Movies With Just One Actor
Here are some movies where the lead character was the centre of the conflict in the plot. They were the centre and had the whole film to themselves, from the begining to the end!
Moon (2009)
In the not so distant future, the Earth’s pollution crisis is solved by Helium-3, which provides Earth with pollution-free power from nuclear fusion. The film follows this single crew member, Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) in the final days of his three year contract. The only companionship he has is Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey), a well-mannered robot companion similar to 2001’s HAL 9000 and delayed video messages from his wife back home. Besides Spacey’s voice, a couple of hallucinations and some video footage of his wife, Rockwell acts alone.
127 Hours (2010)
Danny Boyle’s biographical survival drama is based on the real life story of Aron Ralston’s ill-fated trip to the chasm of Blue John Canyon in Uta. While climbing down it, he accidentally slips and falls. A boulder pins his arm against the canyon wall and he is stuck. His several attempts at removing the boulder and calling for help are to no avail.
While there are some other characters in this film, the majority of the film is just James Franco. 127 Hours was well received by critics and audiences, and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Franco and Best Picture.
Buried (2010)
The plot of Rodrigo thriller is brilliantly simplistic – one coffin, one man stuck inside and a fistful of items which could save his life if his air doesn’t run out first. The main problem with this basic plot would be the feature length – it would make a great short film – but Rodrigo Cortés’ talent is showcased through the 95 minute running time which never ceases to let go of the audiences’ attention. The movie begins and ends inside a coffin, and no one besides the dedicated Ryan Reynolds shows up onscreen.
Cast Away (2000)
Now, there are many other actors besides Tom Hanks within Cast Away, but the film has landed its place on to the list since he is alone for approximately two-thirds of its running time, and the additional characters hardly contribute to the plot.
The film was not shot consecutively. Hanks gained 23 kg during pre-production to make him look like a pudgy, middle-aged man and after the majority of the film was shot, production went on a yearlong hiatus so that Hanks could lose the weight, grow his hair and beard and so Zemeckis could make another film, “What Lies Beneath”.
Locke (2013)
With the exception of its opening shot, where Locke (Tom Hardy) gets into his BMW, the movie is a one-man show, but is not alone. His situation is slowly exposed through the faceless voices over his speaker phone conversations – and even these voices were strongly cast with the likes of Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, The Night Manager), Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Luther) and so on.
Most the film takes place within a BMW X5, which was driven down the M6 motorway on a flatbed truck. Shooting took place in real time, and the filmmakers only took breaks to change the cameras’ memory cards. The self-imposed minimalism of the exposition of his situation conveys the suffocating pressure of confessions and responsibility.
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