GenX aged actor/actress who embodies GenX ethos and spirit well in their roles

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PragmaticHoosier@reddit

Former power couple Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel. Remaining committed to the grind and pressure of being on a Broadway stage, when you don’t need to is a very Gen-X trait.

Brandon Fraser, Hillary Swank, and Charlize Theron have all been through some shit and come out the other side, channeling trauma to be betters actors.

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TommyBahama2020@reddit

Born in 64. He's pushing the boundary.

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Good_Oil2942@reddit

I'm taking this opportunity to say that Generation Jones produced a lot of cool people.

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I just finished "Black Rabbit" on Netflix, it's an 8 episode series Staring Jason Bateman and Jude Law. I've noticed before that Jason Bateman likes to inject a dose of genx into some roles (either by attitude, or easy Sonic Youth references, Pixie t-shirts, etc.). But his character in this story - a seriously damaged, rolling-with-the-punches hustler who has enough resilience to somehow remain sharp and pure through the turmoil (mostly of his own making)- might be the best genx anti-hero I've seen.

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TakeTheThirdStep@reddit

Drew Berrymore

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ChiefsnRoyals@reddit

Good one. Left to her own devices as a kid. Somehow made it through despite a horrible childhood and adolescence. She’s the light side of Gen X. Maybe Corey Feldman is a good representative for the darker side.

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irbicn@reddit

Juliette Lewis

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TommyBahama2020@reddit

Mark Wahlberg. Pose in your underwear once and they never give you respect.

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madame_de_la_luna@reddit

Matt Dillon. I hope he counts, because he's right on the cusp of Gen X and Boomer. But he's totally Gen X to me.

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Winsome43@reddit

Patrick Swayze RIP.

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Frosty_Yesterday_674@reddit

Crispin Glover

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Maskatron@reddit

He can kick!

This is the one of the few subs where I feel like someone here will get that reference.

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JohntheVenerator@reddit

and Letterman barely flinched!

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Frosty_Yesterday_674@reddit

lol. I had forgotten about that event! His portrayal of Lane, the tortured soul in River’s Edge, will always be peak Gen X for me.

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Double_Fisherman6817@reddit

Underrated answer

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finny_d420@reddit

The cast of Living Single

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Infinite-Lychee-182@reddit

Tootie!

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PeterSeychelle@reddit

Back when it was on, I caught an episode and I couldn’t see anything but Golden Girls archetypes updated and repackaged: Latifah was Dorothy, Erika Alexander was Sophia, Tootie was Blanche, and Synclaire was Rose.

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Kitchen_Chemistry901@reddit

I once heard that GenX began on June 28, 1966 with the birth of John Cusack. It ran through the birth of the first Millennial on February 17, 1981, Paris Hilton.

That’s been my metric ever since.

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MrNovember13@reddit

Ethan Hawk, man. It's Ethan Hawk.

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attaboy_stampy@reddit

This what I came in here to post.

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we_vs_us@reddit

It’s 100% Ethan Hawke. Nobody else even comes close. He’s our avatar.

He comes up with some excellent philosophical bullshit on the spot during interviews… he’s our sage, our bard.

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MrNovember13@reddit

Dude, his TED interview on the importance of art during emotional periods gets me every dang time.

He a real one!

Ethan Hawke TED

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we_vs_us@reddit

Agreed! I don’t mean to denigrate his ideas, per se… but they kinda come out sounding a little bit like your stoner pal waxing philosophical in front of a bonfire, whilst thoughtfully taking swigs of a Bud tallboy. He’s just that guy.

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SandF@reddit

that’s our guy then

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MrNovember13@reddit

100%!

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whereitsat23@reddit

The lowdown is pretty good!

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Beyond_Re-Animator@reddit

That show is SO GOOD!!

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sobuffalo@reddit

‘Explorers’ came out 40 years ago. Ive been a fan ever since.

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Formal-Caterpillar73@reddit

The only answer

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perigee@reddit

Immediately thought of Ethan Hawke's character Jesse in Before Sunrise.

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Breklin76@reddit

I said either Ethan Hawke or John Cusack.

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KatJen76@reddit

Winona is THE actress of our generation IMO. Someone came here a while back and asked why our generation liked Stranger Things. I was trying to explain her impact and I counted 17 of her movies I've seen. I wouldn't call myself a superfan of her or any other actor. There's never been an actor whose work I always look for and go see or anything.

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Fluffy-Structure-368@reddit

Cameron Diaz Brad Pitt Ed Norton

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SeismicFrog@reddit

Sarah Silverman

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happycj@reddit

Sherilyn Fenn. She was iconic. Defined fashion for several years. And then went off and did other things. Like, “whatever.”

So GenX.

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SeismicFrog@reddit

Boxing Helena all day long and twice on Sundays.

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debussychopin@reddit

Juliette Lewis

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HistoryHasEyesOnYou@reddit

I haven't see Keanu. Technically Boomer, but damn, he's Ted, Neo, and John Wick!

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MidoriDachs@reddit

Janeane Garofalo

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HistoryHasEyesOnYou@reddit

I am married to a man and have two adult kids, and I so would.

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auntieup@reddit

THE ONE.

https://i.redd.it/7v7kxlct3ruf1.gif

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H1landr@reddit

She is a boomer. Look it up.

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chrstnasu@reddit

I am reminded of dad who died 10 days ago. He was silent generation but I went to see The Truth about Cats and Dogs with parents in the theater and my dad said Janeane was more beautiful than Uma Thurman.

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FelixTook@reddit

He wasn’t wrong. The premise of that movie was shot since Janeane was ideal in n every way.

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lilspark112@reddit

She’s not gen x! Generation jones I think. See :42 mark

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Expat111@reddit

She is GenX per the definition of this sub.

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karituba@reddit

I was born in the same hospital as Janeane!

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HistoryHasEyesOnYou@reddit

Janeane Garofalo. She's a smartass, takes no shit, funny, smart, witty, attractive to men and women, and doesn't take herself seriously.

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TheFlyingNicky@reddit

Parker Posey

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Ok-Training-7587@reddit

Not an actor but I’d put the filmmaker Richard Libklater up for this-his films and his general vibe embody all of the best things about gen x to me. And then I’d agree - Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder are our patron saints.

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Immediate-Echo-8863@reddit

Charro. Because in every role, she was Charro - and she did not give any Fucks. She was going to do her thing no matter what. She was gonna coochie-coochie right into our hearts.

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Lost_Taste_8181@reddit

Kevin Bacon

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JenniferJuniper6@reddit

Way too old to be Gen X, though.

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legobatmanlives@reddit

John Cusack

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ljinbs@reddit

The Sure Thing is one of my favorite movies.

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ravager814@reddit

Gross Pointe Blank. Yup.

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weirdoldhobo1978@reddit

"You don't know my cat, it's very demanding."

"It? You don't even know if your cat is a boy or a girl?"

"I respect its privacy."

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NorthContribution627@reddit

“I didn’t get into this business to have relationships. I don’t wanna join your goddamn union, all right? Loner. Lone gunman. Get it? That’s the whole point.”

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Remote_Hour_841@reddit

Absolutely. Nailed it.

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Short_Tailor@reddit

John mfing Cusack. He's like my spirit actor. No '80s without John.

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Breklin76@reddit

They wouldn’t have been the same. I wouldn’t have been the same without Lane or Lloyd.

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Civil_Concentrate_23@reddit

I love him!

gif

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JulieThinx@reddit

Second this

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ElSordo91@reddit

While I prefer some Gen X actors better, these four are the core "Gen X" actors to me: John Cusack, Molly Greenwald, Winona Ryder, and Ethan Hawke.

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Phantom_minus@reddit

it's Griswald. Molly Griswald.

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ElSordo91@reddit

Mortifying. I edited it. I remember when her dad used to play at the jazz festival in Sacramento.

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lovegood123@reddit

Winona Ryder and Christian Slater

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happyphanx@reddit

Pretty sure half the idea of GenX was invented around them. And Janine Garofalo.

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cmparkerson@reddit

These two more than anyone I. Can think of

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curiousleen@reddit

This is the perfect answer

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DEATHbyBOOGABOOGA@reddit

It’s time for a Christian Slater renaissance

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Forking_Shirtballs@reddit

A friend of mine met Christian Slater a couple years ago.

She was visiting NYC, walking the Upper West Side with her daughter. Out of nowhere, her daughter (about 10) starting feel sick, and puked in a planter box.

As she's trying to clean her up a bit, a random dude (small but fit, in a basecall cap) said "hey, my building has a bathroom if the lobby if she'd like to go wash up.

Dude was Christian Slater. Can you imagine a more awesome little experience for a full-blooded GenX (1976 ish)?

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lovegood123@reddit

I would have been so 😍 I’d forget my daughter was sick 😂

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tommymat@reddit

I met Christian Slater at a corporate event a few years ago. He was genuinely nice and engaging. He was personable and we had the opportunity to get a picture with him. He went through every pic with me and it was funny because he critiqued each one, “you look good here I don’t, I don’t like you in this one, we are both looking away, but this one is perfect.” Again he is an actor but I believed he was taking a few minutes to pick a photo he knew I was going to show everyone - and I did.

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HLOFRND@reddit

I just saw Christian Slater at ComicCon on Thursday and tween/teen me was geeking the fuck out.

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TheKaptinKirk@reddit

Heathers!

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PuchicaPuchica@reddit

Josh Brolin

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psmylie@reddit

I was talking to my wife today and the Goonies came up. And I mentioned that I can't think of a more '80s look than Josh Brolin's shorts-over-sweatpants combo.

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