Since becoming aWesternfan, I’ve noticed how some actors, likeClint Eastwood and Kevin Costner, blend right into the age of gunslingers and bandits. Yet, while plenty of actors have left their mark on the Wild West in one way or another, some have yet to make the move to the classic frontier. Sure, virtually every actor in the business has made a project that can be described as “neo-Western” in some way, but a surprising number don’t bite the bullet and enter the true Old West.
I’ve also been surprised by how well some movies have changed my impression of certain performers, who can shed the image of a modern-day Hollywood star. In the case of some actors, they’ve affected just aboutevery trope and cliché known to the Old West, making their absence from the Wild West all the more baffling.The Western genre might not be the powerhouse it once was, but there’s room to make gunslingers of these actors yet.
10Gerard Butler
His Intensity Is Perfect For A Gritty Revisionist Western
Like many people, I’ve been a fan of Gerard Butler since my first viewing of300, where I think it’s almost impossible to picture anyone matching his intensity. Hollywood obviously agreed, and we haven’t seen many movies where he hasn’t killed bad guys since. As much as I love seeing him in modern action flicks, every day he doesn’t star in a Western is a missed opportunity.
Of all the action heroes of the 21st century,I don’t think anyone quite channels the energy of a Spaghetti Western antihero quite like Butler.If Hollywood ever decided to make a direct sequel or remake of the original 1966Django, thePlanestar would be a shoo-in to take on the role of “old man Django.” Whether he keeps his Scottish accent or puts on an American one, I want to see a disheveled Gerard Butler blasting his way through outlaws in the West.
9Gary Oldman
The Western Is The Only Thing Missing From His Resume
Gary Oldman is one of those actors who seem to be able to do just about anything,whether it’s an enraged Russian terrorist or an empathetic hero like Sirius Black. Casting him in a Western seems like one of those things that just should have happened by now. When you think about all the prestigious Western movies that have been made during the height of his career, it’s hard not to think about how many of those roles he could have nailed.
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My surprise that Oldman hasn’t been cast in a Western is more an issue of confusion than anything else. The actor has done every other genre there is, from the sci-fi/fantasy ofThe Fifth Elementto the wartime character study of Winston Churchill inDarkest Hour. For someone with such an esteemed career to have missed doing a Western is as much a loss for the film industry as anything else — althoughThe Book of Elibrought him close.
8Robert Downey Jr.
He’d Be Perfect For A Comedy Western
Since his career resurgence in 2008’sIron Man, I’ve counted Robert Downey Jr. among my favorite actors of the last two decades. Should Marvel ever make the unlikely move to adapt the1872comics in some fashion, seeing a steampunk WesternIron Mancould be a great return for Downey to the role. His take on Sherlock Holmes showed he was right at home in the period, but audiences were robbed of seeing him go West.
Downey proved inU.S. Marshalsthat he could play the role of a villain just as well as that of a hero, but he’d still be best used as a protagonist. That being said, I see him less as a grim gunslinger and more as a comedic presence in the genre, just as Gene Wilder brought toBlazing Saddles. Comedy Westerns have always been a fun form of escapism, andI’m shocked the Iron Man star didn’t pop up in a movie likeThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
7Kyle Chandler
He’s A Modern-Day Old Hollywood Movie Star
One of the greatest casting choices I’ve ever seen was using Kyle Chandler as a representation of the classic movie star inPeter Jackson’sKing Kong. Even though he doesn’t get cast in leading roles as often as he should, that movie proved he just has the look of a star. Had he been an actor in the days of Clark Gable or Cary Grant, it’s hard to imagine him not having been a mainstay hero of the Western genre.
Unfortunately,just as Chandler started to get more prominent roles in the 2000s, the Western genre started to dry up,with only a handful of truly great ones being made in the last 15 years. If anyone could channel their inner John Wayne for a modern classic-style Western, I think Chandler could do it — and it’s not hard to envision him playing a younger Duke in a biopic.
6Shia LaBeouf
His Recent Performances Prove He’d Be A Great Gunslinger
While many of us remember Shia LaBeouf for headlining theTransformersfranchise, he’s since become one of the most underrated actors of his generation. InPadre Pio, I think he showed the world that one of his talents lies in historical movies, something he did again inFury. Although his early movieHolesuses elements of a Western for its story, we never really got to see the star make his way to the period.
The last decade has seen LaBeouf reinvent himself as a surprisingly deep method actor,something that was on full display in films likeFury. At this point, it almost feels inevitable to see him appear atop a horse wearing a stetson and a holster, and I’m sure he’ll get there in time. If he brings the same realism and dedication he’s shown in his recent work, I think it could actually be one of the most captivating performances in recent memory for the West.
5Chuck Norris
The Walker Star Somehow Never Did An Actual Western
If “neo-Western” was a person, it would surely take the form of Chuck Norris.Through his roles in projects likeLone Wolf McQuadeandWalker, Texas Ranger, he has worn the aesthetic of a present-day cowboylike nobody else. Surprisingly though, he’s never actually starred in a movie set in the Old West, instead sticking to characters living in modern times, where his martial arts skills don’t feel out of place.
While I can see an actor like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone sticking to contemporary Westerns where their physiques don’t seem absurd, Norris has no such issue. If anything, a studio using him for a Western could have actually made for one of the genre’s more unique films. After all, most of his fans would be sold on the premise of seeing their favorite action hero bringing kickboxing to the Wild West.
4David Harbour
Stranger Things Primed Him For A Violent Western
Through watching Netflix’sStranger Things, I’m one of many people who have been impressed by David Harbour’s screen presence. In Jim Hopper, the series gave us a small-town sheriff who feels ripped from a show likeDeadwood: flawed and nuanced but ultimately heroic. For most of the show, he resembles a character pulled from a neo-Western series, and wouldn’t be at all out of place standing alongside Raylan Givens inJustified. Better yet, he’d fit right into a revisionist Western.
Of all the leading men of the last decade,few have managed to capture the rugged persona of the Old West as Harbour,though he’d be better suited to the role of villain than hero. After watchingThe Revenant, I could see him put to great use in that type of grim and gritty frontiersman story, especially after seeing how he looked inViolent Night. In his case, I also think it’s just a matter of time.
3Henry Cavill
His War Movie Showed He’d Be A Great Western Antihero
Supermanaside, the 2010s gave fans the false impression that Henry Cavill was only suited for polished and suave characters taken from an Ian Fleming novel. InThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, my impression of the actor did a complete U-turn as he delivered a chaotic, over-the-top portrayal of Gus March-Phillipps. After the movie ended, it occurred to me how great Cavill’s character might have been in a pulpy Western movie modeled after a Clint Eastwood flick.
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Although the actor’s take on someone like Napoleon Solo is great, even Bond-worthy, his 2024 war movie gave him some much-needed grit. Like a Spaghetti Western, the actor’s refined persona was stripped away. This side of the actor would be right at home in the Old West and, considering just how bankable he’s been over the last decade, I’m genuinely shocked he wasn’t cast there. I could just as easily see him playing the part of a cool gambler in a saloon as a Django-inspired shootist.
2Paul Giamatti
I Can’t Imagine A Greater Western Villain
While every genre needs compelling antagonists, I don’t think any of them thrive off of a good villain quite as well as the Western. One actor who comes to mind is Gene Hackman, who turned in two of the best ’90s villain roles inUnforgiven’s Bill Daggett andThe Quick and the Dead’s John Herod. The only living actor I can think of who could give the Wild West as captivating a villain as Hackman is Paul Giamatti, andShoot ‘Em Upis the prime example of why.
Since the star has moved more firmly into the realm of drama,Shoot ‘Em Upmight be the closest thing we get to Giamatti doing a Western.If anyone captures the sense of dastardly, “I love being bad” villainy that puts the Wild in West, it’s theBillionsstar. I’ve yet to see a performance from the actor, whether subtle or over-the-top, that didn’t make a film that much more memorable — and putting a six-shooter in his hand and a hat on his head would be a dream come true.
1Pedro Pascal
The Man Is The Face Of Neo-Western TV
Throughout his career surge,Pedro Pascal has acted in just about every type of neo-Western project imaginable except for the traditional Old West itself.ThroughoutThe Mandalorian, he plays the part of a space-based bounty hunter modeled after Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name. If anything, I’m surprised the actor hasn’t starred in a remake of a classic film likeShane, a role I think he could fill with as much ease as Alan Ladd himself.
If movies likeThe Magnificent Seven,Shane,orSilveradohad been made today, it would be hard not to envision Pascal in the leading role. It seems almost like a matter of time before we see theFantastic Fourstar decked out in cowboy gear and riding into a town on the American Frontier. Although I don’t want to see him exit franchises likeThe Mandalorian, we’ve never seen such an obvious choice for theWesterngenre staring us in the face.
