Remembering Michael Clarke Duncan

photo by blakurbanite

The first time I remember seeing Michael Clarke Duncan was in Armageddon.  He had a few funny lines, but the moment I kind of fell in love with the big guy was the scene after he, Ben Affleck, and the Russian make it over the giant asteroid chasm.  The land and he proceeds to pray:

"Thank You, Jesus!  Thank You, Lord!  Thank You! Thank You!"

At that point I didn't care if the movie had a sad ending or not, as long as his character lived.

His turn as Jon Coffey in The Green Mile deserved the nomination he received.  People sometimes forget that playing evil is much easier because, as CS Lewis pointed out, all we have to do is remove the reigns of conscience from our minds.  Playing our moral betters is always more difficult.  But he played his part as the saintly giant perfectly.

But he was also able to turn on his comedic side with turns in movies like The Whole Nine Yards, a very underrated comedy in its own right.

Very often muscle and girth imply inverse mental capacity.  But his performance as the Kingpin in Daredevil showed that he could not only be physically intimidating, but he could embody a character who was as menacing mentally as well.

Over the years I saw him less and less in films, and when I did the parts were smaller.  I always thought that was a shame because I know that his best performances were still in him waiting to be seen.

On top of that, he seemed like a genuinely nice person.  It is difficult to tell with movie stars, but everyone I have read who had personal contact with him attests to his gentlemanly nature.

I enjoyed the talent and skill that Michael Clarke Duncan shared with me and the world.  Movie stars may not be earth-shattering world changers.  But they have the power to touch millions of people all over the world.  And in the case of Michael Clarke Duncan, I was one of those people.

He will be missed.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.  Amen