The 10 most underrated modern actors
Acting isn’t easy; otherwise, everyone and their aunties would be queuing up around the block of Hollywood Boulevard hoping to gain a role in the next Fast and Furious movie, presumably as a miscellaneous petrolhead and diesel-lover. Regardless, there are enough people in the world that getting to the top of the Hollywood ladder is no easy feat, causing many actors to fall through the cracks of the industry.
Sure, we all know that the likes of Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Daniel Day-Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tilda Swinton are some of the greatest actors of all time, but what about all the supporting stars that propped them up during their most acclaimed roles?
In this list, we’ll be looking at ten of the most underrated actors of modern cinema, giving the stage to those performers who too rarely get the love they deserve, either from fans online or critics in the professional field. These actors have featured in some of the most successful modern movies but were overshadowed by the starring performer, with the former being left in the shadows to impress the considerate few.
Take a look at our list below, which includes the likes of Ben Mendelsohn, Charlotte Rampling, Mia Wasikowska and more.
10 underrated actors:
Riz Ahmed
The British actor Riz Ahmed won an Oscar in 2022 for the short film The Long Goodbye, but one year earlier, he was robbed of the ‘Best Actor’ award for his performance in Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal. Pipped to the post by Anthony Hopkins, Ahmed’s performance in the film was totally overlooked, despite being totally mesmerising, taking the audience to a place of intense emotional energy.
This isn’t the only film he’s impressed in either, with Ahmed being capable of several different types of roles, appearing in Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler, Christopher Morris’ Four Lions and the Star Wars movie Rogue One.
Toni Collette
The Australian actor Toni Collette has appeared in a number of celebrated films in recent years, with her most commercially successful performance coming in the 2018 horror movie Hereditary. She was worthy of an Oscar nomination for her performance in the film but was overlooked for a nod, just like how she was overlooked for 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine and the 2002 romantic comedy About a Boy.
Always delivering her very best, Collette is regularly ignored by the industry, aside from when she was at least nominated for her part in the 2000 M. Night Shyamalan science fiction movie, The Sixth Sense.
Ben Foster
No, not the ex-Manchester United and Wrexham player, we’re talking about Ben Foster the actor. Foster’s the kind of actor you would recognise but not be able to necessarily pinpoint what movies he actually appears in. Nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his role in The Survivor, Foster has impressed in a number of movies, including David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water and James Mangold’s remake of 3:10 to Yuma.
His finest cinematic role came in the largely underrated Debra Granik drama Leave No Trace, where Foster starred as Will, a father who lives with his 13-year-old daughter in the wilderness.
Charlie Hunnam
The British actor Charlie Hunnam was rightfully mocked back in 2005 for his awful cockney accent in Lexi Alexander’s Green Street, but he has come a long way since. Having never really been given any recognition by the industry, Humnam has enjoyed roles in such celebrated modern movies and TV shows as James Gray’s The Lost City of Z and the FX series Sons of Anarchy.
These aren’t exceptions either, with Humma, impressing in 2019’s True History of the Kelly Gang, 2017’s Papillon, and the Guy Ritchie flick The Gentlemen with Matthew McConaughey, Jeremy Strong and Colin Farrell.
Diane Kruger
Another Hollywood star who has never been properly appreciated by the industry is Diane Kruger, the actor best known for the role of Bridget von Hammersmark in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Impressing as part of an ensemble cast in the Oscar-nominated movie, Kruger has also given fabulous performances in Fatih Akin’s 2017 film In the Fade and the 2016 crime drama The Infiltrator.
Bringing a sense of style and grounded realism to every single performance she takes on, we’re not quite sure why the industry has never really taken to Kruger, especially considering the sheer number of celebrated films she’s starred in.
KiKi Layne
So, our decision to have KiKi Layne on this list comes down to just one performance she gives in one of the most underrated movies of the 21st century, Barry Jenkins’ 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk. Overshadowed by Jenkins’ ‘Best Picture’ winner Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk starred Layne as Tish Rivers, a young woman who becomes pregnant whilst trying to prove her lover is innocent of his supposed crimes.
Delivering a magnificent performance in Jenkins’ movie that commands the screen, Layne has since gone on to star in Rashid Johnson’s Native Son and Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling without yet getting the attention she deserves.
Ben Mendelsohn
Among a very specific group of superfans, there is no better modern actor than Ben Mendelsohn, the Australian actor best known for playing the villain in the 2016 movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Though his cartoonish performance is very loveable, Mendelsohn has proved himself worthy of acclaim in many superior roles, particularly David Michôd’s 2010 movie Animal Kingdom.
Appearing beside the likes of Jacki Weaver, Guy Pearce and Joel Edgerton, Mendelsohn gives a menacing performance as Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody, the head of a criminal family who has seemingly lost all essence of humanity.
Charlotte Rampling
Sure, the iconic British actor Charlotte Rampling is known for countless influential roles throughout cinema, even being nominated for an Academy Award back in 2016 for her spellbinding performance in Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years, but we don’t feel she’s ever truly received the necessary plaudits. For starters, she should have won the Oscar for her role in Haigh’s film, with her and co-star Tom Courtenay giving performances for the ages.
If this wasn’t enough, Rampling also collaborated with Lars von Trier for 2011’s Melancholia and Denis Villeneuve for 2021’s Dune, yet no one seems to appreciate her dedication to the craft whenever she appears on the screen. In our opinion, she’s one of British cinema’s very best.
Michael Shannon
Like many actors on this list, Michael Shannon has received recognition from the Academy, being nominated twice for his efforts, only to tragically never walk away with a gleaming Oscars statuette. Nominated for two supporting roles, the first being 2009’s Revolutionary Road and the second, 2017’s Nocturnal Animals, Shannon has never been able to take an award home, despite having given a number of spectacular contemporary performances.
Fans of superhero movies might praise him for his dedication to playing Zod in Man of Steel, but he’s given far better performances elsewhere, shining in 2011’s Take Shelter and 2014’s 99 Homes.
Mia Wasikowska
A queen of independent cinema, it’s rare that you would see the Australian actor Mia Wasikowska in a big mainstream role, having only really dipped her toes into Hollywood with the releases of both Alice in Wonderland movies. Instead, Wasikowska has enjoyed collaborations with the likes of Park Chan-wook, Jim Jarmusch, David Cronenberg, Richard Ayoade, Mia Hansen-Løve.
In every single film she’s starred in, Wasikowska has impressed, yet the industry has never truly recognised her. Still, this could all change with the release of Jessica Hausner’s long-awaited movie, Club Zero.
