Skarsgard or Sarsgaard

OR

Does anyone else confuse these people?

Peter Sarsgaard is the young(ish) supporting actor in Garden State, Jarhead, Kinsey and Boys Don't Cry. Stellan Skarsgard (his name has some weird Swedish shit over the second "a" in Skarsgard) is the fifty-something foreign guy in Good Will Hunting, Pirates, Amistad, and Deep Blue Sea. Pretty much the only thing they share is a mild similarity between their last names. But one of the ga(a)rdses stands far apart from the other. Here lies the definitive difference:

The fucking ultimate coolness that radiates from Peter Sarsgaard.

While both men are fantastic actors with numerous award nominations and wins (seen here and here) such as Skarsgard's Teen Choice award nomination for Exorcist: The Beginning and Saarsgard's win of a Chlotrudis award for Kinsey (hey, dude, I thought it was an STD too), why is it that I find myself being pulled inexorably toward Peter?

Is it Sarsgaard's good looks? is my latent gayness emerging in the form of a savage man-crush for Zack Braff's co-star? is it that I live vicariously through Sarsgaard because he happens to be boning down with ultra cool indie-actress Maggie Gyllenhaal? In the end I think it must be all of these things and more.

The fact is that Sarsgaard's ability to slide so effortlessly into my heart has less to do with movies he is in and more to do with what he does in those movies. Although I think his films are generally pretty good (yes, even Garden State), It may be that I prefer Skarsgard's films: the Pirates movies are great, Amistad is fantastic, and Good Will Hunting is one of my all-time favorites.

Yet, Sarsgaard is just so believable and (how do I put this?) slimy yet likable. Peter Sarsgaard may well be the slimiest most likable person I have ever seen on screen. It isn't that he plays gross people (although he sometimes does), but that every line he delivers is so full of a gross desperation yet earnest goodness. How can you dislike the stoner-loser, yet ultimately loyal best friend he plays in Garden State? Or even the volatile bi-sexual grad student in Kinsey. Fuck, man, I even like Jarhead a little bit because he was in it.

Anyway, the point is, when you have to choose between Skarsgard and Sarsgaard (which will ultimately be, like, never) try and be careful. Sarsgaard may creep into your body and grab onto your balls like just like he has done to me.

ps

in case you haven't seen it rent Secretary with Maggie Gyllenhall. it has nothing to do with Sarsgaard except that you get to see what he gets to go home to every night. lucky bastard.

this post is for, you, chris