herself, and didn't even know her name. All I'd *ever* seen was her performance alone, and without any pre-conceived expectations or any biases that may occur when one is a "fan".
That is not to impugn or take away from other, perhaps more-recognizable faces and names in entertainment.
But there is something very special about an actress who evokes such a rich traditional spirit of theatre arts. If it was Ms.Morton's intention to utterly disappear herself into each character in order to convince, I'd say her mission was even more than accomplished as her acting extends even farther, reaching towards something transformative.
I have to say, I can no longer resist claiming fan status.
I hope it doesn't affect my objectivity. :)
**Have an A1 day**