Some actors steal the show that they’re on. Maybe they’re given a character that shines, or maybe they’re given the best lines. Other actors just make productions work. They find a way to add something special to their show or movie and it brings it all together. Stephen Root is a bit of both types. It just so happens that he’s so very good at bringing things together that he’s rarely recognized as the scene stealer that he truly is. He seldom gets the attention he deserves.
With the recent success of Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay and a new season of King of the Hill coming up this summer, we wanted to rectify an injustice. The work of Stephen Root needs praising.
The Root of His Career
Like many actors, Stephen Root cut his teeth in small parts across films and TV shows. He popped up as a pest exterminator in an early episode of Home Improvement. He was briefly in the movies Ghost and Crocodile Dundee II. But the first truly meaty part he got to sink his teeth into was arguably on the NBC 90s sitcom, NewsRadio. He played a multi-millionaire (maybe billionaire) radio station owner, Jimmy James. NewsRadio is often remembered as being Phil Hartman‘s show, since he did it just after leaving Saturday Night Live. However, if you go back and watch it, you quickly find that Root inadvertently steals almost every scene he’s in.
Root’s character is eccentric, but not in the same way as Hartman’s Bill McNeal is. Jimmy can go from being profoundly absurd to exceptionally competent at the drop of a hat. Root pulls this off in a way that is rather believable despite how weird the character is. It really says something when you can be in a scene with Joe Rogan, Dave Foley, and Phil Hartman and still manage to be the center of attention. Root is so committed to the character and his quirks that you believe he is this guy.
It’s a far cry from his character, Milton, from Office Space. Milton is so intensely timid, and Jimmy James is anything but that. Still, you can believe him as both. It’s just as easy seeing Root worrying about the people to cake ratio as it is him brashly stating he was Deepthroat during the Nixon Watergate scandal. And then, somewhere in between Milton and Jimmy James is Root’s character from King of the Hill, Bill Dauterive. Not only Bill, but Root also plays Hank’s boss, Buck Strickland. Bill is closer to his natural speaking voice. Sometimes you can pick up on hints of Bill’s voice in Root’s other roles, but that quickly dissolves as you invest in whatever character he’s doing.
Stephen Root is in Everything
There are just so many things he has popped up in that it’s hard to talk about them all. He’s been in a variety of films by the Coen Brothers. He was in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett. The guy’s a journeyman actor who will take virtually any part you throw at him and knock it out of the park. We have never seen Root give a bad performance, even in an otherwise bad film or show. He seems to have the kind of work ethic of understanding that a job is a job, and you work it like you would any other.
Doesn’t matter how big or small the role is, you give it everything you’ve got. It’s a shame that he’s only received one Emmy nomination over the years. He got it in 2019 for his work as Monroe Fuchs in Barry. Fully deserving of the nomination, but he deserves much more.
That’s also why it’s a shame he probably won’t end up being nominated for his work in Apple TV’s new hit show, Widow’s Bay. Not because he doesn’t deserve it; he fully does. Root’s turn as Wyck Crawford helps the series come together and hold it there. He brings emotional weight to the story, as well as being a kind of guiding force and protector. His co-star, Matthew Rhys, is the main protagonist, but Root’s the one who is captivating audiences whenever he’s on screen. His ragged presence is authoritative and yet slightly off-putting. Wyck makes you uneasy but also arrests your attention. It’s the kind of role that’s perfect for him, but also the kind that doesn’t win awards. Comedy-horror seldom gets the recognition it should, but maybe, just maybe, something will come of it.
One of the Greatest
Stephen Root is one of the best character actors in modern television and cinema. Is that an opinion? Sure. It might as well be a fact. Barry was a big step towards proving that, but anybody who truly looked at his body of work knew even before then. He’s an unsung hero who makes any project he’s a part of immediately better. Put him in anything, and you will automatically know that there’s someone worth watching. That is not an accolade that can be handed out easily, but Root earns it. Milton deserves a piece of cake, and Stephen Root deserves admiration for his talents and body of work.
