Faded Beauty

Who is that oddly compelling man in the small photo on The New York Times’ homepage teasing a theater section story? Furrowed brow, scrubbed, pinkish. Hello, troubled, broken and handsome.

Stupid, I don’t care who he is, click away, argh, ok, who is he, go back to the page.

Oh, it’s the American Beauty kid who went all fucked up and heroin-addicted and is now attempting a comeback on stage. I distinctly remember finding him attractive back in ’99 yet thinking he wasn’t ugly enough for that role. Thank you, internet, for being there 10+ years and going. It’s like possessing a personal fact checker, memory machine.

Update: Gawker has used this article as a springboard to discuss other actors who came on strong, then fizzled out. I've never seen so much goodness in one comment section: Chris Makepeace and of course, Henry Thomas.