Several members of the global film fraternity made it to the Artists category of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 223, shared by the US-based publication on Thursday. These stars were introduced by their friends and colleagues from the industry with heartfelt notes. Here’s a look.
Michael B. Jordan
Filmmaker-music composer Ryan Coogler introduced Creed III actor-director Michael B. Jordan as someone with a “youthful appearance and spirit”.
“He has a youthful appearance and spirit, so it’s easy to overlook his incredible feat of staying in power in an industry that can be so transactional. He has toiled away on network television, cable, independent cinema, mid-budget studio fare, and Hollywood blockbusters alike, always with a blue-collar approach.”
The Black Panther director also said that Jordan’s best work as a director was yet to come. “But I knew Mike had it in him. Because over that quarter-century of work, nothing was given to him. Everything was earned. And I strongly believe that his best work is still to come.”
Colin Farrell
Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman introduced her The Killing of a Sacred Deer co-star Colin Farrell as her “knight in shining armor and partner in crime”.
The Big Little Lies actress wrote about Farrell’s “Irish kind of sensibility” and fearlessness as an actor. “Colin is an actor’s actor. He’s not frightened of tone or genre, and he’s very present. Ego is not attached to his performances. You really see that in the longevity of his nearly 30-year-long career.”
About the Irish actor’s Oscar-nominated performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, Kidman wrote, “Colin has always been about doing the work and not about building up his stardom or legacy. As a result, he’s risen to the top.”
Austin Butler
Austin Butler’s performance in Elvis was described by Golden Globe-winning actress Angela Bassett as “brilliantly nuanced”.
“I watched Elvis with a deep appreciation for all the work I knew Austin put into his performance. A lot goes into an actor’s finding their way into an icon, not pretending to be them but offering a perspective on the artist as we perform slices of their story. You walk away from that set forever changed,” the Wakanda Forever actress wrote.
Ali Wong
Actor Randall Park described his longtime friend and Always Be My Maybe co-star Ali Wong as a person who “values honesty, in her work and her life.”
“She knows what she wants and doesn’t want, and she advocates for herself in a way that I find incredibly inspiring. She loves stand-up—that’s the most important thing to her, creatively,” the Blockbuster actor wrote.
“She’s unafraid of digging deep, asking the hard questions to others and herself. I think that’s why she’s one of our greatest comedians and more importantly, to me at least, a great friend,” he added.
Salma Hayek Pinault
Actress Penelope Cruz praised Salma Hayek’s “huge heart, great intelligence, and charisma”.
“Salma is a great observer and feels everything deeply. She’s strong yet sensitive, and she can read people very well. That’s what makes her a great actor, her ability to put herself in someone else’s shoes, from her breakthrough portrayal of Frida Kahlo to her most recent performance as Maxandra in Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” wrote the Vicky Cristina Barcelona actress.
Rian Johnson
Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis described her Knives Out director Rian Johnson as a prolific person with an “old-school and new wave approach“ at the same time.
Talking about his latest film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the Everything Everywhere All at Once actress wrote, “What’s so disarming is that the complex jigsaw puzzles and character studies and subtle political/sociological statements seen in his films—including 2022’s Glass Onion—come out of someone with such an outwardly nerdy, gentle demeanor and cackling laugh.”
Drew Barrymore
Actress-turned-daytime talk show host Drew Barrymore “can do anything in the world”, comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon wrote.
The former cast member of Saturday Night Live also wrote how Barrymore’s robust attitude towards life makes her a true role model. “Drew Barrymore never sees anything as impossible. And never takes no for an answer. Never afraid. Loves a challenge. Drew is a true role model.”
Fallon concluded “She brings joy to everyone she meets. I’m so lucky to call her a friend, and we’re all so lucky that we just get to watch this person at this moment in time.”
Zoe Saldana
Actress Mila Kunis introduced her After Sex co-star Zoe Saldana as the “the ultimate badass in the entertainment industry”.
Talking about the Avatar actress’s impact on Hollywood, Kunis wrote, “Zoe has also been a trailblazer for women and people of colour in Hollywood, breaking down barriers and advocating for greater diversity and representation. She’s not afraid to speak out for what she believes in, and uses her platform to make a positive impact.”
