Ahh, my beloved Julianne.

Ask anyone who knows me what type of woman I adore and they’ll answer “anyone easy.” After a chuckle or a giggle they’ll realize you want a serious answer and so they’ll offer up “oh, he’s a sucker for redheads.” Wait a few moments more and they’ll probably throw out the name of one specific woman — and that woman is Julianne Moore.

This incredibly talented and empirically beautiful woman first caught my eye in the Harrison Ford/Tommy Lee Jones vehicle “The Fugitive”. I later learned that this fiery redhead was the owner of quite an impressive body of work including an Emmy win for her work on the soap opera “As the World Turns”. The movie that made me fully fall in love with her, however, was the play within a movie vehicle “Vanya on 42nd Street”. Wow.

What I enjoy the most about Ms. Moore is her ability to fully transform herself into her role… complete with a new voice that perfectly matches her character. Watch any one of her films and you’ll immediately see what I’m talking about — compare her voice and demeanor in “Safe” in which she plays a meek housewife, to her voice and demeanor in “The Big Lebowski” in which she plays a wealthy albeit touched artist. Very few actors these days will commit that much to their roles. And yet, my beloved Julianne has still not yet won her first Academy Award. As of this writing she has been nominated four times (”Far From Heaven” and “The Hours” in 2002, “The End of the Affair” in 1999, and “Boogie Nights” in 1997) while winning a plethora of other awards throughout the film industry — mainly for her role in “Far from Heaven”.

In 2003, a friend of a friend spent an afternoon with Ms. Moore while donating time at a charity event in New York. He said that she showed up in overalls and a ballcap, rolled up her sleeves, and immediately got to work. Julianne was described as “very pleasant” and “she smelled very nice,” all the while just carrying on conversations as if she were just a regular person. Now that’s cool.

I knew that Julianne Moore captivated me on a number of levels but her most enduring trait, to me, is her incredible smile. When she began doing commercials for Revlon, I’d find myself helplessly beaming from ear to ear whenever she’d smile. I’ve tried to not smile when she smiles but I just can’t help it. I give up, Julianne… you win.

I look forward to updating your writeup on my site when you win your first Oscar. Hopefully it will be soon as you most certainly deserve it.