Everyone has a performance by an actor they consider their favorite. These are some performances that the actors also consider to be their own favorites. Often, when interviewed, an actor will say that having to choose their favorite role is like having to choose which child of theirs is their favorite because each one is special and unique.
Actors have their own reasons for why they love a particular part. It could be because they liked the character and enjoyed playing such a challenging role or because it garnered them awards and changed their careers. Others might cherish a role because it was for a movie their children could finally see them in. Whatever the reason, these actors hold these specific performances close to their hearts.
Jeff Bridges
In The Big Lebowski, Bridges plays Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski. He's a middle-aged, pot-smoking slacker with a love of bowling who gets involved in a ransom gone awry. Jeff Bridges told Esquire Magazine this role ranks as his favorite, and he loves the character so much he named his band after him - "The Abiders."
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Kindergarten Cop, the latter of which Arnold says is his favorite movie of his.
Arnold's role of John Kimble is his favorite because he says that for many years he tried to get into comedy and couldn't. That all changed when he met famed comedy director Ivan Reitman. The result was Twins, Kindergarten Cop, and, later, the poorly received Junior. Since then Arnold has starred in many more comedies. Schwarzenegger joked to James Corden that playing the Kindergarten Cop was great preparation for his biggest role yet of California Governor.
Leonardo DiCaprio
The Aviator, where he portrayed eccentric real-life filmmaker and aviator, Howard Hughes.
He claims the reason is "it's a different set of circumstances when you're able to say to yourself, 'you know, someday I'm going to play this character,' and then you get to develop it. And I got to develop it for over eight years, and then the great Martin Scorsese got to direct me in it. So that's the one I'm probably most proud of."
Robin Williams
Robin Williams was a comic genius, however, according to a Reddit AMA from before he ed away, he said his favorite role was one of his more dramatic portrayals.
According to the AMA, Williams' favorite role was Dr. Malcolm Sayer in Awakenings opposite Robert DeNiro. Robin Williams portrayed a doctor based on Oliver Sachs who discovers the benefits of a drug that "awakens" catatonic patients. It was Williams' favorite role because "he got to explore the human brain from the inside and out."
Bill Murray
Bill Murray has had an Lost in Translation, his roles shifted to darker and sometimes depressed characters. On the special features for the Lost In Translation DVD, he claimed this transitional role was his favorite.
In the film, he plays Bob Harris, an old movie star in the midst of a mid-life crisis. The film changed Murray's career and earned him an Oscar nomination for the performance.
Harrison Ford
arrison Ford has starred as many iconic characters, like Han Solo and Indiana Jones, to name a few, but his pick for his favorite role is a little unexpected. Ford claims his favorite role is Allie Fox in The Mosquito Coast, where he played an inventor who brings his family to live in a Central American jungle when his behavior grows increasingly erratic.
The film was a commercial failure and this might be attributed to the fact that Allie Fox was very unlikable and, up until then, Ford was known for playing likable heroes. However, this atypical role still ranks as Ford's favorite.
Frank Langella
Frank Langella has played some great characters, but in a career that included playing Masters of The Universe.
Langella took the role of villainous Skeletor for his son, who was a big fan of the character. He claims he loved playing the over-the-top character and that playing the villain in the flop Cutthroat Island was a favorite too, for the same reason.
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman oeuvre, he says his favorite is that of a pimp in 1987's Street Smart.
In Street Smart, Morgan Freeman stars as Fast Black opposite Christopher Reeve. The role garnered Freeman an Oscar nomination, and he claims it's his favorite because it was such a breakthrough role.
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson has starred in big franchises like Marvel and Star Wars and critically acclaimed indie films like Pulp Fiction. The characters he created with Quentin Tarantino are some of the most iconic in film history. However, Jackson's favorite role is the not-so-iconic role of Mitch Hennessy in the underrated Shane Black-written movie The Long Kiss Goodnight, where he played a down-on-his-luck private eye paired with an amnesiac spy, played by Geena Davis.
The movie performed poorly at the box office, but despite that, he told Jimmy Fallon he loves the movie and loved working with Geena Davis. His character actually died in the film, but after test audiences complained, they reshot an ending in which he lives.
John Travolta
John Travolta has had some famous ups and downs in his career. Roles like Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever and Vincent in Pulp Fiction have left an indelible mark on the collective unconscious.
However, The Fanatic, he claimed that the recent role was his favorite. In the film, Travolta plays Moose, a loner obsessed with his favorite movie star. While Travolta gives his all to the character, the movie goes from one bizarre scene to the next. Unfortunately, The Fanatic was a critical and commercial disaster and nominated for several Razzie awards. It would seem that Travolta is the only fanatic about that performance.
