Kurt Russell's Pick for Hollywood's Greatest Actor Is a Shocker

It was no secret that Kurt Russell viewed Marlon Brando as the unparalleled giant of cinema. But with Brando's passing in 2004, a void was left for the title of the finest working thespian, at least in the mind of the Escape from New York star. As it turned out, he wouldn't have to wait long to find a successor. A mere three months after the icon's death, Russell found himself on set with the person he believed was ready to claim the throne.

An Unconventional Contender

Nearly two decades later, his opinion on this individual's acting prowess hasn't wavered. While he once suggested Meryl Streep was the closest the industry had to a modern Brando, she wasn't his final selection. Streep is undoubtedly in the pantheon of all-time greats, but the cult classic king's candidate for the most gifted artist in the entire industry is a far more surprising name than any of the usual suspects.

When you think of the top living actors, names like Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Anthony Hopkins immediately come to mind. Yet for Russell, the true cream of the crop was a scene partner from a simple horse movie.

A Powerful Endorsement

Years later, when he heard that his Death Proof and The Hateful Eight director, Quentin Tarantino, was auditioning a slew of young stars for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he offered one of them the most enthusiastic recommendation imaginable.

“Quentin, Dakota Fanning is the best actress in Hollywood,” he told him. “She is absolutely the best actress in Hollywood. She is the best.” Fanning was just ten years old when she worked alongside Russell in 2005’s Dreamer, but her talent left a profound impression on him. To be fair, she was hardly a rookie at that point, having already shared the screen with Washington in Man on Fire, De Niro in Hide and Seek, Sean Penn in I Am Sam, and Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds.

A Director Convinced

When Tarantino put her through the audition process for the role of Manson Family member Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, she amazed him by teaching herself not to blink during the entire reading. He couldn't help but agree with his friend's assessment.

“Kurt is right,” he remarked. “She’s the best actress in Hollywood. She is obviously doing this. She has trained her eyes not to blink.” So, is Dakota Fanning really the top actor in the business? In short, no. Is she a talented performer? Without a doubt. Is she one of the finest of her generation? Absolutely, and with nearly 25 years of experience before even hitting her 30s, she has the resume to back it up. Still, Russell has likely forgotten more about the film industry than most will ever know, with a career stretching back to the early 1960s, so his opinion carries significant weight. The fact that her Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director agreed suggests the idea isn't so far-fetched after all. Fanning’s name might not be the first one that comes up in a conversation about cinema's most skilled living actor, but when two talents of Tarantino and Russell's calaber think she is, perhaps there's something to it.