A point of clarification- That Guys who made it out; Or: The Magical Effect of Boogie Nights

Okay, so I'm hoping for more people to give "That Guy" actor suggestions in the comment section, to be included in a future post (for definition of "That Guy", please see previous post). In the meantime, I noticed that Jesse suggested that (among others) John C. Reilly should have made my "That Guy" list. Reilly, however, has pulled off a normally impossible feat- he has left his "That Guy" status behind him, and is now a fairly bankable name in his own right.

With that in mind, please find below a list (in no particular order) of 10 actors (including ol' John C), who give hope to That Guys everywhere, that they can one day be known for thier names, not just the type of character they play.

10. John C. Reilly


For a while there, it seemed like John would only play oddball sidekicks for the rest of his life. Then, he played...the oddball sidekick, Reed Rothchild/Chest Rockwell in Boogie Nights. From there, he was the lonely cop in Magnolia, the sadsack husband in Chicago, a doomed fisherman in The Perfect Storm and a friendly racecar driver in Talledega Nights. While he may not be a leading man, he's no longer That Guy.

9. Samuel L. Jackson


Believe it or not, Sam Jackson was once a That Guy. His type was criminals and strung-out crackheads (see Goodfellas and Jungle Fever). Now, though, after multiple blockbusters and Oscar nominations, he's one of the most bankable names in the business- we all know Snakes on a Plane would never have been released without his name attached. So yeah, we have him to blame for that.

8. Don Cheadle


After a decade or so of playing the "random nervous guy", Cheadle appeared as Buck Swope in Boogie Nights and a decade later, he gets his name above the title in movies like Hotel Rwanda, for which he got an Oscar nomination. Do you see a trend here with Boogie Nights?

7. Joe Pantoliano


It could be argued that this guy is still a That Guy, but I think his turn as the eventually-beheaded Ralphie in The Sopranos has pushed him away from That Guy status and towards Successful Character Actor status. He's done some crap recently- Daredevil comes to mind- but "Joey Pants" may just be on his way to Former That Guy-ism.

6. Chris Cooper


For a while, Chris was a go-to That Guy to play cowboys or construction workers, until he played the "Orchid Thief" John LaRoche in Charlie Kaufman's oddball film, Adaptation. Since then, he's jumped up to the lead in a handful of movies, including Breach, wherin he played real-life CIA double agent Robert Hanssen.

5. Billy Bob Thornton


In the eighties and early nineties, Billy Bob was just playing the all-purpose redneck/scuzzbag (see Tombstone or Indecent Proposal). Then, he wrote, directed and starred in Sling Blade, for which he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (from his short film). Now, 34 films later, he's gone all A-list on us. My favorite role of his, post-Sling Blade, was as the horny political consultant in Primary Colors: "I'm blacker than you are. I got some slave in me- I can feel it."

4. Paul Giamatti


Early on, Paul did bit parts in a couple of Woody Allen movies, then played basically the same role (jerkish, sweaty slimeball) again in Private Parts, Howard Stern's autobiographical film. Since then, he did the shitty Planet of the Apes remake (I'm sorry, not a remake- a "reimagination"), and most memorably, played the lead in both American Splendor and Sideways. He's come a long way since "Pig Vomit", huh?

3. William H. Macy


After years of playing snippy, stuck-up dad/authority characters (see Searching for Bobby Fischer and Mr. Holland's Opus), he finally hit the big time with the Coen brothers' masterpiece Fargo. He followed that up with...you guessed it- Boogie Nights, as the cuckolded porn director. Since then, he's been in a slew of great stuff, my favorite being State and Main, where he played the sarcastic director (not porn this time). He had the best line of the movie in the scene wherein he is looking over the costume designs and asked, "Who the hell designed these costumes? It looks like Edith Head puked, and that puke designed these costumes!"

2. James Cromwell


Some may debate whether or not James has left his That Guy status behind him. A lot of people still don't know his name, but I think he has done enough major roles that he's made the step up. His big break was as the quiet pig farmer in Babe, which earned him an Oscar nomination. After that, he's done L.A. Confidential, The Green Mile and I, Robot. Not bad for a guy who started out as Louis' dad in Revenge of the Nerds. That'll do, Pig...that'll do.

1. Philip Seymour Hoffman


Further proof that PT Anderson is some sort of Oracle, Philip is yet another actor who caught his big break in Boogie Nights, where he played the sad closeted boom mike operator with a thing for Dirk Diggler. Since then, he's jumped up to the A-List and won an Oscar for Capote. No more "random chunky asshole" supporting roles for him.

So not many make it, but the above 10 guys prove that some That Guys become something more, even if it does take a few decades.
Again, please add your suggestions for favorite That Guys to the comments section.