Though recently debunked, the rumor that Robert Pattinson was in talks to play Kurt Cobain in a biopic left me more than a little perturbed. Regardless of how you may feel about Cobain’s music, the fact of the matter is that he was tremendously influential on not only subsequent musicians but to the establishment of an entirely new genre of music. His impact on the landscape of music was matched only by his turbulent personal life and tragic death. If someone were considering Pattinson simply on the grounds that he is a box office draw outside of Twilight, I believe the cold audience reception to Remember Me would nullify that logic. The far more incendiary possibility is that Pattinson’s Edward Cullen is inordinately moody and would therefore be a perfect fit for the troubled singer. If moodiness were Cobain’s one distinguishing feature, perhaps this would be apt — an erroneous, shortsighted and insulting presumption. So instead, I have compiled a list of five actors I know would do justice to the rock legend, should they be given the opportunity.
Michael Pitt
This is the most obvious choice, though sadly most people would have no idea why. In 2005, Gus Van Sant released a film called Last Days, about a rock musician whose life mirrors that of Cobain’s. The film is as close to a Kurt Cobain biopic as one can get without actually using his name. The look, temperament and story arc of the lead character, Blake, is modeled in every way after the Nirvana front man. Pitt’s performance in the lead role is phenomenal and would serve as the ideal cross training for playing Cobain in earnest. The film had an extremely limited release, so Pitt’s homage to Kurt went largely, and unfortunately, unseen. Nevertheless, he would be my top choice for the part.
I can hear the charges of bandwagon thinking emanating from your collective lips. But while The Hurt Locker did in fact return Renner to my radar screen, I first became aware of him when he played notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the 2002 film, Dahmer. The movie itself is pretty mediocre, but Renner throws himself into the part and steals the show. With The Hurt Locker, he employed a quiet intensity that perfectly defined his character. I would love to see him bring that same brand of intensity to a man noted for his inner turmoil. I would also like to see what Renner could do in chaotic concert scenes wherein Kurt was known to lash out.
Franco may also seem a daffy choice, but consider one of his earliest roles. In 2001, Franco starred in the TNT biopic of James Dean. I was mesmerized by his performance and I still consider it to be among his best work. So the man has proven his ability to play an emotionally tumultuous, introverted artist who was eccentric in life and died young. Not that I am comparing James Dean to Kurt Cobain, but the basic elements of creating that “character” for the actor would be therefore in his wheelhouse. He doesn’t look exactly like him, but his appearance isn’t so far removed that a good hair and makeup artist couldn’t compensate.
One of my absolute favorite actors, Foster has unbelievable range. He is not only the most physically similar to Kurt Cobain of any of my choices, but also the best actor. His turns in 3:10 to Yuma, X-Men: The Last Stand, and 30 Days of Night impressed me to no end, and I would love to see him step out of the supporting shadows and get more work as the leading man he is destined to be.
I’ve spoken with quite a few Nirvana fans who have asserted their conviction that this biopic project should star an unknown. Their logic is that it would be easier for an audience to divorce themselves from that actor’s previous roles and focus entirely on the portrayal of Cobain. I fully understand this argument. To wit, I offer the relatively unknown Welborn. He was absolutely amazing in The Signal and need only some longer hair to look strikingly similar to Kurt. He can be explosive as well as quietly introspective and would bring the multi-faceted approach that Cobain would deserve.
