Several months ago a friend of mine showed me a website he called the 'that guy' page. It turns out it was simply that - a page full of images of all those character actors you can't remember by name, but when you see their faces you say, "Oh, THAT guy"!
What does it really mean to be a "that guy"? A washed up character actor? A failed career? Not quite good enough? An unmemorable name?
I argue it is none of the above.
Each and every 'that guy' has had a career to remember and be proud of. They are all accomplished and talented - they just didn't wind up on the cover of People or perezhilton.com (thankfully!).
Being a 'that guy' implies you are worth remembering but you chose a path with less stand out moments.
Yesterday, a memorable (or unmemorable depending on how you look at it) character actor and infamous 'that guy' passed away. Maury Chaykin was in over 150 films and TV shows over the last 35 years. He was my mothers ex-husband, he was Uncle Maury to my brother and I....
he was a 'that guy' and one I will never forget.
