You might think that Sturgill Simpson is just another name and another face in country music, but his fans beg to differ. There’s something about Simpson’s style that suggests longevity in comparison to other musicians in this day and age. Sturgill has had a life full of color so far, and it’s something that we might be seeing in a movie at some point. Sturgill’s story is interesting, and his music is infinitely hopeful and positive. He gives off a good Sunday vibe that nobody wants to ever shake off. If Sturgill Simpson’s life were ever to be made into a movie, here are the five actors who should play the role.
1. Jeremy Renner
Aside from the subtle resemblance to Sturgill himself, Jeremy Renner is also a striking musician good enough to play such a role. Renner is still coming off the high of being in the Marvel films, and that era in his life is still not done. He’s set to return to Marvel under the Disney+ franchise as his Hawkeye alter ego, Ronin. We love that fact, but we also think that Renner should start making other films as well. We’ve missed him in action, and he’s definitely a tremendous action star. But Renner’s talents go way beyond just physical capabilities. Renner is actually a good dramatic actor. Given the fact that he’s also a musician is a shoe-in for the role of Sturgill. We also know that he can sing, so a little bit of country coaching might be all he needs to pull off this kind of role. We’d love to see Renner play a movie that doesn’t have explosives in it.
2. Garrett Hedlund
Hedlund has become an easy choice for the country singer role because he’s already done that in the past. Hedlund played a musician in the movie Country Strong (2010) alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, and the world basically discovered then that Hedlund’s got the voice to pull it off. He’s essentially a Hollywood neophyte with only a handful of notable films under his belt. However, he’s already considered as one of this generation’s best young actors. Hedlund is naturally charming, and he’s even more so behind a guitar and a microphone. We believe he’d be perfect for the role of Sturgill Simpson because he’s already got the country roots to start with. Hedlund also has tonal similarities to Simpson that’s hard to teach sometimes. We can also picture Hedlund in a Navy uniform, which will come in handy when it’s time to tell Simpson’s stories of his time in the Navy. Although there aren’t many similarities when it comes to their looks, Hollywood magic can just do its thing for this matter.
3. Joaquin Phoenix
Phoenix’s name has been in the news a lot lately because of the controversy surrounding his upcoming film, Joker. No matter what people may say about this film, there’s no denying that Phoenix is an artist. He takes his roles seriously, and he does unbelievably well in all of his films. Phoenix is an unusual actor today because he seems to just naturally fit into the roles that he plays, as if he was meant to play all the roles he’s ever acted. We know that it’s attributable to his skill and dedication. It’s also worth noting here that Phoenix has done what many considers to be one of the best music biopics of all-time, Walk the Line (2005). That film was about one of music’s legends, Johnny Cash, and Phoenix became Cash in and out for the film. Although we can’t just yet compare Simpson to Cash, we know that if we put Joaquin Phoenix on that lead role, he’d do magic with it.
4. Jonathan Rhys Meyers
The world might’ve forgotten about this name, but we surely did not. Meyers is certainly one of the most talented actors of his time, but his career has been marred by constant personal troubles and demons. Meyers is a talented musician as well, and that was clearly laid out in one of his films, August Rush (2007). In that film, we saw and heard Meyers’ incredible voice and talent for playing guitar. Although the genre is more of alternative rock instead of country, we’re sure that Meyers has enough grit and skill to make it happen. Although Meyers is no longer mainstream, he’s still fairly active in the industry. He’s got a couple of films currently in post-production and a couple more in pre-production. If Meyers were to play the role of Sturgill Simpson in a film, he’d give it an incredible amount of heart. We certainly see Meyers’ heart in every single role he portrays. It’ll be a challenge for the actor/musician to pull off a true country style, but Meyers is talented enough for us to be able to see it happening.
5. Iwan Rheon
If you can’t recognize him by his real name, you might recognize this actor by one of his character’s names. Rheon’s Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones has become one of the most hated characters in all of TV history. That’s truly incredible given that Rheon is actually one of the nicest guys around. It’s a testament to his acting chops because he played that role so well. While that may have been a good match for Rheon, playing the role of a country singer might be a little bit more challenging. After all, Rheon is from Wales. However, the singing and guitar playing skills are already there, and they are far from mediocre. Rheon is an extremely talented vocalist and musician. It would be a treat to be able to watch him in such a different role if he could ever have the chance to play Sturgill Simpson in a movie. It might also be a good move to get him even more familiar with non-Thrones fans. It’s time his talents get him recognized by his real name and not by his previous character.
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