Isnt that the Actor from …
#kspscinema

“As Good As it Gets” costar Greg Kinnear has had an odd career path - he’s a TV host with Leading Man looks who became a star in Hollywood, then “just” a character actor shortly afterward. He’s moved quickly from starring roles to co-starring roles, in the same vein as other heavily-employed, once-kings actors Timothy Olyphant (a favourite), Adrien Brody and Chris Pine and Taylor Kitsch.

This is usually the domain of those English actors who seem to be constantly on-screen (and Netflix): Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, and others. They are quickly cast, can’t seem to say “no” to a role, and can’t walk the street without someone saying “arent you The Guy From … ?”

A slight drop from stardom was the case for Kinnear, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his appearance in our feature. Co-starring roles in “You’ve Got Mail” “The Gift” and “Mystery Men” (another favourite) kept him active; and then top billing playing Bob Crane in the biographical movie “Auto Focus,” and the Farrelly brothers “Stuck on You” in 2003 should have propelled Kinnear into Leading Man ranks. It didnt - but he kept working, playing the Every Man or Neighbour Who Means Well in a string of semi-successful movies from 2000 onward. Welcome turns in the “Anchorman” series and on TV with “The Kennedys” have kept his name on the call-sheet and his acting skills intact.

Few actors and actresses get to throttle-down like Kinnear has and yet remain appealing to casting directors as looks and box office fade. Kinnear has joined the group of Olyphant and Armie Hammer and Glenn Close who are counted on to carry a key role - but not sell the film or cement foriegn funding like their A-List costars.

Kinnear’s next step, his directorial debut “Phil” (where he stars as a depressed dentist) has struggled to get a release despite completed filming in 2016. “Phil” did have its premiere earlier this month at the, er, Sarasota Film Festival, for what it’s worth.

Kinnear’s next job: portraying beloved icon Bob Hope in Keira Knightley’s 1970 drama “Misbehaviour”.

https://variety.com/2016/film/news/greg-kinnear-directs-comedy-phil-first-film-1201675174/