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.