Chris O'Donnell does valuable work beside louder actors, making earnestness worth watching without asking for much attention. We rate his quiet contribution to Scent of a Woman; his clean-cut appeal becomes limiting when a role asks for nothing else.
Fi1m perspective
Beside Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (1992), Chris O'Donnell gives a quiet performance that the film could do more to appreciate. As Charlie Simms, he is essential to a drama whose showier pleasures belong to Pacino. We were moved by his restraint beside Pacino's hurt and mischief, because it allows those feelings to register without adding another big performance. Martin Brest's film runs too long and teaches familiar lessons, but O'Donnell helps make them worth hearing. We would not mistake the smaller amount of fuss for a smaller achievement.
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), in which he plays Buddy Threadgoode, puts him in a different sort of company. Kathy Bates and Mary Stuart Masterson give the drama of female friendship much of its warmth. We find the script too cautious about the lives it celebrates, but the affection is enough to make the film worth an evening. We would recommend it for the women at its centre before using it to make a case for O'Donnell.
The Three Musketeers (1993) and Circle of Friends (1995) helped establish him as a leading man; Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) cast him as Robin. The difficulty is that his earnest, clean-cut manner can become the whole reason for casting him. We want a part to give that decency something difficult to contend with, rather than assume it is interesting by itself. Batman & Robin was widely panned, but it would be a poor basis for dismissing the actor who played Charlie.
Vertical Limit (2000) gave him another action lead before television became the steadier occupation. As G. Callen in NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–2023), opposite LL Cool J, he sustained a central role across fourteen seasons, a substantial use for an actor's reliability. Start with Scent of a Woman; fourteen seasons can wait.
Biography
Chris O'Donnell is an American actor. Born Christopher Eugene O'Donnell on 26 June 1970 in Winnetka, Illinois, he began modelling at the age of thirteen and appeared in commercials as a teenager. He made his film debut in Men Don't Leave (1990).
O'Donnell gained attention with supporting roles in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and School Ties (1992), followed by a breakout performance as Charlie Simms in Scent of a Woman (1992), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He later played Dick Grayson / Robin in Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), and has appeared in television series including NCIS: Los Angeles as G. Callen. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in marketing.
