Small Roles - Big Actors | Stephen Root

The Empty Man

There can be no question about the immense talent of character actor Stephen Root. There is no shortage of great performances to choose from. From his iconic character of Milton, the downtrodden office worker in Office Space, to the owner of the country radio station in O Brother, Where Art Thou. The man is so versatile and comfortable in every role that you believe him.

One of the problems with stunt-casting a role is that the famous actor portraying the character can find it hard to disappear. Most film lovers who grew up watching Jack Nicholson in his prime will remember his roles as “Jack Nicholson as a Werewolf” or “Jack Nicholson as an astronaut.” While it’s no knock to his acting ability, his face and image were so ubiquitous that you always saw Jack Nicholson. The exception to this might be A Few Good Men.

Either way, this is where character actors shine. They disappear into a role and make it their own. In the Empty Man, Stephen Root plays a religious cult leader named Arthur Parsons. In the scene below, he explains the ephemeral nature of things and why things unseen can be just as dangerous as the visible, tangible realities of life.

I can say without fear of contradiction that even when Stephen Root ends up in a bad movie, he never gives a bad performance.