What happened to your career, Jonathan Schaech?

This weekend, I had the esteemed pleasure of seeing Prom Night, the weekend’s top grossing film. I don’t typically see scary movies, since I’m a giant scaredy cat. No worries with this film, it was pretty predictable and not very scary. What saved it, and made it a tolerably decent flick? Jonathan Schaech, turning in a stellar performance as the teacher-turned-sociopathic-killer Richard Fenton. Schaech made a completely nutso character kind of sympathetic, and just oozed intensity and magnetism.

So, as I left the theater, I wondered why Schaech has been nearly invisible for the past decade. Some of you may remember Schaech as Jimmy, the lead singer of the Wonders in That Thing You Do! Or, perhaps, you remember him as the former husband of Christina Applegate.

Schaech has all the qualities of a high-powered actor. He’s gorgeous, chooses a variety of gigs, and is even actually talented. So, why isn’t he more famous? I’d say, the variety of gigs Schaech has chosen have not mixed in enough high-profile movies to boost his audience.

I’m hoping that Prom Night’s decent numbers, along with the upcoming Quarantine and The Poker Club, will get Schaech’s mug out there among the people again. I want to see more from this steadily working actor than Road House 2.