How does anyone know what Nic has in the back of his mind when he chooses roles? Only he does; as is true of us all as we go about our business and daily lives. And I find him to be very open and forthcoming in his interviews about his acting motivations.

I don't believe that his financial affairs need to be constantly referred to on a public forum, do any of us want people talking about our bank balance? I don't.  Not all of his latest movies have had huge salaries, he does small films, big films, as he always has. That has not changed.

And, he always did lots of movies. He loves to work, he is an artist. He picks and chooses by his own standards. He has said so in his interviews. Nic is a mega star, the focus of any movie he is in will always be on him, that is not going to change, nor should he have to prove anything to us. Real artists don't create according to the whims of their fans. They are artists because they need to be.

I continue to be moved by Nic's latest movies, In Knowing, Bad Lieutenant, Kick-Ass, Sorcerer's Apprentice and Season of The Witch he gave wonderful performances for me to enjoy, be moved by, feel passionate about and to think about.

What a pity you did not see them that way.

You said: Nicolas deserves better and so do we as fans. What does that mean, and by whose standards, and who decides who is deserving or not anyway?
As a fan, I find in his movies a mulitude of gifts and I look forward to many more to come.

 I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers discussing Nic's personal life and wasn't aware that it bothered so many posters.  All I am saying is that being in a financial bind, limits Nic's ability to be able to choose a role instead of taking anything that comes his way.  I believe it affects the quality of film choices Nic has because he doesn't have the clout anymore to turn down roles: like Trespass, but he came back to it even though he didn't have the power to pick the part he wanted (the bad guy).  I am sorry if my views of Nic bother some of you.  Nic is my favorite actor, but I know he can show even more range by doing supporting roles and playing characters that people wouldn't expect.  I was watching Inside the Actors Studio w/ Downey JR. and w/ Matt Damon and they are on par w/ Nic's greatness too.  I don't think Nic has ever done the show Inside the Actors Studio, but it really gives an inside view of the actors lives.  I know Nic doesn't give interviews that much and is very private, but I would find it interesting to hear his views on acting and people he has worked w/.  Colin Firth is on tonight on Bravo on the show.  Also, I would love to see Nic push his body/ mind like Damon did for Courage Under Fire or Bale has done for The Machinest & The Fighter.  I think artists should listen to fans sometimes in reguards to their work.  Musicians listen to their fans all the time w/ albums that have rare songs or never released tracks.  I love Nic like the rest of you, but I want the best from him and people working on film is all.  SOTW seemed unfinished to me........the firt 5 minutes seems spliced together.  I know Nic is capable of greater work than that and I hope some agree on here.