(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Fri 22 August 2025 1:30, UK
One of the subtle differences between a great actor and an elite one is that even when the former camp is making movies strictly for the money, audiences can’t tell. Billy Bob Thornton is objectively very, very good at his job, but he still hasn’t mastered the art of bringing his A-game to a paycheque job.
For example, Denzel Washington doesn’t make so many action movies to satiate his artistic desires, but he’s always on point. Similarly, Tom Hanks somehow managed to charm his way through the Da Vinci Code trilogy, despite calling them “hooey” and still underselling how stupid they are.
When Thornton has those dollar signs in his eyes, it can be spotted from a mile away. Armageddon? He admitted he signed on to boost his bank balance, and it’s obvious. Eagle Eye? Sleepwalked through it. The Gray Man? He was barely awake. Love Actually? Serviceable, but the most energy he displayed on set was when Hugh Grant terrorised him over his fear of Benjamin Disraeli’s facial hair.
The Academy Award winner has largely maintained his integrity and principles, though, even if he did star in a Steven Seagal movie once. He refused to join the Spider-Man or Mission: Impossible franchises, and his blatant paydays are few and far between. Ironically, one of the most expensive films he’s ever been in remains a personal favourite, and it flopped thunderously at the box office for good measure.
When Swampland quizzed him on his most cherished pictures, there are no prizes for guessing which one came out on top. “I’d have to say Sling Blade is the one closest to be heart,” he said. “Because that’s what really kicked me off.” After that, his first screenplay credit in an underrated gem came to mind.
“I had written and starred in a movie called One False Move, about four or five years before Sling Blade,” he explained. “And it’s kind of an unsung hero movie that got me started in the business. But Sling Blade is the one that made me a more public figure. So I’d say Sling Blade.”
Once he started rolling, though, Thornton found it difficult to stop. He’d then rattle off another five features that covered the Coen brothers, a history-making Oscar winner, a raucous R-rated comedy, and a historical epic that spent years stuck in development hell before dying a slow and painful death when it was finally released, with Disney losing almost $150 million on its investment.
“A movie called A Simple Plan was one of my favourites,” he continued. “And The Man Who Wasn’t There, a Coen brothers film. And Monster’s Ball. And Bad Santa, I always loved. I loved playing Davy Crockett in The Alamo, too.” One of those things is not like the others, with every one of Thornton’s definitive septet being regarded as a good movie at the very least, if not a great one, apart from The Alamo.
In his defence, his performance as Crockett was one of the few things about John Lee Hancock’s disastrous bomb that wasn’t burned at the critical stake, but it’s an understatement to say it’s the worst of the seven by far.
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