Posterized: Matthias Schoenaerts
Friday, June 26, 2015 at 9:31PM With the Kate Winslet romantic drama A Little Chaos in select theaters and on VOD, we're seeing Matthias Schoenaerts as the Romance Novel Ready Cover Boy twice over this year since Far From the Madding Crowd already passed us by. If they ever release Suite Française in which he co-stars with Michelle Williams we'll have three swoony Schoenaerts fantasies in one year in which he falls for beautiful recent Best Actress nominees.
So how familiar you are with Belgium's greatest export? He first came to our attention in the Oscar nominated Belgian drama Bullhead (2011) though in truth we had seen him before in Paul Verhoeven's undervalued Dutch WWII thriller Black Book. (2006). But since that movie was all about Carice Van Houten & Michel Huisman erotic fantasies (at least it was for yours truly -- they were both later coopted by Game of Thrones as Melisandre and Dario Naharis, respectively) I'll admit that I didn't glom on to him right then.
Did I ever tell you I met him? That story and movie posters after the jump...
I met him during Marion Cotillard's Oscar campaign for Rust & Bone (2012). He was super charming, very fluent in English, and even better looking in person (if such a thing is possible). Given that he was this new hyper masculine yet sensitive hunk with superb acting chops (and Tom Hardy, arguably his English-language counterpart in type at least, hadn't quite ascended) I feared that Hollywood would throw every lame action blockbuster at his agent and his acting gifts would be ill served. After proving himself a genuine star and actor in Bullhead and Rust and Bone he deserve films that, well, deserve him.
He humored my fears and promised me he would choose wisely. Though he hasn't made a film as great as Bullhead or Rust & Bone since, he has stayed on course in that he keeps choosing projects that have at least a whiff of sophistication or prestige about them. At 37 years of age he's made 27 features already (two more very promising titles this year: The Danish Girl and the Tilda Swinton feature A Bigger Splash) so this Posterized is missing lots of titles but I tried to hit the key ones.
How many have you seen?
Black Book (2006)
My Queen Karo (2009)- free love drama that includes this NSFW scene
The Loft (2008) -this Belgian thriller was later remade into an American film of the same name, with Matthias reprising his role for the director.
Pulsar (2010)
Bullhead (2011) - his international breakthrough - such a strong performance. Highly recommended.
The Gang (2011)
Rust and Bone (2012) -Marion & Matthias are both sensational in this so we hope they work together again
Blood Ties (2013) - and they did. Though this film sank without a trace
The Loft (2015)
The Drop (2015)
Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
A Little Chaos (2015)
He's working so much that we have many more to come including the Cannes hit Maryland with Diane Kruger that has apparently been retitled as Disorder for some markets though there's no word yet on a US release.
Reader Comments (23)
He's definitely on my short-list. Held up and made Carey Mulligan do well as a desirable woman with money. Much prefer him to soft boys Bradley, Ryan G. And Ryan R., chris Pratt or Chris Pine. Like Meryl, I want a real man.
Thank you for this :)
So bewildered by Schoenaerts' hotness, Nat, that you're calling Tom Hardy an American...
Love this dude
So sexy in Rust & Bone
He was sensational in Rust and Bone - just brilliant. Can't wait to see more of his work.
Never sall Bullhead but he was aces in Rust and Bone. Though have seen him in a couple other films and wasn't impressed. I think Tom Hardy is actually a pretty good comparison - sometimes great, sometimes not but with a good screen presence.
Couldn't u have done a posterizedMulligan.
For me, it's all about the eyes!
He's so great. Hope he continues to do well. Among the unusually great actors born in 1977 - Ramirez, Chastain, Morton, Ejiofor, Maggie G, Fassbender, and Hardy.
You can't have Tom Hardy, Nat, Britain will not allow it.
They released Suite Francaise over here - perfectly serviceable romantic war drama with questionable politics. It doesn't really sound like Schoenaerts has challenged himself much recently, but hopefully his upcoming projects prove me wrong. He was so superb in Rust & Bone - not easy to match the great Marion!
This year was a huge disappointment for me with him. He seemed so bored in FFTMC, Suite Francais and (especially) A Little Chaos. And seeing all of them in just a few months really drives the disappointment home. After being magnetized by him in Bullhead I wonder if his charm and charisma are just completely incapable of holding up while fettered by elaborate period themes and costuming? Does he require "modern" masculinities to thrive?
He wowed me in RAB but am realising his acting is a little one note and played over 3 films can be wearing for me,handsome and charasmatic in ALC,SF AND FRTMC but nothing more.
Five - Rust and Bone, The Drop, Far From the Madding Crowd and A Little Chaos, and Suite Française. Loved his performances in all of them. I met him at the premiere for FFTMC and he was lovely, and adorable - he kept talking about how surreal it was to be in such a big premiere, and it was a tiny one!
I saw him first in Bullhead, the rare movie I went into not knowing anything about, and was BLOWN AWAY by him. Have only seen him in Far From the Madding Crowd since then, a quieter but still very good performance. Still need to see Rust & Bone.
LOVE HIM
Perfect man.
I liked his performance in FFTMC but he does look bored in the previews to A Little Chaos. He must have done it just to work with Winslet and Rickman.
I heard he turned down Batman because he didn't want to commit to three movies. Man of Steel wasn't great so maybe its for the best but he would be a lot more famous right now if he accepted it.
Rust and Bone!!`
Only 2: Bullhead (based solely on this site's recommendation of it) and Rust & Bone. Thought he was great in both but am a little worried about seeing him in these "softer" period movies, as comments here seem to validate. What's great about him is the combination of testosterone and sensitivity, so if you diminish the former everything is off-balance.
I thought he was still manly in Far From The Madding Crowd. His character works on a farm.
Two movies are missing on this list: Love Belongs to Everyone and Left Bank, Matthias was great in those movies!
Loved him in Bullhead and Rust and Bone, but he never had another film worthy of his talent since them, he was great in The Drop though. Can't wait for Maryland, A Bigger Splash, The Danish Girl and Lewis and Clark!
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