What About a Post-True Detective Woody Harrelson?
Where are now experience what the internet has dubbed The McConaissance. That is, the serious revival of Matthew McConaughey’s career. But why aren’t we seeing something similar with Woody Harrelson? It’s not as easy as simply saying that Harrelson’s performance wasn’t as good as McConaughey’s. That one’s not going to fly here.
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Part of it is that Harrelson’s character just isn’t as memorable as McConaughey’s. After all, you don’t see Marty spoofs every other week. A tortured family man and adulterer just isn’t as interesting as an ex-undercover cop with hallucinations that suffers from a severe existential crisis.
The truth of it is that Harrelson’s career just didn’t need it as much as McConaughey’s. Harrelson proved himself as a capable dramatic actors long ago, and has put in well-regarded work films like The Hunger Games and Game Change. Or even great off-beat films like Zombieland and Seven Psychopaths.
The public already accepted Harrelson as a dramatic actor, where as McConaughey’s work was something more of a revelation, even taking into consideration Dallas Buyer’s Club. Harrelson does deserve more credit that he has gotten, and it’s sometimes worth reminding people that True Detective was made up of two halves that fed off each other brilliantly.