Adam Driver is one of the many actors that’s been on a lot of peoples’ radar for a while now and it’s easy to see why, the guy is a great actor that keeps taking on roles that otherwise put him in line to be discussed but don’t seem to be moving him any closer to the podium at the Academy’s. In truth some people might say that’s a good thing since these days the Academy Awards are becoming something of a politically-based joke that only those on the inside seem to get, and those on the outside simply have to stomach since the people that continue to vie for such an empty, yes empty, award are those that are still convinced that acting for the love of it isn’t the only thing that’s worth effort. You can argue all you like for the Academy’s and the need to be recognized and awarded for doing what amounts to something that a person should love rather than see as another career or another job, but the truth is that the Academy Awards are, for better or worse, not the pinnacle of a star’s career. Will Adam ever get there? Does he want to? If he does then just like anyone else, that’s his prerogative. Whether he’ll ever get there however seems tied more to the idea of whether or not he’ll play ball with those that make the final decision about who gets in and who doesn’t.
Personally I can say that I hope he never does. Whether you want to believe it or not, the ultimate award that any actor might want to have in their arsenal of accolades is something that can ruin even the best in the business. The success, the reaching of the peak of that particular mountain that so many people desire throughout their career, is another carrot that’s dangled by those that may or may not have the same level of talent. It’s something to strive for if a person is willing to admit that they’re only there to acknowledge that while someone has deemed them worthy, they’re still out to do their best no matter what awards they earn. Adam Driver seems like someone that has a great amount of integrity and would gladly accept an award such as an Academy without slamming his fellow stars, the business that helped to make him great, or the fans that have been there for him. But whether it’s going to happen is still a big question since throughout his acting career thus far he’s put in some great performances and yet hasn’t seemed to capture the same attention as a few others that have gone all in and allowed political views to tinge the awards and bring to mind the hypocrisy that it stands for these days.
One of his best performances came in This Is Where I Leave You, a movie that seems to have been forgotten by many in favor of more artistic movies that he’s starred in. It’s true that so far his presence in Star Wars has been severely limited, but one can’t be blamed for poor writing and plot development, as he’s been doing the best he can with what he has. In This Is Where I Leave You he played the youngest brother, Philip, and as a goof with Oedipal issues he was someone you could like and want to hang out with but also came to realize was rather narcissistic, not to mention quite irresponsible when it came to his life. In terms of his family he was a good person, a decent human being when he had to be, but otherwise he was a large child that had yet to fully grow up and take a great deal of responsibility for his own life. That kind of performance is why he’s worthy of an Academy but it’s been seen throughout the history of the awards that winning on merit is rarely ever a reality. I can already hear some people grinding their teeth and can only hope that one day those that have anything to do with the awards will realize this.
Being an actor with hundreds of thousands of fans should be enough one might think. The fame, the fortune, the idea that you’re loved because you have the kind of talent that so many dream of but never seem to live up to, that should be what a person aspires to. But the Academy’s are almost like a drug that many actors simply want because it grants the kind of validation to their career that might earn them a bigger payday and possibly allow their name to go down in history. Good advice for Adam at this point would be to ignore the Academy’s and simply keep on being who he is, a great actor that has miles upon miles of potential left to his career.I hope he never does
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