Joseph Fiennes: Why didn't Shakespeare in Love make him a huge star?

Not handsome. Not sexy.

Very quirky but not sexy

I thought he was sexier than Rafe.

He was good in AHS Asylum

Earrings. Caftans.

He's also good in The Handmaid's Tale.

Not really

Decent actor but no charisma

Gosling has taken up Hollywood's quota for that rat-face look.

Odd how he was the leading man for both strong Best Actress candidates that year (Blanchett too) and then got so little traction out of it.

I remember reading somewhere that he has to keep working because he's in debt a lot.

I looked over his imdb in the years after Shakespeare and he really didn't do much at all. Strange.

Uncut. Nobody wants that.

His face was too narrow and he doesn't have charisma and he was eclipsed in the movie by the Goop woman. He seems kind of scary and insincere. That made him a good choice to play the priest in AHS:Asylum.

Did he do a lot of nudity? Ralph has done quite a lot of that, even lately in "A Bigger Splash". I agree that I thought it confounding that Gwyneth got all the awards while the focus and a lot of the success of the film was because of Joseph Fiennes.

I thought he was "okay" in Shakespeare in Love but zero charisma on screen. Not particularly photogenic. A bit of a letdown to be honest.

But that film was extraordinary.

Geoffrey Rush was more interesting.

I don't know. It's a mystery.

Success has a lot to do with luck. He just never got any roles that would have made him a star, unlike his brother Rafe, who got a prime role in "Schindler's List" and then the lead in 'The English Patient."

Ben Affleck and goop gave it up for the Weinsteins. Joseph refused.

Not very interesting, and a strange face.

I have only seen him in the one thing.

Thin hair and short stature.

Boring

Because he's the "Kevin Dillon" of the Fiennes brothers.

[quote]Did he do a lot of nudity? Ralph has done quite a lot of that, even lately in "A Bigger Splash".

Okay, Ralph, we get it -- you're hung. Jeez...

Creamy Ass

Meh. Not much there either.

[quote] Uncut. Nobody wants that.

Actually, both Fiennes brothers seem to be cut for some reason (you can see Joseph's schwanz in Killing me Softly and Ralph's in A Bigger Splash most clearly). Maybe they're closeted sons of Israel.

Dead behind the eyes and soulless. Like looking at a magazine spread.

Anyone see the thing where he played Michael Jackson?

R29, in England all the schwanz are considered Crown property.

His teef were too noticeable when he gave head.

He's Kevin Dillon, Chad Lowe, Eric Roberts etc etc

R34 Mmmmmm. Eric Roberts.

If Hollywood execs could answer your question OP, they'd all be rich.

I heard rumours at the time that he was gay - and fairly outrageously so! - and assumed that put the kibosh on further leading man roles in Hollywood...

Never thought to question if it's true - it was a long time ago - before EVERYTHING (seemingly!) was just a google search online. Probably just wishful thinking on the part of some vicious queens. He certainly was delicious back in the day...

He always resembled Prince to me, so I guess that fame slot for that look was taken.

Hunh? In what universe is this man not sexy? Y'all stupid.

He was so rimmable in Shakespeare.

Am I the only one who didn't get Shakespeare in Love? I actually like Goop as an actress and she totally impressed me in Hard Eight, Sylvia and Proof, but I don't get why DiL or The talented Mr Ripley are her most famous movies.

As for J. Fiennes, no charisma and definitely not as talented as his brother Ralph.

*SiL

I think R34 nailed it.

Overshadowed by older sibling and Hollywod execs too dense to realize there were two of them.

"Just get me the more popular one. I don't want a cut-rate Fiennes"

Although Goop is insufferable in real life, I thought she was great in SIL. And JF as well.

Lacking that certain something. And R27 picture nailed it. Not has no butt whatsoever.

^^ then more for me, hun. mmmmmmmmmm

Have at it, McDuff.

I find him very attractive. Also I like his smooth and probably silki soft ass.

He needs to do a gay role

Is he gay?

R39, I always thought he looked fine as well - if nothing else, at least prettier than his brother.

In r51, they appear to be the same height.

Let's remember how beautiful Ralph used to be before balding destroyed his looks.

r53, that's the first photo I've ever seen of Ralph where he bears any resemblance to Joseph. I guess it's partly the darker hair and mustache.

JF: reduced to playing Michael Jackson (a shocking minstrel act), which only continues the downward spiral.

He's handsome and a good actor but he lacks the dangerous charisma of his brother. Ralph's career trajectory has been weird as hell: he's never had wide box office appeal, he's appeared in some truly bad films and for that matter given some embarrassingly bad performances (Quiz Show, anyone?), but directors will always want to hire him because there is simply no one like him. If I'm honest, I'd rather watch the elder Fiennes on film than any of his contemporaries like Day-Lewis, Oldman or Firth, even though they are all technically better actors than he is. There is just something uniquely compelling about him. The same can't be said for Joseph.

Say what you will about Ralph Fiennes but he is one of the few mainstream actors that are willing to go full frontal.

You're right, he does look like Prince. I never could put my finger on it, but that's it.

I thought Joseph Fiennes was Ralph Fiennes. Mind blown.

Good call, r38

Ralph Fiennes lost his leading man status fairly quickly. He's now just an ordinary looking, balding middle aged man. It's a good thing he has talent enough for character roles.

The role that brought him international fame, the asshole commander in "Schindler's List" was a character part. He was always a sexy character guy who played leading parts.

I loved Quiz Show, and thought Ralph was great in it! Not as good as John Turturro, but on the other hand nowhere near as bad as Rob Morrow.

R63, but doesn't that describe most film actors? Somewhere between Turturro and Morrow in terms of talent?

R63, Paul Scofield walked off with that movie with a single line. "Your name is mine."

(Save Morrow, everyone in that movie was pretty damn great, from Mira Sorvino to the actress who played Turturro's wife to Azaria, Paymer and Scorsese's cameo).

As to the lesser Fiennes, he didn't do much in "American Horror Story" but looked pretty damn good on it.

I liked him more in Elizabeth.

What r56 said. Precisely that undefinable charisma that surpasses "acting technique." Absent in JF but RF was and is tremendously gifted.

Ralph Fiennes deserved an Oscar for his role in The Grand Budapest Hotel, he was amazing as Monsieur Gustave. Loved the movie too! So funny and so touching at the same time.

R63 Rob Morrow is the worst! A horrible actor!

I think if the internet would have been a big thing like it is now in the early 90s when Ralph had his break through, he would have attracted the same crazy stans that Hiddleston and Cumberbatch attract now.

Ralph was mentioned in a blind ages ago about a famous UK actor who liked to occasionally boff teenage boys. It was him and/or Liam Neeson.

Ralph is rumoured to be a sex addict so I'm not surprised that he swings both ways.

What do they have planned here?

Ralph actually has a thing for black chorus girls. This goes back to his time on Broadway playing Hamlet.

Ralph actually has a thing for anyone with a willing hole.

Oh to be spit roasted by Ralph and Liam.... ecstasy.

Rumored to be a violent rapist. Rumored that his rapey ways got him blacklisted by European film distributors years ago which is why no one really cast him in any big features after Shakespeare In Love, and why he’s made his modest comeback in TV instead of movies.

He’s got a too-long oval face, bland dark brown eyes that are too close together; none of his brothers’ attractiveness, charisma, intensity, or intelligence. He’s married but purportedly treats his wife like shit and cheats on her [with other women]. He also is supposed to have had his lip ripped off in a skiing accident so his mouth has been cobbled back together with grafts and sutures.

Well then it sounds like his Handmaid's Tale casting's spot on.

I remember drug rumors about him way back when. Anyone else hear this?

Aren't both he and Ralph rumored to be huge assholes on and off set?

Joseph seems out of his league on Handmaid's Tale compared to his female costars

Moooaaarrr porrrr favoooorrr

He's short.

Mere coincidence that Ralph is besties with head witch Anjelica, who has the power to summon demons and cast spells?

Ralph was excellent in Quiz Show.

He’s got skinny head syndrome.

He didn’t let Harvey fuck him

One of my British friends went to Uni with him. She literally rolled her eyes in disgust at the mention of his name. He was obsessed with one of her beautiful female friends/fellow students but I got the impression she thought he was rather wet and pathetic as opposed to ‘rapey’.

R88 No offense to your friend but....women get very jealous when their friend receives more attention than them. She's probably mad he didn't try anything with her.

Anyway, did he succeed? Did the beautiful friend get some?

He doesn't look short, r83. Have you met him. How tall is he?

Tell us more, r84....

I've only seen him in two or three roles, but...did he just turn out to be not as good an actor as everyone thought? I saw him playing an FBI agent or something like that and he wasn't convincing. Came off more like the damsel in distress.

Very small penis.

He does seem kinda thin and fragile. I find him adequate in HT.

He was the lead in failed pilot from Ryan Murphy about a family man who wants to transition to become a woman.

[quote] He was the lead in failed pilot from Ryan Murphy about a family man who wants to transition to become a woman.

That idea sounds AWFUL!

R94 Pretty/Handsome was the pilot. It also starred DL fave Jonathan Groff as a schoolboy, Robert Wagner, Blythe Danner, and Sarah Paulson.

He does look like Prince R38...

R56 nailed it. Ralph just has that certain something. I watched all of Grand Budapest Hotel even though I decided I hated it about halfway through, because I wanted to see what Ralph would do next. That's charisma, folks.

I know it's been over a year since he posted it but I'm still mad as hell at R56 saying Finnes in QUIZ SHOW was terrible.

not everyone is looking to be a franchise movie star.

Didn't put out wth Harvey. I warned him.

He went bald; has Peter Levine as an agent at CAA- both bad news.

Blinds have exposed him as a sexual predator. He allegedly has engaged in several date rapes.

He is extremely sexy. I don't know what you people are talking about.

And, yes, Daddy wants that hole...

R89 I definitely don’t think it was a case of being jealous. I think the beautiful friend was unimpressed with him too. I got the distinct impression they thought he was a bit of a pathetic creep and my friend had genuine disdain for him. I don’t know if there was anything sinister to it or he was just a harmless type who followed her round like a puppy dog. She told me this almost 20 years ago when I lived in the UK and we’re no longer in touch so I can’t find out more. The conversation started because I mentioned how cute he was .

He had a fling with Naomi Campbell. It got some tabloid press; supposedly she said he was "a very good lover."

Personally, I find Joseph sexy....

Ralph has done a lot more interesting things, and now he's directing movies too. I admired him for taking on "Coriolanus" (maybe Shakespeare's most dislikable hero) and I enjoyed his Dickens movie. He ought to have won the Oscar for "A Bigger Splash," a fearless performance, but it went pretty unnoticed....

He has creepy eyes and a creepy stare

Isn't he rumored to be a huge asshole?