Sean Penn carries on
Brando's tradition

In life, we’re always searching for The Next.

In music, we long to hear The Next Sinatra. In basketball, it’s The Next Jordan. In literature, it’s The Next Hemingway.

In acting, it has long been The Next Brando.

Since he shook up Broadway as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1947, Marlon Brando has been the standard-bearer of American acting. This continued through the peaks and valleys, as he reinvented himself with “On The Waterfront” and then “The Godfather” and then “Last Tango in Paris” and then “Apocalypse Now.”

His naturalistic style of acting, which developed along a serpentine path that began with the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski, weaved its way through the Group Theater and made stops at the disparate philosophical camps of both Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, inspired legions of brooding young imitators.

Today, we’re still searching. But like the Academy Awards, there are nominees, and arguably one winner:

The Next Brando is Sean Penn.

Penn is the closest we have come in recent years to witnessing an actor whose work radiates integrity, who plumbs the depths of his soul with each role, who mixes a healthy disdain for the business of Hollywood with passion for his work.

Big talent, smart choices
In fact, it could be argued that Penn has taken the Brando model a step further by applying his gifts to smarter pictures. For every “Streetcar” in Brando’s lengthy and luminous career, there was a clunker like “Desirée” or “Sayonara” or much later “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Brando grew contemptuous of the trappings of success, even as he wallowed in them. That internal fight manifested itself in a reluctant thirst for money, and his resume is peppered with jobs taken only for the check.

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Penn flirted with career disaster, most notably with his tabloidesque marriage to Madonna and their unfortunate collaboration on “Shanghai Surprise” in 1986. Aside from that, mostly he has made choices befitting an iconic talent. His early devotion to his craft is evident even in appearances in breezy fare like “Fast Times in Ridgemont High” or a prison melodrama like “Bad Boys.” Later, he would exhibit Brando-like intensity in “The Falcon and the Snowman” and “Colors.”

It is the rare actor who can perform equally well in leading man roles and character parts. Brando was perhaps the finest in this class. He pulled off the simple brute in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “On the Waterfront,” but he was just as convincing in the title role of “Viva Zapata!” or as Fletcher Christian in “Mutiny on the Bounty” or as Marc Anthony in “Julius Caesar” or as Vito Corleone in “The Godfather.” Meanwhile, he would slip in a turn as a conventional  male protagonist in “The Ugly American” or even take a leading man opportunity as in “Last Tango” but imbue it with a twisted energy and eroticism.

Penn is also masterful at both approaches. Playing a character closer to his own persona, he brought gravitas to his performances in “Racing with the Moon” and “At Close Range,” and much later in “A Thin Red Line.” But he could lose himself in more colorful parts, like the disreputable attorney in “Carlito’s Way,” or the tragic Southerner in “Dead Man Walking,” and especially as everybody’s favorite stoner in “Fast Times.”

Other contenders
Of course, whenever  you declare an actor to be The Next Brando, expect a torrent of dissent.

If there is one challenger to Penn’s title who leaps to mind immediately, it would be Robert DeNiro. There is no disputing that DeNiro is a wondrous actor who has had a magnificent career. His roles in “Mean Streets,” “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” — all directed by Martin Scorsese – are as memorable as they come in Hollywood. He has also distinguished himself by playing an array of characters, from Rupert Pupkin in “The King of Comedy” to Leonard Lowe in “Awakenings” to Max Cady in “Cape Fear.”

Lately, though, Bobby D. has not been as discriminating about his pictures as he probably should be. “Analyze This” was fine; “Analyze That” was unnecessary. “Meet the Parents” was fluff; “Meet the Fockers” is overkill. “Showtime” and “15 Minutes” should have never gotten beyond the discussion stages. With the career foundation that DeNiro has built, he should probably strive not to mar it with overprocessed Hollywood fare.

Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio are also worthy candidates. Depp has the pure talent, but he also could use some career guidance. Early on, he made daring choices with “Edward Scissorhands,” “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”, “Ed Wood” and “Donnie Brasco.” But lately, his Brandometer rating has dropped with appearances in dispensable celluloid like “Sleepy Hollow” and “Secret Window.” His delightful display as Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean” is an allowable diversion; doing the sequel, however, might brand him as a run-of-the-mill gun-for-hire rather than one of the premier actors of his generation.

DiCaprio’s best work came in “This Boy’s Life,” “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” and “Romeo + Juliet.” Through no fault of his own, however, he catapulted into the stratosphere of international stardom with the phenomenon that was “Titanic,” and now he faces a struggle to be recognized more as an actor than a movie star. Fortunately, he has had the good sense lately to sign on with great directors, like Scorsese for “Gangs of New York” and the upcoming “The Aviator” and Steven Spielberg with “Catch Me If You Can.”

Two other dark horses to consider are Benicio Del Toro and Mark Ruffalo. Both were trained like Brando in the same Stella Adler system. Del Toro has wowed audiences in “The Usual Suspects,” “Traffic” and “21 Grams,” and seems to be smitten with the kinds of challenging and weighty roles that make for a legendary career. Ditto for Ruffalo, whose list of credits is so far relatively short,  yet with pictures like “You Can Count on Me” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” he appears to be blazing a bold and exciting trail through Hollywood.

On the distaff side, it’s impossible not to include Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Frances McDormand and Judi Dench. And maybe before they’re finished, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts will join that pantheon.

For now, we grieve over the loss of the great Marlon Brando, and argue if we’ll ever see his like again.

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