Steven Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time.
Therefore, when Spielberg praises an actor, it carries significant weight.
In one instance, Spielberg named what he believes to be the five greatest actors to ever appear on screen.
Interestingly, none of the actors he mentioned had starred in his most iconic films.
Actors like Liam Neeson from Schindler’s List, or Sam Neill and Laura Dern from Jurassic Park, or even the stars of Indiana Jones were not featured in his top five.
This revelation came during an interview where Spielberg expressed a controversial opinion about a well-known film.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is seen as one of the greatest horror films, featuring Jack Nicholson in an iconic role as Jack Torrance.
However, Spielberg recounted that after his first viewing, he wasn’t a fan of Nicholson’s performance, describing it as ‘over the top’ and likening it to Japanese Kabuki theatre.
When Kubrick challenged this opinion, he asked Spielberg to quickly name his five favorite actors of all time.
Spielberg then listed: “Spencer Tracey, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Clark Gable.”
“He stopped me and said, ‘Stop, okay, where was James Cagney on that list?’”
“I thought he’s up there high, and he said, ‘Ah, but he’s not in [your] top five. You don’t consider James Cagney one of the five best actors around, but I do.
“And this is why Jack Nicholson’s performance is a great one’.”
The interview suggests that Kubrick might have influenced Spielberg to consider different perspectives—that just because he didn’t appreciate Nicholson’s performance, it doesn’t necessarily make it bad.
Spielberg’s choices reflect his admiration for classic cinema, a theme also evident in his semi-autobiographical film, The Fabelmans.
None of the five actors he named were alive in the 21st century, yet they are still considered some of the greatest actors who ever lived.
Jimmy Stewart, who passed away in 1997, is perhaps the most familiar to modern audiences, known for his role in It’s a Wonderful Life, as well as classics like Vertigo and Rear Window.