Sean Young

Rachael's composure in Blade Runner (1982) makes us watch for what is troubling her, even when she offers little help. Sean Young keeps her poised without making her seem comfortable; there is enough uncertainty to keep us looking. We were moved by her effort to remain composed, because Young makes it suggest feelings she cannot easily put into words. Ridley Scott's chilly film suits this acting, though its spare detective story is not always so rewarding. Young gives us someone to care about when the city threatens to take all our attention.

The films that followed gave that reserve different settings: Chani in David Lynch's Dune (1984), then Susan Atwell in No Way Out (1987). Opposite Kevin Costner in the latter, she makes the attraction between them persuasive. Kate Gekko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987) was a supporting part, and a reduced one. Across her science-fiction and thriller roles, the poised, difficult-to-read woman became familiar casting for Young. It uses something she does well, but a script still needs to give her something beyond being mysterious.

Her dance training helps explain the controlled physical presence; it does not, by itself, explain why Rachael holds our interest. The useful comparison is with Harrison Ford's Deckard, whose reserve in Blade Runner can make an already thin story harder to care about. Young's coolness prompts questions about the character, where his sometimes leaves a scene much as it found it. We would not take this as proof that restraint always works. Here it works because we want to know what maintaining it costs her.

The comedy of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), in which she plays Einhorn, is a useful reminder not to confine her to science fiction and thrillers. Her later work has continued through independent films, television and direct-to-video projects. The question for a director casting her is what that guarded presence is protecting, and whether the script gives her enough to play. For a first encounter, choose Blade Runner and allow for the chilly pace; Young rewards the attention.