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Wes on his American Beauty character, Ricky Fitts:
"Ricky uses his camera as an extension of his body, his eyes and his heart," observes Wes Bentley, who plays the enigmatic teenager. "He sees beauty in everything, and with the camera, he can get that much closer and that much deeper. He can stand at a safe distance, zoom tighter and tighter and is able to see things that we might miss with just our eyes. The camera sees everything he sees, everything he hears…and he gets to keep it. It’s like a friend who reminds him of things in his past that made him happy. It’s truly his best friend before he meets Jane, who is just enthralling to him."
Sam Mendes on casting Wes:
"I saw over a hundred kids... There were 10 to 15 actors who were all of an incredibly high standard. Casting is spirit as much as looks... Wes walked in at the last minute. He didn't have a professional photograph of himself; he just came with a Polaroid. He does three lines in Beloved and that's it, really, so he's 100% new. He was as much a surprise to me as I think he's going to be to the audience, because I think he's quite exceptional."
Portion of an American Beauty review by "Inviz':
"...I found the next most compelling performance [after Spacey] to be that of Wes Bentley. An intense, multi-layered acting job that has the audience never quite sure what's going on in his head, well, until the scene. The scene, of course being where he and Thora sit down and watch the most beautiful thing that he's ever filmed."
Part of AICN's Moriarty's American Beauty review:
"A new family moves in next to the Burnhams, and the son is the dark, brooding, perfectly cast Ricky, played by newcomer Wes Bentley. He's scary at first, always videotaping, dressing "like a bible salesman," but that intensity gradually attracts Jane, until the two of them fall into a sweet, someone desperate teenage relationship. The scenes between the two of them are lyrical and perfectly capture that combination of love and lust that informs first relationships. Bentley and Birch both do outstanding work, rivalling the young casts of ELECTION and RUSHMORE for their direct honesty."
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