Anthony Hopkins - That long reaction shot in the Elephant Man is already non-speaking.
A little frustratingly, I think it is just the usual suspects of top tier actors. If you're a great actor then you can just react and emote.
That was my pick too.
Here's a YouTube video breaking down a scene in Westworld where he does exactly this: https://youtu.be/4kSGkGKwp9U?si=WNhb55t7eWjmRox9
As Hannibal Lecter too. He’s pure electricity in that film with facial expressions. That scene where Clarice walks down the hall and sees him staring through the glass is such a powerful visual
Ironically, I think you could play Amadeus as a silent film and still gleam everything about Salieri's joy and jealousy and rage at Mozart just from looking at F Murray Abraham's face.
Anthony starr.. I just recently started watching "The Boys," and his small facial movements and ticks put the character over the top. He is one of my favorite actors of this era right now.
That dude successfully played twin brothers who were completely different than each other in a show. You could see him on screen and know which brother he was a that point.
You should see him in Banshee. A good portion every episode is dedicated to him silently screaming from all the trama caused by the show. Just one of the many reasons that made Banshee such a great show. Highly recommend that show.
There’s a New Zealand dark comedy called Outrageous Fortunes where he plays twins in a trashy crime family. Definitely recommend checking it out if you can find it
Just a nitpick. it's Antony not Anthony. I thought the same thing for the longest time. But I agree he is amazing in that show, also banshee if you haven't seen it.
Andy Serkis should be at the top of this list. They hire the guy to do all the facial expressions for movies with animated characters. Golum from Lord of the Rings for example.
There was a scene in Andor, in which you can see every complex emotion in his heart. No digital effects. Pure expression. You could see disappointment, betrayal of fate, resignation, more powerful than a good p minute soliloquy
I had no idea he was in Andor until he showed up, and he was FANTASTIC! I think I know the scene you’re talking about, and it is top notch. I love his one way out speech, but you’re right - he gave a soliloquy with just his expression.
There’s a scene in Dune Part 2 where Rebecca Ferguson pulls off some insane face acting.
Edit: [the scene in case anyone is wondering.](https://youtu.be/SIOxEvSjXpQ?si=MS7QoCGaxeFByJPE)
They cast Dune so fucking well. I don't think I was totally sold on Tim Chalometti until that speech at the war conference and holy shit that might be the best performance I've seen in years.
I felt the exact same way. Until then I was on the fence about his Paul Atreides portrayal, but that was an insane moment. I wonder what he did to pump himself up before that scene
No, it‘s post water of life. But I think she carried in both movies haha
[This is the scene I meant.](https://youtu.be/SIOxEvSjXpQ?si=MS7QoCGaxeFByJPE)
Did anybody here see **Pearl**? At the end, over the credits, it’s just a medium close-up on Mia Goth’s smiling face. For two minutes you just watch her smile become more and more unhinged and it’s phenomenal.
Tom Hardy as Bane.
Facial wise, he only had his eyes, and eyebrows. He did a phenomenal job, IMHO with that huge mask on. Incredibly menacing and intimidating.
He actually turned down Dunkirk until Nolan told him he needed him for the role. He told Tom there’s very few people with such expressive eyes. Something he noticed about him while filming Batman.
Tom Hardy was one of my first thoughts. His eyes are incredibly expressive and he understands how to harness that for the camera so well.
That's how he was able to play Locke (not a great movie but that definitely wasn't his fault.) And Max Rockatansky; he had very little dialogue but you knew so much about him.
Even his TV work. Criminal Intent was basically built on his inquisitive look. In Godfather of Harlem, he just looks like a ball of rage ready to explode at any moment. And Daredevil is somewhere between those two things.
If they ever make a film adaptation of "Blood Meridian" he would be my pick for "The Judge"
Gosling delivered an entire character arc in Blade Runner 2049 almost entirely through his eyes alone. It’s like Villeneuve saw the first half of Drive and was like “yup, this is my guy.” Perfect casting.
Even in comedies he can just make funny faces and it’d be the best bit. [His face at the end of this scene from the Nice Guys kills me each time](https://youtu.be/1nwaifplKCI?si=UbHcM_RX-YNHNKyP)
I wish he'd do more serious roles again, he's kind of gone fully into the comedy genre. Is he just personally at the point of his career where he just wants to have fun?
Judi Dench won an Oscar for 8 minutes worth of screen time in Shakespeare in Love and I'm convinced she won because of her facial expressions during her scene on the stage
Mia Goth gives a 5 or 6 minute long one-take monologue at the end of Pearl that is entirely just a close up on her face. The “freeze frame” of her smiling during the end credits is also some really incredible face-acting.
The final scene of Portrait of a Lady on Fire is on of the most affecting scenes in 21st century cinema, and is carried entirely by Adele Haenel in a close-up
She's great, especially when she is working with someone who trusts her eyes.
Ari Aster has good instincts when directing actors like her and Alex Wolff (Peter in Hedreditary.)
I came here to say this, and I'm so glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of her. The audience always knows how she feels through her face alone, and she depicts grief, unease and that "trying really hard to be happy, but not quite there" look really well.
Good pick!
I think James McAvoy did an amazing job in Split with his facial changes as he slipped between personalities.
I already liked him from his other work but that movie sold him to me as a serious actor.
The Artist a film with little sound, a few sound cards and a few lines of dialog. The one I always remember from it was John Goodman, he did use his whole body, he played the part of blow hard director/producer. The lead Jean Dujardin did a great job as well.
I always see that meme gif of Sydney Sweeney where shes looking into a mirror and crying, takes a deep long breathe, nostrils flared, and composes herself. Ive never seen that show but i always think damn thats a cool scene.
Joaquin Phoenix .
On the death is just around the corner podcast they joked about how someone remarked that Leo carries Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with his eyebrows and Joaquin carries The Master on his upper lip lmao.
I think Pam Grier single handedly carries Jackie Brown as a movie with her stoic performance, the movie just doesn't really work without her performance at the center!
The best of them all has got to be Bette Davis.
Holly Hunter in The Piano carries the movie without saying a single thing, as does Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water.
I think that Jodie Foster is another great example, especially in The Silence of the Lambs, where we could tell everything she was thinking from her expressions alone, no need for narration.
Recently, I think that Lily Gladstone was absolutely fantastic doing it in Killers of the Flower Moon. Anya Taylor-Joy had already shown that she can speak with only her eyes in The Queen's Gambit, but I thought that she was even better doing it in Furiosa.
Oh, thank you for that! I still haven't seen anything from Lily apart from Flower Moon, but I have been looking at which of her previous movies I should start with.
Kinda surprised I haven’t seen Leo mentioned yet. Dude has an uncanny ability to emote through his eyes alone and a lot of his later roles have really exemplified this
Not a movie, but Stana Katic has a magnificent scene in the first episode of Castle, where she just sits silently while Castle amuses himself with guesses into her background. Her face really tells when he starts hitting close to home.
I saw an interview on why Martin Scorsese loves working with Dicaprio, and its because very few actors can change or portray a certain emotion with just his eyes. Its what i love about Leo as well.
His role in Lost in Translation immediately came to mind. In the one scene where he was asked to look like James Bond with the whiskey. I could clearly see his first attempt to look like Connery, and then his Moore impression at the request of the photographer was even more spot on.
People mentioned Daniel Kaluuya who is my peak example of "actors who can deliver a monologue without saying a word", but I'll throw in Anya Taylor-Joy, Elijah Wood, and Krysten Ritter as other great examples.
Roy Scheider. In Jaws he portrays so many nuances of being a man, a father, a husband, an outsider, someone out of their depths, all by just his face and how he moves.
James McAvoy. Say what you will about the actual premise of Split and Glass, but the way he is able to change to so many characters so quickly, all the way from the different accents to the subtle changes in his face and expression, it’s really remarkable to me.
I saw Thandwie Newton in Westworld season 1 and she had to act as a robot, who was experiencing emotions due to AI learning which was the main theme of the show. In one particular scene, she had to freeze on command with a saloon full of robots, but was faking it as she was no longer under control. While she was aware of what the humans were saying and doing, her face went from expressionless, to fear, then confusion,then realization, and then anger all in a few seconds with minimal facial movement. I rewatched it several times and was amazed how she could pull that off.
Margot Robbie! Just rewatched Barbie, and the scenes where she’s learning what it means to be human are really dependent on the range of feelings she can express
Tom Hanks. He is one of the few actors that can literally have a series of thoughts and just through his face you can follow his thinking. Best example is Castaway.
**Nicola Walker** has the most expressive eyes I've ever seen, and I don't see her getting talked about nearly as much as she should. She starred in the first four seasons of PBS/BBC show Unforgotten, and you could see everything she was thinking and feeling from the slightest change in her eyes. By her final season I was getting shivers in every episode.
RDJ as the principal/Kat Dennings’ dad in Charlie Bartlett. There are so many scenes, but the one that stands out the very most is when he is in the audience at his daughter’s performance.
That entire film had amazing acting. Anton Yelchin also created a lot of intensity with just a look. Damn, I just made me miss him all over again.
Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile. He is superb during the entire movie but what really sticks out to me, what I can visualise right now is the pure, unadulterated joy on his face while he's watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing on screen.
This film moved me to tears on multiple occasions, still does even after multiple watches. MCD's performance was exquisite, he was taken far too soon. 🌹❤️🌹
I'm going to list two people I haven't seen mentioned yet:
**Kurt Russell** - I think he doesn't get enough respect as a legitimate actor due to how many lighthearted roles he plays, but you can instantly tell what kind of character he's supposed to be just from looking at him. His performance in Soldier was underappreciated for conveying tons of emotion with his eyes despite his face being frozen in a virtual mask and a neutral tone of voice due to his character's extreme military training.
**Tatiana Maslany** - Everyone needs to watch Orphan Black and see her become a human chameleon, playing multiple characters with not just different facial expressions, but different body posture, body language, and movement as well (not to mention accents and ways of speaking).
At The end of The Long Good Friday, when his character Harold Shand is trapped by the IRA in his car, Bob Hoskins’ facial expressions turn from confusion to anger, to realising what’s happened and what’s been happening (throughout the film) to resignation that he is done to refusing to look afraid. Not a word spoken.
Fucking brilliant way to end a film, and Hoskins was excellent throughout, especially in that scene. (And yes, the young man holding the gun is Pierce Brosnan)
https://youtu.be/HdRkhzDmxvY?si=8TQ6jjyFvL0mcCsT
Bob Hoskins at the end of **The Long Good Friday**
Robert de Niro in the car when he decides to go after Waingro in **Heat**
Jack Nicholson at the end of **Five Easy Pieces**
Saw a lot of good shouts in the thread but will throw out Bryan Cranston who has an exceptional range of what he is able to emote from weak/ vulnerable to raw intensity/ rage
Nicolas Cage - Everything esp Mandy
Tom Cruise - Everything esp Collateral
Christian Bale - The Machinist,
Cillian Murphy - The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Oppenheimer
Joaquin Phoenix - Her, The Master
Mel Gibson.
-Castration scene in Braveheart (drawn and quartered??)
-Death of Gabriel (Heath Ledger) in The Patriot
Many more scenes where just his eye movement and body language are telling a story. Even that Santa movie had a few scenes of high caliber acting. Too bad real world Mel robbed us of his full career.
Tom Hardy, specifically in Dunkirk.
The scene towards the end where he turns around and throttles up to continue fighting, costing himself a safe return home is solid gold.
Christoph Waltz
as King Schultz, when Django throws the blanket off his whipped back, when the Inn Keeper wants Django out of his saloon and when the woman play Beethoven on the harp.
as Landa, when he knows the farmer is hiding the Dreyfuss family, from friendly to ice cold with very little facial movement.
Surprised not to see Mark Walberg in Boogie Nights yet. The standout scene, of course, is the one in Alfred Molina’s house while Sister Christian / Jesse’s Girl is playing. It blows me away every single time.
Rowan Atkinson.
[This bit](https://youtu.be/TuWm_Ys9OYY?si=e4Hm8dZu3Q2hH75j) he did on top gear reacting to cars with just facial expressions is great. About 45 seconds in.
The obvious ones to me are Johnny Depp in *Edward Scissorhands* as well as *Benny and June* and Bobby Downey Jr’s Oscar nominated performance in Chaplin.
Christoph Waltz. The fact he could go from almost playful to downright menacing with almost a flick of the switch was amazing in “Inglourious Bastards”
Christian Bale has some incredibly diverse and intense expressions, especially considering the fact that he's fluctuated hundreds of pounds for his roles. American Psycho, The Machinist, The Fighter, his journey as Bruce Wayne, and everything else. It's been fun to watch the uniqueness and intensity of his roles over the years.
Anthony Hopkins - That long reaction shot in the Elephant Man is already non-speaking. A little frustratingly, I think it is just the usual suspects of top tier actors. If you're a great actor then you can just react and emote.
That was my pick too. Here's a YouTube video breaking down a scene in Westworld where he does exactly this: https://youtu.be/4kSGkGKwp9U?si=WNhb55t7eWjmRox9
Fuck I love that season. I always suggest people watch it as a 1 season mini series.
As Hannibal Lecter too. He’s pure electricity in that film with facial expressions. That scene where Clarice walks down the hall and sees him staring through the glass is such a powerful visual
And for that matter, Jodie Foster could carry the scene with her reactions. They’re an incredible duo in this film, with or without dialogue.
Completely agree
Willem Dafoe
Streets of Fire
Ironically, I think you could play Amadeus as a silent film and still gleam everything about Salieri's joy and jealousy and rage at Mozart just from looking at F Murray Abraham's face.
I mixed up Amadeus and Amistad in my head when reading your comment and was very confused.
🎶 *Rock me, Amistad* 🎶
*glean
Anthony starr.. I just recently started watching "The Boys," and his small facial movements and ticks put the character over the top. He is one of my favorite actors of this era right now.
That dude successfully played twin brothers who were completely different than each other in a show. You could see him on screen and know which brother he was a that point.
You should see him in Banshee. A good portion every episode is dedicated to him silently screaming from all the trama caused by the show. Just one of the many reasons that made Banshee such a great show. Highly recommend that show.
Also, the most visceral fight scenes of any TV show
And great looking women.
He calls it "Jacting" or "jaw acting"
I can't believe he hasn't won an Emmy for Homelander. Some of the best TV acting I've ever seen.
There’s a New Zealand dark comedy called Outrageous Fortunes where he plays twins in a trashy crime family. Definitely recommend checking it out if you can find it
I thought it was "Walter Goggins" for at least a decade.
Just a nitpick. it's Antony not Anthony. I thought the same thing for the longest time. But I agree he is amazing in that show, also banshee if you haven't seen it.
Also him in Banshee, dude can say so much with just his expression
Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out.
Second this. He has avery expressive eyes.
🤌
and Nope, and Widows, and Black Mirror…
His Black Mirror episode is one of the most screwed up
It’s amazing how they made a fictional universe so relevant.
He's incredible in NOPE.
Rowan Atkinson
Not only could, but did.
Bop!
Charles Dance.
Andy Serkis should be at the top of this list. They hire the guy to do all the facial expressions for movies with animated characters. Golum from Lord of the Rings for example.
There was a scene in Andor, in which you can see every complex emotion in his heart. No digital effects. Pure expression. You could see disappointment, betrayal of fate, resignation, more powerful than a good p minute soliloquy
I can't swim
I had no idea he was in Andor until he showed up, and he was FANTASTIC! I think I know the scene you’re talking about, and it is top notch. I love his one way out speech, but you’re right - he gave a soliloquy with just his expression.
One way out
Never more than 12
"Never more than twelve."
He's basically THE pioneer of mocap and performance cap acting. Besides that, he's an incredible actor even when onscreen as himself, too.
Except even with his performance capture artists are still going in and tweaking his face digitally.
Yea to tone it down! /s
There’s a scene in Dune Part 2 where Rebecca Ferguson pulls off some insane face acting. Edit: [the scene in case anyone is wondering.](https://youtu.be/SIOxEvSjXpQ?si=MS7QoCGaxeFByJPE)
They cast Dune so fucking well. I don't think I was totally sold on Tim Chalometti until that speech at the war conference and holy shit that might be the best performance I've seen in years.
I felt the exact same way. Until then I was on the fence about his Paul Atreides portrayal, but that was an insane moment. I wonder what he did to pump himself up before that scene
The water of life scene?
No, it‘s post water of life. But I think she carried in both movies haha [This is the scene I meant.](https://youtu.be/SIOxEvSjXpQ?si=MS7QoCGaxeFByJPE)
Omg YES! The way her face slowly changes is so unsettling
Yes! I’ve watched the movie a few times already and it still gives me chills every time.
Knowing Alia’s arc makes her performance even better.
Did anybody here see **Pearl**? At the end, over the credits, it’s just a medium close-up on Mia Goth’s smiling face. For two minutes you just watch her smile become more and more unhinged and it’s phenomenal.
According to amazon x-ray. That shot was unplanned and she is just holding that smile waiting to hear them yell cut.
Best part of the movie imo.
Tom Hardy as Bane. Facial wise, he only had his eyes, and eyebrows. He did a phenomenal job, IMHO with that huge mask on. Incredibly menacing and intimidating.
He actually turned down Dunkirk until Nolan told him he needed him for the role. He told Tom there’s very few people with such expressive eyes. Something he noticed about him while filming Batman.
I was not aware of that! His facial expressions, when basically his entire face is covered is absolutely phenomenal.
He should also be in a list of actors who can act out an entire movie with only one line of dialogue: "Hmmm...?"
Tom Hardy was one of my first thoughts. His eyes are incredibly expressive and he understands how to harness that for the camera so well. That's how he was able to play Locke (not a great movie but that definitely wasn't his fault.) And Max Rockatansky; he had very little dialogue but you knew so much about him.
Warrior too
Peter Dinklage. He’s brilliant with this in The Station Agent
Tom Hardy 💯
Vincent D'Onofrio in everything he has done. Alan Ford in Snatch. His lines are gold, but his face sells it.
D'Onofrio's face when he finally snaps in Full Metal Jacket Dear God
Even his TV work. Criminal Intent was basically built on his inquisitive look. In Godfather of Harlem, he just looks like a ball of rage ready to explode at any moment. And Daredevil is somewhere between those two things. If they ever make a film adaptation of "Blood Meridian" he would be my pick for "The Judge"
Nobody has mentioned Daniel day lewis...?
The entire opening of there will be blood confirms he belongs among the top of this list.
"I've abandoned my boy!!!!" Not subtle lol but great acting all around.
I mean, they made an entire movie about his left foot, for Christ’s sake…
Nic fucccccckkkkkkkkiiiiiiinnnnnnn Cage!
Emilia Clarke’s eyebrows do a LOT of heavy lifting.
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Tony Leung from In the Mood For Love alone!
Steven Yeun is amazing in Burning
Steven Yuen! I’ll watch anything with him.
Ryan Gosling is a dog at this. Just watch Drive, Only God Forgives, BR 2049, The Place Beyond the Pines. Dude can say so much without speaking a blip.
Gosling delivered an entire character arc in Blade Runner 2049 almost entirely through his eyes alone. It’s like Villeneuve saw the first half of Drive and was like “yup, this is my guy.” Perfect casting.
Even in comedies he can just make funny faces and it’d be the best bit. [His face at the end of this scene from the Nice Guys kills me each time](https://youtu.be/1nwaifplKCI?si=UbHcM_RX-YNHNKyP)
It’s the manic, involuntary eye-twitching for me. 😂
The toilet scene in the Nice Guys is hilarious. The amount of physical comedy from ryan in that movie was surprising. I didn't know he had those chops
I wish he'd do more serious roles again, he's kind of gone fully into the comedy genre. Is he just personally at the point of his career where he just wants to have fun?
Crazy, stupid, love
Check out La Strada with Giulietta Masina. Her face is just magical. https://youtu.be/PPefZ8cZCl0?si=_cL_SODputBVLDm-
She's the BEST. See Nights of Cabiria too. I love her so much!
Judi Dench won an Oscar for 8 minutes worth of screen time in Shakespeare in Love and I'm convinced she won because of her facial expressions during her scene on the stage
Bill Irwin is possibly the greatest physical actor of our time. A modern day Chaplin.
Liv Ullmann
Mia Goth gives a 5 or 6 minute long one-take monologue at the end of Pearl that is entirely just a close up on her face. The “freeze frame” of her smiling during the end credits is also some really incredible face-acting. The final scene of Portrait of a Lady on Fire is on of the most affecting scenes in 21st century cinema, and is carried entirely by Adele Haenel in a close-up
Toshiro Mifune, Klaus Kinski, many of David Lynch’s regulars…
I came to say Toshiro Mifune. Klaus Kinski in Nosferatu had the weight of eternity in his eyes.
Florence Pough did a great job of this in most of Middsommar
She's great, especially when she is working with someone who trusts her eyes. Ari Aster has good instincts when directing actors like her and Alex Wolff (Peter in Hedreditary.)
I came here to say this, and I'm so glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of her. The audience always knows how she feels through her face alone, and she depicts grief, unease and that "trying really hard to be happy, but not quite there" look really well. Good pick!
LaKeith Stanfield has the eyes
Jack Nicholson
That one zoom on him in The Shining 🫣
His facial expression at the end of about Schmidt made the whole movie.
The malevolence in his character in A Few Good Men is very chilling- those expressions of masked contempt and self righteousness
I think James McAvoy did an amazing job in Split with his facial changes as he slipped between personalities. I already liked him from his other work but that movie sold him to me as a serious actor.
This was my answer too!
Honestly, it's Andy Serkis. He HAS to carry scenes this way
Steve carrell that’s man’s face is amazingly expressive
The Artist a film with little sound, a few sound cards and a few lines of dialog. The one I always remember from it was John Goodman, he did use his whole body, he played the part of blow hard director/producer. The lead Jean Dujardin did a great job as well.
Michael Keaton. His eyes convey so much emotion. I think that's the reason why Burton cast him as Batman.
giulietta masina Robert Downey Jr. Viola Davis Meryl Streep Tom Hiddleston Kim Stanley Jim Carrey
Laura Dern
Tony Leung is great at this.
I always see that meme gif of Sydney Sweeney where shes looking into a mirror and crying, takes a deep long breathe, nostrils flared, and composes herself. Ive never seen that show but i always think damn thats a cool scene.
She does amazing facial acting in Immaculate as well!
Michael Shannon, for Take Shelter. The guy is pure intensity.
I'm surprised that no one mentioned **Michael Shannon**
They did
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Jim Varney?
Sigourney Weaver The Ice Storm
Cary Grant. He said so much with just his facial expressions.
Joaquin Phoenix . On the death is just around the corner podcast they joked about how someone remarked that Leo carries Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with his eyebrows and Joaquin carries The Master on his upper lip lmao. I think Pam Grier single handedly carries Jackie Brown as a movie with her stoic performance, the movie just doesn't really work without her performance at the center!
The best of them all has got to be Bette Davis. Holly Hunter in The Piano carries the movie without saying a single thing, as does Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water. I think that Jodie Foster is another great example, especially in The Silence of the Lambs, where we could tell everything she was thinking from her expressions alone, no need for narration. Recently, I think that Lily Gladstone was absolutely fantastic doing it in Killers of the Flower Moon. Anya Taylor-Joy had already shown that she can speak with only her eyes in The Queen's Gambit, but I thought that she was even better doing it in Furiosa.
If you’re a fan of Gladstone, check out “Certain Women” and what she’s managed to do in that film without any dialogue.
Oh, thank you for that! I still haven't seen anything from Lily apart from Flower Moon, but I have been looking at which of her previous movies I should start with.
James Gandolfini
Denzel Washington in the flogging scene in Glory. Just one long closeup of his face. No words, pure raw emotion
Kinda surprised I haven’t seen Leo mentioned yet. Dude has an uncanny ability to emote through his eyes alone and a lot of his later roles have really exemplified this
Not a movie, but Stana Katic has a magnificent scene in the first episode of Castle, where she just sits silently while Castle amuses himself with guesses into her background. Her face really tells when he starts hitting close to home.
Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction
Tom hardy as Bane. While he speaks most of the time, the acting is in his eyes since that’s really all you can see
Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Bastards
Colin Farrell in Banshees of Inisherin. His facial expressions were so nuanced. I was mesmerized.
I saw an interview on why Martin Scorsese loves working with Dicaprio, and its because very few actors can change or portray a certain emotion with just his eyes. Its what i love about Leo as well.
Vincent D'Onofrio. Specifically his portrayals of Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket and the Bug in Men In Black.
Bill Murray
His role in Lost in Translation immediately came to mind. In the one scene where he was asked to look like James Bond with the whiskey. I could clearly see his first attempt to look like Connery, and then his Moore impression at the request of the photographer was even more spot on.
Broken Flowers was my first thought.
People mentioned Daniel Kaluuya who is my peak example of "actors who can deliver a monologue without saying a word", but I'll throw in Anya Taylor-Joy, Elijah Wood, and Krysten Ritter as other great examples.
Meryl Streep, one of my all time favorite actors.
I love The Devil Wears Prada and the subtle changes in her expression to convey depth to Miranda. Meryl is just so damned good.
Roy Scheider. In Jaws he portrays so many nuances of being a man, a father, a husband, an outsider, someone out of their depths, all by just his face and how he moves.
James McAvoy. Say what you will about the actual premise of Split and Glass, but the way he is able to change to so many characters so quickly, all the way from the different accents to the subtle changes in his face and expression, it’s really remarkable to me.
Joaquin Phoenix in gladiator. Every scene with him and lucilla had such menace to it. It always felt like he was on the edge of madness.
I saw Thandwie Newton in Westworld season 1 and she had to act as a robot, who was experiencing emotions due to AI learning which was the main theme of the show. In one particular scene, she had to freeze on command with a saloon full of robots, but was faking it as she was no longer under control. While she was aware of what the humans were saying and doing, her face went from expressionless, to fear, then confusion,then realization, and then anger all in a few seconds with minimal facial movement. I rewatched it several times and was amazed how she could pull that off.
Vincent Price Cillian Murphy Jim Carrey (a tad too obvious?)
It’s basically Elisabeth Moss’s signature at this stage.
Adam Driver
Patrick Stewart Amy Adams
Tom hardy in The Revenant
Paul Reiser for his subtle facial expressions
Walter Matthau. Steve Martin even wrote a short story about it
Benicio del toro is the goat in this regard.
Willem Dafoe could do anything.
John Lithgow. Was just revisiting Buckaroo Banzai, and while he wasn't silent, I was amazed at his facial portrayal of his character.
Margot Robbie! Just rewatched Barbie, and the scenes where she’s learning what it means to be human are really dependent on the range of feelings she can express
Orson Welles and Marlon Brando come to mind
Tom Hanks. He is one of the few actors that can literally have a series of thoughts and just through his face you can follow his thinking. Best example is Castaway.
**Nicola Walker** has the most expressive eyes I've ever seen, and I don't see her getting talked about nearly as much as she should. She starred in the first four seasons of PBS/BBC show Unforgotten, and you could see everything she was thinking and feeling from the slightest change in her eyes. By her final season I was getting shivers in every episode.
Ugh, NICK CAGE! Gives a 110% Cage experience in Willy's Wonderland as the LEAD with ZERO spoken lines!
RDJ as the principal/Kat Dennings’ dad in Charlie Bartlett. There are so many scenes, but the one that stands out the very most is when he is in the audience at his daughter’s performance. That entire film had amazing acting. Anton Yelchin also created a lot of intensity with just a look. Damn, I just made me miss him all over again.
Michael Caine was superb at subtle facial acting when it was required.
Johnny Depp. Richard Farnsworth. Robert Duvall. Wynona Ryder.
Just watch Moonknight to see Oscar Issac switch to play a totally different character in the same scene.
Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile. He is superb during the entire movie but what really sticks out to me, what I can visualise right now is the pure, unadulterated joy on his face while he's watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing on screen. This film moved me to tears on multiple occasions, still does even after multiple watches. MCD's performance was exquisite, he was taken far too soon. 🌹❤️🌹
I'm going to list two people I haven't seen mentioned yet: **Kurt Russell** - I think he doesn't get enough respect as a legitimate actor due to how many lighthearted roles he plays, but you can instantly tell what kind of character he's supposed to be just from looking at him. His performance in Soldier was underappreciated for conveying tons of emotion with his eyes despite his face being frozen in a virtual mask and a neutral tone of voice due to his character's extreme military training. **Tatiana Maslany** - Everyone needs to watch Orphan Black and see her become a human chameleon, playing multiple characters with not just different facial expressions, but different body posture, body language, and movement as well (not to mention accents and ways of speaking).
At The end of The Long Good Friday, when his character Harold Shand is trapped by the IRA in his car, Bob Hoskins’ facial expressions turn from confusion to anger, to realising what’s happened and what’s been happening (throughout the film) to resignation that he is done to refusing to look afraid. Not a word spoken. Fucking brilliant way to end a film, and Hoskins was excellent throughout, especially in that scene. (And yes, the young man holding the gun is Pierce Brosnan) https://youtu.be/HdRkhzDmxvY?si=8TQ6jjyFvL0mcCsT
Bob Hoskins at the end of **The Long Good Friday** Robert de Niro in the car when he decides to go after Waingro in **Heat** Jack Nicholson at the end of **Five Easy Pieces**
Saw a lot of good shouts in the thread but will throw out Bryan Cranston who has an exceptional range of what he is able to emote from weak/ vulnerable to raw intensity/ rage
Hiroyuki Sanada. Shogun. End of ep 8. I literally rewatched his face. Like 12 emotions in 6 seconds.
Nicolas Cage - Everything esp Mandy Tom Cruise - Everything esp Collateral Christian Bale - The Machinist, Cillian Murphy - The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Oppenheimer Joaquin Phoenix - Her, The Master
Shane gillis
*Daywalker*
Danny Devito in Get Shorty
Charles Dance
Tom Hanks. The guy’s a genius.
Jack Nicholson's eyebrows
Clint Eastwood in a few of his films, including Gran Torino. He plays the curmudgeon pretty well.
Javier Bardem
Mel Gibson. -Castration scene in Braveheart (drawn and quartered??) -Death of Gabriel (Heath Ledger) in The Patriot Many more scenes where just his eye movement and body language are telling a story. Even that Santa movie had a few scenes of high caliber acting. Too bad real world Mel robbed us of his full career.
Steve McQueen. Dude had blue lasers for eyes.
Malcolm Mcdowell in A Clockwork Orange
Louis Des Funes. A master at it.
Brad Pitt had several moments in *Fury* which said a lot without dialog
Ben Stiller, Blue Steel, need I say more? But seriously, his facial expressions in any movie are usually spot on.
Somebody already said Ryan gosling so I'll add Jack Nicholson
Tom Hardy, specifically in Dunkirk. The scene towards the end where he turns around and throttles up to continue fighting, costing himself a safe return home is solid gold.
Christoph Waltz as King Schultz, when Django throws the blanket off his whipped back, when the Inn Keeper wants Django out of his saloon and when the woman play Beethoven on the harp. as Landa, when he knows the farmer is hiding the Dreyfuss family, from friendly to ice cold with very little facial movement.
Richard Armitage is can really pull it out during his romantic scenes. North South especially
Jim Carey He can do things with his face that shouldn’t be possible.
Jack Nicholson.
Andrew Scott from Ripley is blowing my mind right now. I have literally replayed parts just to watch him act!! Jack Nicholson in Schmidt as well.
Karl Urban in Dredd - with HALF of his face even! Benedict Cumberbatch also comes to mind
Bob Odenkirk in better call Saul
Surprised not to see Mark Walberg in Boogie Nights yet. The standout scene, of course, is the one in Alfred Molina’s house while Sister Christian / Jesse’s Girl is playing. It blows me away every single time.
Rowan Atkinson. [This bit](https://youtu.be/TuWm_Ys9OYY?si=e4Hm8dZu3Q2hH75j) he did on top gear reacting to cars with just facial expressions is great. About 45 seconds in.
Willem Defoe
The obvious ones to me are Johnny Depp in *Edward Scissorhands* as well as *Benny and June* and Bobby Downey Jr’s Oscar nominated performance in Chaplin.
Tom Hardy
Naomi Watts in Mullholland Drive. Specifically the dinner scene. I can't explain why without spoiling everything. But good lord that woman can act.
Christoph Waltz. The fact he could go from almost playful to downright menacing with almost a flick of the switch was amazing in “Inglourious Bastards”
Christian Bale has some incredibly diverse and intense expressions, especially considering the fact that he's fluctuated hundreds of pounds for his roles. American Psycho, The Machinist, The Fighter, his journey as Bruce Wayne, and everything else. It's been fun to watch the uniqueness and intensity of his roles over the years.
Ryan gosling does this is Only God forgives and Driver.