Lucky Number Eleven

uhohella:

So we hear a lot about how amazing actors are when a look speaks a thousand words, and can reduce a person to tears or silence a crowd within a moment.

All the awards etc.

I thought I understood the concept, until I saw this moment in Avengers. And my entire perspective was altered dramatically by RDJ’s insane acting; the way they shone, and flickered as Jarvis crackled into nothing.

And he was the hero, yes. The message was clear. But just look at how his eyes shine against the stars. The burden placed upon Tony Stark in this movie is extortionate: we’ve seen him as the self-professed genius and philanthropist in the Iron Man movies; but he harnessed the human mind to explore the world in technology. He thought he knew the world and suddenly there were demi-Gods and portals to different universes. And it’s never addressed directly, but the smallest of moments show Tony’s adaptation to a new way of thinking. The way in which he discovered this part of the Marvel universe was dealt with expertly.

And look at those eyes. There’s love there for his home and the people he loves, of course, and there’s the sacrifice and the fear of his own bravery. But look at the way he sees those stars. Look at the way his eyes wonder at what he believes is his last glimpse of something he once thought unattainable. And there’s that shine of recognition, and his shine of everything he once achieved and things left untouched by the future before the fade.

Never before have I been so consumed by an actor’s gaze. Thank you, RDJ.

This.