A New Face that Isn't So New

        I don't know how many of you guys have heard of actor Pablo Schreiber but he is fantastic (and I don't even mean just for his looks, although they do add to his appeal :) ). I first saw him in the 2010 independent film, Happythankyoumoreplease, directed by Josh Radnor. And then caught him on a few episodes of the newest season of Weeds, where he plays Nancy Botwin's Army, drug supplier, Demetri.
        After finding myself in need of a new series to watch, a few friends spoke very highly of the HBO series, The Wire and I began doing some research of my own. When I realized he was in the second season I thought, "That's it! I have to watch this series for this reason alone!" I again was pleasantly surprised to find completely different character portrayals than that of both the characters he played in Happythankyoumoreplease and Weeds. Schreiber shines in Happythankyoumoreplease, as a moralistic golden boy, in love with his girlfriend, as he pushes to make a new life for himself by attempting to persuade his girlfriend into moving out of New York City. He proves valiant after being ecstatically surprised by an unplanned pregnancy, that his girlfriend believes he will be unhappy off. In Weeds, Schreiber’s character is the mysterious type, with intense sexuality and added darkness. You never know what his character is actually thinking or how he might react. Everything about his character is extremely dangerous. Queue Nick Sobotka, strong silent type, working on the Baltimore port with connections to the criminal underworld on The Wire. As you can see, from just these three characters Schreiber’s distinctiveness can already be viewed.
        While I was only about half-way through the second season I couldn’t help but find myself being continually impressed by this actor. At this point, my interest was piqued and I couldn’t help but wonder who this tremendously gorgeous and wonderfully gifted new actor was?!? I quickly IMDB’d him and to my surprise learned he wasn’t new at all! His IMDB credential’s date back to 2001, with a role in the film Bubble Boy and also included films such as, The Manchurian Candidate, Lords of Dogtown, and even Vicky Cristina Barcelona. He also had roles in television shows Dirt, The Black Donnellys, Numb3ers, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Also to my surprise, I realized that a large portion of Schreiber’s career has included many on and off Broadway shows, even earning a Tony nod for his participation in Clifford Odets classic “Awake and Sing!” (IMDB).
        Through this, I can’t help but note Schreiber’s extreme versatility as an actor and knack for choosing interesting and even odd-ball characters at times. Although I don’t see a large list of cinematic roles lined up for Schreiber in the immediate future on IMDB, he is continuing to pop up in numerous television programs including CBS’ new television program, A Gifted Man, and a new movie filmed not too far from Buffalo, in Rochester, entitled, After. While he may not yet be a house-hold name and may not ever be as recognized as huge main stream actors, I am predicting big things from Pablo Schreiber. I think he is on the fast-track and will quickly gain a larger status. I can only hope that he doesn’t lose his mysterious and quirky charm found in his recent choices of independent films and unique portrayal of television characters that I, myself, have very quickly fallen in love with.

***Images courtesy of imdb.com***

 

Schreiber as "Demetri" on Weeds