The Best Bill Paxton Performances
In memory of the great Bill Paxton, some of the CineNation writers pick some of their favorite performances by him.
He took on the Predator, he took on the Alien, and he took on the Terminator. Bill Paxton was one helluva an actor and a great person. He was loved by fans all across the world. Throughout his career, he gave us a number of memorable performances and a number of great lines. From James Cameron spectacles on the big screen to small screen favorites, Bill Paxton was an actor that always gave us a memorable performance. From Weird Science to Apollo 13, Paxton showed us the great range he had as an actor. Since his passing, numerous people have been looking back on the great career he had, and we at CineNation felt we should do the same by picking out some of our favorite roles by Bill Paxton.
Bill “The Extreme” in “Twister”
By Brandon Sparks
Even though Twister scared the hell out of me when I was growing up, I still watched it numerous times. Growing up in Alabama, you can see a number of devastating tornados throughout your life. Once you see the devastation of one, it’s hard to stay completely calm when you hear the storm sirens go off. Twister is the only movie that comes to mind that shows just what it is like to live through a tornado and the destruction it can cause.
Now, Twister is a popcorn movie, and the science of it isn’t all that realistic, but at its core it is about the relationship between Bill (Bill Paxton) and Jo (Helen Hunt). Paxton is known for being more of a character actor, popping up in mostly supporting roles, but Twister doesn’t fall into that category of films. Twister is important because it is one of the few Hollywood films where Paxton plays the leading man and he does it incredibly well. He is able to bring a little levity to scenes that are taking place during dangerous moments, which is a realistic human characteristic. Some people try to make light of things when they aren’t going incredibly well (Cows).
Twister can get lost in Paxton’s filmography because he had such great supporting roles in other films, but this is one that should be looked at when talking about great Paxton roles. It was a role and movie that, in a weird way, brought some legitimacy to storm chasers and meteorology. After the film’s release, scientists say that the film inspired people to become scientists and meteorologists. They called it Twister effect. Numerous people wanted to become “storm chasers”. I think one reason I love the movie so much is because it reminds me of my dad. If he didn’t have the current career he has, he might have end up becoming a storm chaser. His favorite ride at Universal Studios Orlando was always Twister: Ride It before it was closed down. I can’t guarantee that it was Paxton’s performance that made my dad love the film so much, or prompted his increased interest in meteorology in the late 1990s, but I would not be surprised if it was because Paxton was so great in the film.
Morgan Earp in “Tombstone”
By Alex Bauer
There are a handful of films out there where you wish you were part of “the group” — family, co-workers or friends that are inseparable. These are the people that are with you until the end, helping celebrate your glories and picking you up in your defeats.
When I first saw 1993’s Tombstone, this notion of being in a special “group” was enticing. Though Val Kilmer delivers a performance for the ages as “Doc” Holliday, Bill Paxton’s Morgan Earp is vital to the success of the film. Tombstone is the story of a mining town in Arizona, and it revolves around the character Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell). With Earp in his gang is the aforementioned “Doc” Holliday and Earp’s two brothers: Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton). Real life events — such as the gunfight at the O.K. Corral — are relived in marvelous glory.
Paxton’s Morgan Earp is brotherly. He’s a rock solid member of “the Earp Gang”; but, more importantly, he’s always there for family. Morgan is a reliable man, which Paxton empathizes beautifully in Tombstone. There is a warmth and calmness to Paxton’s voice. Amidst the chaos of the “Old West”, Morgan Earp is there to rattle some sense into everyone. Paxton does not steal the show, nor is he memorable. Yet, his character is vital to the success their “group” achieved in Tombstone.
John Garrett in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
By Sean Randall
So, this is probably gonna be seen as a completely ridiculous choice for someone who has, since 1975, performed as an actor in 72 films (including the upcoming film The Circle) and 97 individual television productions (including 3 upcoming episodes of Training Day). After all, most people, even big Marvel fans, didn’t really like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. terribly much. No superheroes, subpar special effects (though really good for network television, let’s be honest), and an incredibly slow season 1. When Bill Paxton, playing the role of SHIELD Agent Garrett, arrived on the scene, he added a cocksure swagger and laid-back attitude to help counter the more uptight and often serious Agent Coulson and his crew. He also provided a little more flavor to Coulson’s background with the organization and gave the show some gravitas.
Then… Well, I don’t want to spoil anything, but this literally happened 3 years and 6 Marvel Cinematic Universe films ago. But in 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released and revealed that SHIELD had been infiltrated by the Nazi group HYDRA for decades. And with that news, the show exploded with action, speed, and excitement. Across the 6 episodes Paxton played Agent Garrett, he played a huge role in giving the series a much-needed kick in the pants and showed a great range, vacillating between being likeable and fun and being someone you desperately wanted to see kick it. He bucked the trend of the typical guest star and gave serious layers to what was ultimately a fairly brief performance in that first season. He is one of the major reasons the show made it past its first season and became something critics didn’t mind as much. Give the show a chance, push through the first 13 episodes, and wait for Paxton to work his magic before you throw the show back in your “Meh” pile.
Bill Henrickson in “Big Love”
By Anna Catley
Bill Paxton. I’m so sad to be writing this. I’ve loved this man every since I saw Mighty Joe Young at age five. And yet, I’ve still managed to be one of those people who has mixed him up with Bill Pullman one or two times. It can’t be helped that both Bills not only have similar last names, but also equally strong jawlines and piercing eyes. But Bill Paxton…I’ve seen many of his roles over the years, but the one that stands out in my mind the strongest and the clearest is his role as Bill Henrickson, the foundation and heart of the HBO show Big Love (2006–2011). Before our obsession with morbidly fascinating religious reality tv programs such as Sisters Wives or 19 Kids and Counting, there was Big Love, an incredible show about a polygamous fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah.
Bill Paxton was the powerhouse of the show, without which Big Love may have had a drastically different tone. Paxton plays Bill Henrickson, husband to three wives, and father to many. This Bill is steadfast and honourable, diligent to his duty in his marriages and his children, and to his religion. This is the face of the show, the one who keeps it all together. There’s no one else I can picture taking on the responsibility as the patriarch of the Henricksons. Bill Paxton’s inherent air of kindness and calculated way of working lent an integral warmth to the role. It would have been so easy for the show to completely devolve into sensationalism which modern audiences so crave — religious perversion and all that jazz. Naturally in a show about polygamy, Big Love isn’t without its share of drama, but Bill Paxton’s strong presence and laid back demeanour kept the show grounded and focused on the important things, namely familial relationships. Paxton, in my eyes, will always not only be the glue that kept that Henrickson family together, but the show together as well. I can’t imagine anyone else doing the role justice.
As an aside, if you haven’t seen Big Love, Bill Paxton is not the only draw to this amazing show — it also had a tremendous supporting cast which included Amanda Seyfried, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, Sissy Spacek etc.
Simon in “True Lies”
By Thomas Horton
Don’t get me wrong, Bill Paxton was an extremely versatile actor, but he was at his most fun to watch playing one of two specific characters: a consummate badass or an absolute airhead. His role as Simon in True Lies will always be one of his best, because he gets to play both.
True Lies is a thoroughly entertaining action rom-com from James Cameron that plays off of a fun premise: Jamie Lee Curtis thinks she’s having an affair on her boring husband Harry (Arnold Schwarzenegger) with a secret agent named Simon (Bill Paxton), when in reality, Simon is just a slimy used car salesman, and her husband has actually been a secret agent all along.
Paxton plays the role perfectly; his convincing portrayal of the mysterious and suave agent makes the reveal of his true nature one of the most hilarious twists in film. When a suspicious Harry tracks down Simon at his dealership, the ensuing conversation is pure gold: “Let’s face it Harry…the ‘Vette gets ’em wet.”
His absolute best moment comes after Harry assembles a strike team to barge in on Simon and his wife and kidnap them both. Simon is pushed out to the ledge of a bridge, and when Harry points a gun at him, he completely breaks down in a truly impressive performance of complete cowardice — “I’m nothing man! I’m navel lint…I’m not worth the bullet!”
It takes a very brave man to play someone that pathetic. Rest in peace, Bill Paxton.
