L.A. Noir
Jack Davison
The New York Times Magazine
THE YEAR’S BEST ACTORS — INCLUDING KRISHA FAIRCHILD, TARAJI P. HENSON, EMMA STONE AND DENZEL WASHINGTON — CHANNEL CLASSIC FILM-NOIR LOOKS AND SCENARIOS FOR A SERIES OF REMARKABLE PHOTOGRAPHS.
TEXT BY WESLEY MORRIS AND A.O. SCOTT
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACK DAVISON
Jack Davison is a photographer based in London. His first international exhibition was this April at the Foam museum in Amsterdam.
EMMA STONE
LA LA LAND “SOMETIMES PLAYING TO TYPE IS A GREATER CHALLENGE THAN PLAYING AGAINST IT. AS MIA, A PLUCKY RED-HAIRED ACTRESS, STONE SINGS AND DANCES ACROSS L.A., SHOWING HER WORK EVEN AS SHE MAKES IT ALL LOOK EFFORTLESS.” (SCOTT)
RUTH NEGGA
LOVING “A DRAMA WITH HUSHED REVERENCE OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTARIES NEEDS ACTING THAT SPEAKS EVEN WHEN THE CHARACTER DOESN’T. NEGGA PRACTICES A KIND OF MELANCHOLY DECORUM, KEEPING MILDRED LOVING’S HOPE AND DESPAIR LIKE A SECRET.” (MORRIS)
VIOLA DAVIS & DENZEL WASHINGTON
FENCES “THE PINNACLE OF THE ART OF ACTING IS REACHED WHEN EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS COMMIT THEMSELVES TO THE DEPICTION OF ORDINARY LIVES.” (SCOTT)
DON CHEADLE
MILES AHEAD “CHEADLE PORTRAYS A GREAT ARTIST WHOSE ART SEEMS TO HAVE DESERTED HIM BUT WHOSE GREATNESS (AS WELL AS HIS FRAGILE HUMANITY) IS NONETHELESS PALPABLE IN EVERY SCENE.” (SCOTT)
NATALIE PORTMAN
JACKIE “IT WOULD BE SO EASY TO LEAN ON CAMPINESS TO PLAY JACQUELINE KENNEDY — TO ‘DO JACKIE,’ TO BECOME THE ICON. PORTMAN IS TOO SMART FOR THAT: SHE GIVES US THE HURT, BEWILDERMENT AND CUNNING INSTEAD.” (MORRIS)
TARAJI P. HENSON
HIDDEN FIGURES “TURNS OUT IT WAS ROCKET SCIENCE ALL ALONG.” (SCOTT)
ALEX R. HIBBERT, ASHTON SANDERS & TREVANTE RHODES
MOONLIGHT “EACH OF THESE ACTORS SPENDS A THIRD OF THE FILM PLAYING ITS LEAD, CHIRON, TIME-SHARING A SINGLE CHARACTER. AND EACH IS FANTASTIC ON HIS OWN. BUT WHAT THEY PULL OFF AS A TRIO — PSYCHOLOGICAL CONJOINING — IS EVEN BIGGER THAN ACTING.” (MORRIS)
ROYALTY HIGHTOWER
THE FITS “THIS 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL HAS THE WILL OF A RUNAWAY TRAIN. IN ‘THE FITS,’ SHE BOXES AND DANCES, BUT IT’S NOT HER ATHLETICISM THAT FLOORS YOU. IT’S ALL THE THOUGHT SIMMERING BEHIND THE ANGLES OF HER FACE.” (MORRIS)
ISABELLE HUPPERT
ELLE • THINGS TO COME “WE NEED A WORD FOR WHAT THIS WOMAN HAS BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST FOUR DECADES, BECAUSE ‘ACTING’ DOESN’T REALLY CUT IT. HOW’S ‘HARD-CORE EXPRESSION’? HUPPERT PUSHES HER ENTIRE SELF TO THE LIMIT WHILE DOING MORE FOR OPACITY THAN ANY CURTAIN YOU’VE EVER SEEN.” (MORRIS)
KRISHA FAIRCHILD
KRISHA “DECADES AGO, FAIRCHILD STOPPED PERFORMING TO WORK AS A HOLLYWOOD PERSONAL ASSISTANT. THEN HER NEPHEW MADE HER THE DINNER GUEST FROM HELL IN HIS FIRST MOVIE, AND SHE DELIVERED THE TRAFFIC-STOPPING WORK OF A MAJOR VETERAN, NOT OF AN INGÉNUE.” (MORRIS)
SASHA LANE
AMERICAN HONEY “LANE IS A 21-YEAR-OLD ATHLETE AND FORMER WAITRESS FROM TEXAS WHO SPENDS THIS LONG, GLORIOUS MOVIE ON THE RUN — AND WITH EACH MILE COMES A NEW FEAT OF EXPRESSION. BY THE END, A GIRL BECOMES A WOMAN AND A STRANGER BECOMES A STAR.” (MORRIS)
CASEY AFFLECK
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA “THE WISECRACKING GUY WITH THE BROKEN HEART IS USUALLY AN INVITATION TO SITCOM SENTIMENTALITY. BUT AFFLECK FINDS THE DEEP PAIN IN HIS CHARACTER’S GOOD HUMOR AND THE RIDICULOUSNESS IN HIS GRIEF, CREATING A PORTRAIT OF CHRONIC ANGUISH THAT LINGERS WITH YOU.” (SCOTT)
KRISTEN STEWART
PERSONAL SHOPPER • CERTAIN WOMEN • CAFÉ SOCIETY • BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK “WITH GRACE, STEALTH AND STARTLING MODESTY, THIS ONETIME TEEN-FRANCHISE STAR HAS FASHIONED HERSELF INTO ONE OF THE MOST INVENTIVE AND SUBTLE CHARACTER ACTORS IN MOVIES TODAY.” (SCOTT)
