There was a time when Clive Owen was considered Hollywood’s man of the hour, enjoying quite a successful film career ever since his breakout role as aspiring writer Jack Manfred in the 1998 crime drama Croupier. Since then, other roles were coming in steadily for the actor. In fact, he even landed roles in critically acclaimed films such as Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity. He also memorably played the titular hero in Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur.
Soon after, Owen also attracted a lot more buzz when he starred with Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Julia Roberts in the Oscar-nominated film Closer. Owen’s performance in the movie even led to his first (and only) Oscar nomination. Since then, however, it seemed like people didn’t pay much attention to Owen anymore. Nonetheless, fans may be pleased to know that the actor is far from being done with acting.
Did Clive Owen Leave Hollywood After 'Closer'?
After working on Closer, it seems Owen’s rising popularity certainly made it easy to book more roles. That said, some projects the actor chose worked out better for him than others. For instance, Owen garnered critical praise once more following his performance in Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s (Quentin Tarantino guest-directed too) Sin City alongside Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Alexis Bledel.
And while Owen was unfamiliar with Sin City in the beginning, the actor immediately knew at that time that it was a hit in the making. “Robert called me up and said he was going to do this thing called Sin City. He sent me a bunch of Frank's graphic novels and this five-minute test he'd shot,” he told BBC.
“He told me he was currently shooting with Bruce Willis and that he was lining up Mickey Rourke and Benicio Del Toro was going to be in it and Quentin Tarantino was going to pop in for a couple of days. So, I thought about it for about half a second and then jumped at it, of course!”
Owen then followed this up with the crime drama Derailed opposite Jennifer Aniston, which was poorly received by critics (Aniston was criticized by fans for her performance too). Fortunately for Owen, he soon starred in hit films such as Inside Man, Children of Men, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Clive Has Been On TV In Recent Years
Despite mixed reviews on his films, Owen simply kept going. At some point, however, the Oscar-nominated actor also decided it was time to give television a try, thanks to some convincing from Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.
That’s how Owen ended up starring in the critically praised medical drama The Knick. “He was the first person we approached. You need a movie star, somebody with that kind of watchability and gravitas. I knew him a little bit. He had a great reputation as a person and as a professional,” Soderbergh told Rolling Stone. “He said yes immediately, and I told him, ‘I only need you for two years. We’re going to kill you at the end of Season Two.’”
Clive Owen Also Returned Theater
For Owen, theater has always meant so much because it’s his “first love.” “I did a school play when I was a kid and I fell in love with acting. It wasn’t about TV. It wasn’t about movies. I joined a little youth theater in my hometown, and that’s where the whole thing began, really,” Owen told actor and music artist RZA during a conversation for Interview.
“So it was always something that I was very passionate about.”
And so, the actor made his Broadway debut in 2015, starring in Harold Pinter’s Old Times. Two years later, Owen returned to Broadway with David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly. “I could not be more excited to take on such a complex and fascinating role for my return to Broadway. M. Butterfly offers a novel challenge with its inherent mystery and astonishing storyline,” the actor said in a statement.
More Recently, Clive Owen Had A 'Comeback' In A Popular Crime Series
It seems that working on The Knick left quite an impression on Owen. The actor has since done a couple of other TV projects, including the Emmy-winning series American Crime Story. In the third season of Impeachment, Owen portrayed President Bill Clinton as the show tackled the scandal involving the former president and Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein).
Frankly, it was a role that he couldn’t see himself doing initially. “To be honest with you, I said to them, why are you coming to me?” Owen told Vanity Fair. One: I’m English. Two: I don’t really look like him.” However, producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Simpson still remained convinced that Owen was the right guy.
“Clinton is one of the most recognized men in the world, and has a distinct look and voice. He is famous for his intelligence and charisma. We needed to find someone who could evoke that, without just doing an imitation,” they explained. “With Clive you sense that there are layers and layers behind whatever he says or does in a scene.”
Meanwhile, it seems Owen is set to continue his foray into television with the upcoming FX mystery drama Retreat. It revolves around an amateur sleuth who must solve a murder that occurred while attending a secluded retreat. Aside from this, Owen is also attached to the thriller series Monsieur Spade from The Queen’s Gambit co-creator Scott Frank.