July 17, 2005
Man of the YearBy CRAIG MODDERNO
So far, the leading candidate to become this year's Jude Law - in the indie division, at least - appears to be Chris Mulkey. Though not exactly a household name, Mr. Mulkey appears in as many as eight films that may be released by year's end, surpassing the six pictures that won Mr. Law a reputation for ubiquity in 2004. Mr. Mulkey, 57, has lately been onscreen as the father of a disturbed child in Gregg Araki's "Mysterious Skin." He's also in the forthcoming "Thanks to Gravity," "D-War," "Dreamland," "Dirty," "Farewell Bender," "Unknown" and - the only major-studio release of the bunch - a still untitled Warner Brothers project from the director Niki Caro.
If Mr. Mulkey's name isn't immediately recognizable, his face may be unnervingly familiar: he has made more than 60 features and television movies, including "48 Hrs." (he was "second cop") and the cult classic "Patti Rocks" (which also starred his wife, the actress and director Karen Landry). Of his potential 2005 releases, the toughest job may have been Ms. Caro's film, which stars Woody Harrelson and Charlize Theron, about a landmark sexual harassment case. "Woody Harrelson broke my nose during a fight scene," Mr. Mulkey said. "He reached in with his elbow and cracked my nose, which made a loud crunching sound that froze everyone. It was an accident, there was no blood, so I snapped the bone back and we kept fighting for two more hours."
Whether Mr. Mulkey will fare better during the coming awards season than Mr. Law did during the one just past - he received no Oscar or Golden Globe nominations, while his multiple appearances made him the butt of a Chris Rock joke at the Academy Awards - remains to be seen. If he is going to be compared with another actor, Mr. Mulkey would prefer that it be Chris Cooper, winner of an Oscar as best supporting actor for "Adaptation": "I was really happy when Chris Cooper got his Academy Award, because he leaped out of the category I often compete in."