Actor Norman Reedus began his on-screen career starring in the 1997 releases of Floating, Mimic, and Six Ways to Sunday. These roles led to several other roles in the 90s, including one of his best-known characters, Murphy MacManus, in the cult classic The Boondock Saints. Reedus has often credited other actors as inspiration, and recently, he gave a shout-out to a beloved and greatly missed actor who died way too young.
Criterion Collection features a long list of incredible actors and creatives in a special feature on social media. The actors enter the Criterion Closet, which contains a massive collection of the greatest films from around the world. The actor enters the closet, selects their Closet Picks, and briefly discusses their choices.
Some notable names featured include Carrie Coon, Hans Zimmer, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicholas Hoult, and many more. You can search for your favorites on the Criterion website.
You can view Reedus' video below, in which he talks about Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho, which stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. He states that the movie was released while he was "trying to become an actor," and Phoenix's performance was inspirational. He also mentions his favorite scene from the film and an interesting interaction with Udo Kier, who also appears in the movie.
Phoenix died at 23, but before his death, he made quite a mark with his performances in many notable films. He began acting in commercials at 10, and by the time he was 14, he had secured a significant role in Rob Reiner's coming-of-age movie, Stand By Me (1986). This role led to a long list of exceptional performances by the actor. His final movie, completed before his death, was Peter Bogdanovich's The Thing Called Love (1993)
My Own Private Idaho
My Own Private Idaho (1991) is an indie film written and directed by Gus Van Sant. He is known for Goodwill Hunting (1997) and Milk (2008), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director.
The story is loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V, and follows friends Mike Waters (Phoenix) and Scott Favor (Reeves) as they travel paths of self discovery. Phoenix won several awards for his performance.
The film was a moderate success at the box office but quickly gain a cult following and is considered a landmark film in New Queer Cinema, a 90s movement queer-themed independent filmmaking.
If you have never watched My Own Private Idaho the film is available via VOD on Prime Video.
What's next for Norman Reedus?
It is always interesting to learn what our favorite actors used as inspiration early in their careers. Reedus has come along way in his career journey since the early 90s. He has a massive list of credits to his name being best known for his roles in The Boondock Saints and as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead universe.
Next, Reedus will appear in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, the next installment in the John Wick franchise. The movie stars Ana de Armas with Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick (in his final screen appearance), Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves reprising their roles from the other John Wick films. Reedus joins Gabriel Byrne and Catalina Sandino Moreno in supporting roles. The movie releases in theaters on June 6, 2025.
Before the end of 2025, Reedus will return to his role as Daryl Dixon in the third season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, a spinoff of AMC's The Walking Dead. He will be joined by Melissa McBride, who portrays Carol Peletier, in a new adventure in Spain.
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