Goin' Old School

Waaaaay back in the day I did a ranty-style film column. Had the gig continued, one of the regular features would have been me spotlighting young actors and actresses I thought had a future (the first one to receive my golden touch was Tara Subkoff, who hasn't exactly set the world on fire as a performer -- but by choice, not because she lacked the talent.)

Since my second-favorite House episode is on right now I thought I'd revive the feature and give a little attention to another actress who, in my extremely important and insightful opinion, has greatness in her: Katheryn Winnick.

Sure, she's rather stunningly beautiful. She's pulled off the CSI trifecta, appearing in all three shows. And (unbeknownst to me until I hit her IMDB page) she's a Torontonian, which gets her bonus points. It also looks like she's having a good run career-wise right now, scoring a big role in Paul Giamatti's Uncle Vanya riff Cold Souls as well as in the upcoming PDK adaptation Radio Free Albemuth.

But mainly what she has, and which screams through in One Day, One Room, is a ridiculous level of intensity. It might be her black belt background, as there's a definite level of physicality in her acting style that, frankly, is really rare in women (and which leads me to think there's some A-list, Sarah Connor-esque action roles in her future if she wants them), but whatever Winnick's secret weapon is, it leaps off the screen.

She's gorgeous, she's talented, and she makes an impression. In Hollywood, that's a formula for big-time success.