From a ruthless oil baron to a murderous barber, this year's best-actor performances are as intriguing as the actors themselves. Johnny Depp, Daniel Day-Lewis, George Clooney, Tommy Lee Jones and Viggo Mortensen are this year's Academy Award nominees for best lead actor. Why are these actors so perfect for their designated roles? Amazingly enough, their astrology charts are in sync with the characters they portray.
Daniel Day-Lewis: There Will be Blood
What could be more appropriate for an Earth sign than to make a fortune from natural resources? The oil tycoon in There Will be Blood may be fictional, but Daniel Day-Lewis who portrays him has Sun, Mercury, Venus and possibly the Moon, all in Taurus. Born on April 29, 1957, he undoubtedly drew on his Taurean affinity with the character's traits - both good and bad - to bring the character to life.
Speaking of bad, the shadow side of Taurus is greed and the obsessive desire for power. Those are certainly the demons plaguing Day-Lewis' character in There Will be Blood. Set during the turn-of-the century petroleum boom in California, it's the story of a man who is driven to succeed at all costs. Actors often draw on their Sun sign's less-than-attractive elements - it makes their performances all the more riveting for having the ring of truth.
No stranger to the Oscars, this talented Taurus won an Academy Award for Best Actor in My Left Foot (1989), where he portrayed an Irishman with cerebral palsy. Having an abundance of Earth in his chart - the most physical of the elements - undoubtedly helped Day-Lewis play a man with excruciating physical challenges. And with transiting Jupiter (luck) and Saturn (respect) currently in Earth signs, he has a strong chance this year of winning his second Oscar.
However, he has some staunch competition from another bull in the ring. . .
George Clooney: Michael Clayton
Born on May 6, 1961, George Clooney is a double Earth sign, with Sun in Taurus and Moon in Capricorn. His Moon-Saturn conjunction says Clooney is an achievement-oriented, practical man who values realism in his art. These are certainly qualities that have brought him acclaim and respect as an actor, director and screenwriter. Clooney was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006 for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Good Night, and Good Luck. Plus, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Syriana, which meant he made Oscar history by being the first actor to be nominated for directing and acting in two separate movies during the same year.
The Moon-Saturn aspect helped make Clooney a superstar, but it's always the nefarious elements that make for good drama. The negative side of a Moon-Saturn aspect is emotional coldness and relentless ambition. In Michael Clayton, Clooney accessed his dark side for the stoic portrayal of a "fixer," a lawyer who often uses ruthless methods to rectify difficult situations.
As for an Oscar, with the current transits supporting the Earth signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, both Clooney and Day-Lewis are in the running for the Best Actor award.
Johnny Depp: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
So what is Johnny Depp drawing on to play (to perfection!) a psychopathic serial killer who sings and slices his way through London? Depp is certainly one of the most versatile actors today. Not surprising, he's a versatile Gemini, born on June 9, 1963. But it's not his Sun sign that makes him so good at playing weird characters. Remember the quirky youth in Edward Scissorhands and Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow? And who could forget the eccentric pirate Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor? Needless to say, Depp's current role is way over the top of weird. So what's his secret?
Depp's inner "demon" is definitely the Mars-Uranus-Pluto conjunction in his chart. Uranus rules rebelliousness and anarchy, Pluto rules death and destruction and Mars rules violence. Put them all together and you get a psychopath. Well, not always in real life, fortunately for Depp, but this chaotic energy fuels his impressive imagination when it comes to portraying demented - or at least unconventional - characters.
But lest we think Depp is completely 'round the bend, he has a grounded side from an abundance of Earth signs: Moon in Capricorn like Clooney, Mercury and Venus in Taurus, and Uranus, Pluto and Mars in Virgo. The Taurus influences fuel his artistry, the Virgo placements give him a gift for detail, and the Capricorn influence gives his fantastic characters the realism to be believable. All in all, Depp has a winning, if murderous, character to add to his repertoire - and perhaps an Oscar in his future as well.
Tommy Lee Jones: In the Valley of Elah
Considering the afore mentioned actors, is anyone surprised that Tommy Lee Jones is a double Earth sign? Born on September 15, 1946, he has Sun in Virgo and Moon in Taurus. Additionally, his Mercury in Virgo says he analyzes the stories and characters in his films, and then brings this attention to detail to his superb performances. Like the down-to-earth Virgo he is, Jones is known for his powerful if understated acting style. He played the straight man to Will Smith's volatile character in Men in Black, and a taciturn if relentless marshal in The Fugitive, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In the crime drama In the Valley of Elah, Jones plays a retired war veteran and military police officer who goes looking for his missing son, a soldier who had come home from the Iraq War but has mysteriously disappeared. Once again, Jones gives a sober but riveting performance. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes, "Jones plays it stripped to the bone - he's a man on a single-minded quest, and his responses are primal." He's an Earth sign, alright, with an instinct for creating realistic characters.
Interestingly, Jones has often portrayed law enforcement or military officers in his films, and finding justice is a key component in his current film. But then, Jones has plenty to draw on when it comes to the law - he has Mars, Jupiter and Neptune in Libra, the sign of justice. His performance in his current film mixes realism with an idealistic quest for truth, and is one of many Oscar-worthy performances in Jones's career.
Viggo Mortensen: Eastern Promises
Speaking of justice, Viggo Mortensen plays an undercover agent who infiltrates the Russian mafia in Eastern Promises. Of course, he's a Libra, born on October 20, 1958. Although justice motivates his character, the roses-and-romance traits of Libra are noticeably missing. His character is known as the "cleaner"- he prepares bodies for dumping by removing identifying body parts, such as heads and fingertips. Not a nice character by any stretch of the imagination. So why is Mortensen so good at this grisly role?
The secret is in his Scorpio placements. His Mercury-Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in the sign of death, sex and mystery makes him perfect for playing a hit man with a secret identity. Even better, playing a hit man for a ring of thugs who kidnap girls and force them into prostitution - sex for money being Scorpio's bailiwick.
Onscreen, Mortensen's Libra-Scorpio energy is magnetic and gives him considerable sex appeal. His charisma was downplayed in this film, but he was quite the sultry hunk as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. However, it's his performance in Eastern Promises that reveals his talent as a serious actor, which makes him a serious Oscar contender.
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