Today I pay tribute to the recently departed Terence Stamp.
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The film world lost another stalwart of screen presence yesterday with the passing of Terence Stamp. For many of my generation and Gen X'ers Stamp was probably best known as the original General Zod, the infamous Krytptonian villain in Superman II with a killer catchphrase "Kneel before Zod." What's staggering to think about is that Stamp made that movie almost 20 years into his film career.
Stamp got what can often be a kiss of death for a performer which was a critically acclaimed screen-debut that also earned him his first and only Oscar nomination for Billy Bud in 1962 and continued to pop in via starring roles and supporting roles until 2021 with Last Night in Soho, a movie that reflects on nostalgia for Britain's swinging sixties... a movement that Stamp himself lived through and actively participated in.
So how does an actor maintain a career so long he can basically star in a nostalgic reflection of a period he lived through?
A commanding presence.
That signature stern looking face and booming baritone that didn't need to speak loudly to be commanding, but certainly stood out when he did. So if your movie needed a strong stoic presence, a villain, or an authority figure, Stamp was a great pick. Hence why Stamp, at age 70, was featured in four 2008 films including Get Smart, Yes Man and Valykyrie.
But I also think that all of those authoritative roles also sell Stamp's capabilities as an actor short. He was more than willing to do comedies or defy conventions playing in drag alongside Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert or being a straight man in a number of comedies like Bowfinger. He had an inate understanding of how he came across on film, and any movie that featured him, benefitted from it.
When an actor passes away I tend to look for a movie role that feels like a complete demonstration of their talents. Something that shows off what they did so well, perhaps more than anything else. And with some actors I waffle, since so few movie roles are that meaty.
Which is why I've been delighted to see that movie Twitter is doing something right and highlighting Stamp's performance in The Limey.
The 1999 Steven Soderbergh film wasn't a commercial success upon its release, but has since gained a cult following thanks for its themes and the performances of its dual leads, Stamp and Peter Fonda.
The setup is that Stamp is a prison-hardened criminal named Wilson who travels to LA to investigate his daughter's death. Which means all of that screen power I mentioned before is on full display as he gets to boom lines after clearing a room of goons with a pistol like "Tell him I'm fucking coming!"
But there's also a melancholy beneath all of this that both Stamp and Soderbergh do such an excellent job of pulling out of Wilson, via flashback, pensive moments when he's not threatening someone at the end of the gun, and an unexpected finale.
It's everything I love about Stamp. His screen gravity, his authoritative presence, his unexpected choices and career path, and ultimately a memorable and moving performer and type of actor we rarely see these days. Rest in Peace Mr. Stamp.
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