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Discuss: Is Matt Damon the New Harrison Ford? Shia LaBeouf… The New Bruce Willis?

Posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta

shiabruce

On this week’s episode of the Totally Rad Show, Dan Trachtenberg started an interesting conversation comparing the new generation of Hollywood actors to those of yesteryear (you can watch a clip after the jump). It starts off nice an easy — The Rock is the new Arnold Schwarzenegger (he just got into the kiddie comedies a little bit earlier). The next generation’s Harrison Ford? Matt Damon. Makes perfect sense. They are both talented actors who also did fun action trilogies. But then Dan said Shia LaBeouf is this generation’s Bruce Willis… what? I would say that Shia is my generation’s Michael J Fox (no offense to Fox). (correction: apparently Dan wasn’t comparing Shia to Bruce, I just misunderstood)

How about Clint Eastwood? or Bill Murray? or Robert De Niro? Who is our generation’s Mark Hamil? My vote is for Keanu Reeves!

Discuss: I would love to hear some of your comparisons, complete with plausible explanations.

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  • I'd dare say that Paul Rudd is Murray like.
  • I think Hugh Jackman is the new Clint Eastwood.
  • I agree. If you look at pictures of Clint when younger there is a resemblence there. They need to do a western, a new man with no name film with Jackman as the titular hero. As long as they don't give him lots of lines he's got the look.
  • Bull
    Besides a slight resemblance in looks, I can see NO reason to compare the two.
  • I'm going with Bale as the New Eastwood. He even tryed to do Eastwoods voice for Batman.
  • grrrroooowwwwwllllll
    hugh jackman is definitely a shoe-in for clint eastwood. just look at the mannerisms. its uncanny sometimes. eastwood was obviously a huge influence on jackman.
  • I say no on all counts. Not to be a stick in the shit, but all the above mentioned had elements of character and persona that are simply not present in their would be replacements.

    Shia LaBeouf = Bruce WIllis? I think Shia is engaging, and a good actor, but I don't think he has near the charisma or presence of a young Bruce WIllis. Watch Die Hard then Transformers. DOH.
  • Doc
    EXACTLY. There's no comparison.
  • Benji
    In the infinite acting skills of Shia LaBeouf - "No no no no no no no no no no no no no." -Every movie he is in.
  • RollingThunder
    Sean Penn is the new DeNiro - Johnny Depp is Pacino.
  • I like these answers. As for the Willis/LeBeouf comparison, I think Bruce Willis is a hell of a lot more fun to watch then Shia LaBeouf. I'm trying to pick out a memorable performance of LaBeouf's and I just can't think of one.
  • Jthomps
    I agree partially. Depp to DeNiro Bale to Pacino
  • CyT
    Bale to Pacino? WTF ... im sorry only one of those guys can act. The other is a blockbuster star. Id just say he got it round the wrong way: Penn is Pacino and Depp is De Niro.
  • hopfrog
    Depp is much more like Dustin Hofman, IMO, who is a much better actor than DeNiro or Pacino.
  • Frug
    Depp is too good looking to Dustin Hofman. Hofman really opened up the door for average looking actors like Tom Hanks to become stars.
  • That twilight dude is the next brad pitt, megan foxx is the next sharon stone, michael cera is the next ben stiller, shia lebouf is the next tom cruise, zac efron is the next leonado dicaprio,
  • I would LOVE to hear your reasoning...
  • Sam E.
    yeah accept dicaprio has actually become a really awesome badass recently
  • RPK
    Shia as the next Bruce Willis? To quote Mr. LaBeouf, "No, no, no, no!"
  • i would peg Jason Statham as our generations Bruce Willis, he has that every man type of look to him, he doesn't have that leading man face/persona. He makes over the top action films, as Bruce did.
  • This... this I can agree with
  • Dan Solo
    LaBeouf = Fox
    Statham = Willis
  • Dan Solo
    that said, they are the poor man's versions of their predecessors...
  • Rena
    Agreed
  • Jason Statham as our Generations Bruce Willis sounds right to me
  • I wouldn't say The Stath is new Willis, more likely Chuck Norris or something like that. Willis doesn't use any martail arts stuff, he just brings down the bad guys, and those kind of new generation action stars are rare. At this rate Labeouf COULD be new Willis but LaBeouf lacks charisma and other essential stuff action heroes need.
  • Statham is pretty charmless. They're both bald now though... so you got that part right.
  • Dustin
    Trachtenberg has lost it if he think Shia is the new Bruce Willis. My mind imploded when I read this.
  • why can't we just let the actors be their own entity instead of trying to compare them to different actors. There will never be another Cary Grant of Audrey Hepburn so we should just stop looking for them in modern cinema. at the end of the day the movies are completely different from what they used to be and the actors today are completely different from what they used to be. what makes the great actors great is the fact that there are no other actors like them out there. I see what you are trying to do by comparing different actors from different errors, but it just as arbitrary as top 10 lists which actually tells me more about the person making the comparison or the lists than the movies or actors.
  • ok now that we have that obligatory comment can we get back to the fun discussion of comparing the actors.

    seriously, chill out
  • What are you doing here?

    This is what we do for fun.

    Shits and giggles.
  • yyyyyyup.

    Like there are "slots" to be filled. Not to get lofty, but these are artists, and just because they may give someone the same fuzzy feeling as an actor previous, doesn't mean there's a generational replacement happening. I think too that cinema (and entertainment) has changed just as drastically as society, so it's pointless to look for people that are no longer being produced by society.
  • RPK
    I hate this general argument because it's drastically flawed. Just because there was a great actor in a prior generation, doesn't mean that there has to be an equal actor in this generation. These actors are completely different as to what they bring to the table. It's like saying Harrison Ford was last generation's Steve McQueen. We'd all want a Harrison Ford to return in his prime, doesn't mean we automatically have a current actor that can match him.
  • James
    Think were missing the point a little bit here, its just a bit of fun, no one is serioulsy saying harrison ford is equal to shia. Its just a fun comparison to see what this generations actors are doing that mirrors that of the last.

    Dont take it more than for what it is, just a fun topic of conversation
  • The other way round i think.
  • Marko
    I'd say Michael Cera is this generations Micahel J Fox.
  • Pie
    Anton Yelchin = River Phoenix.

    I find they deliver similar performances. Both got a lot of attention for being talented so young (and acted in films based on books by Stephen King). Though I suppose Yelchin still has yet to show quite the emotional range of Phoenix.
  • Let's just hope we don't find him dead in a ditch somewhere. But I agree with the comparison.
  • shia has to kick someone in the face sometime...
  • mangos
    Just off Star Trek and his ability to to mix tough guy, charisma, action and humor. I'd say Chris Pine COULD be the new Harrison Ford. 80's era Harrison anyway. Damon can be 90's Harrison, all political and stuff. heck, even when Pine was running from that monster his yelling sounded like he was mimicking Ford's yell in Indy/Star Wars.
  • Funny you said this Pine said he watched Ford's performances in Indy/SW as a sort of training for ST.
  • jmble
    Those of you who say you shouldn't compare, you are probably right, but where is the fun in that? This is just to spark conversation. Lighten up a little.

    If Michael Cera has the makeup to be anybody (responding to Marko above) I'd say it's a very young Woody Allen. (The actor part anyway) He definately has the gene to play the bumbling neurotic guy that everyone is rooting for.
  • Bull
    Shia Lebeouf = Ernest Borgnine
  • edog
    Shia LaBeouf is the new C Thomas Howell.
  • HelloJackToad
    Our generations Mark Hamill? That would be Elijah Wood.
  • HAHA. How sad.
  • One hit and it was a large scope trilogy, I see what your doing lol
  • why can't Matt Damon just be Matt Damon and Shia LaBeauf himself? I see NO comparisons with HArrison Ford or Bruce Willis. This is pointless.
  • vva
    Ryan Reynolds = Chevy Chase
  • I can't believe nobody has mentioned this:

    George Clooney is Cary Grant
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