Let’s face it: oftentimes, the most exciting performances are found in the supporting categories. In the past decade alone, these two prizes have rewarded brilliant, colourful characters such as Mo’Nique’s Mary Lee Johnston, Heath Ledger’s The Joker, Penélope Cruz’ Maria Elena, Christoph Waltz’ Colonel Hans Landa and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Velma Kelly, to name only a few. These characters don’t have to be heroes &- and some actors thrive on that.
This year, again, the Academy has chosen ten interesting &- and very different &- performers as their nominees. The top story, surely, is the trio of nominations earned by The Fighter‘s cast, including Christian Bale, who gave an explosive performance as boxer Micky Ward’s trainer and half-brother, Dicky, a cocaine addict and failed boxer. After the rave reviews and the BFCA and Golden Globe wins, this award is his to lose, really. His closest competitor is past winner Geoffrey Rush, nominated for his role as George VI’s speech therapist Lionel Logue in The King’s Speech. They are joined by The Kids Are All Right’s Mark Ruffalo whose portrayal of Paul, a sperm donor wanting to bond with the children he helped create, earned him his first Academy Award nomination after a rather low-key career (despite a stunning filmography). Finally, perhaps surprisingly, John Hawkes and Jeremy Renner also made their way into the final five for their performances as Teardrop in Winter’s Bone (Hawkes) and Jem in The Town (Renner, his second nomination in as many years). I say surprisingly not because they aren’t worthy nominees, but because The Social Network‘s Andrew Garfield had received far more attention and reaped many more rewards; his presence in the final list seemed practically guaranteed.
The Fighter‘s other two performers, past nominees Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, will have to battle it out on the women’s side of the draw. Leo, winner of the BFCA and the Golden Globe, plays Micky and Dicky’s mother who favours Dicky and proudly ignores his troubles. Adams, who earned nominations left and right, plays Charlene, Micky’s college-dropout/bartender girlfriend who fails to get along with Dicky. These two seem like the likeliest winners, but it must be taken into consideration that since 2000, five years have seen two actresses of the same film earn Best Supporting Actress nominations and only once has one of them won (Zeta-Jones, for Chicago), presumably because of vote-splitting. And, this year, there is some serious competition. Thirteen year-old Hailee Steinfeld gave arguably the year’s breakthrough performance in True Grit, in which she showed remarkable maturity and was a perfect fit for the role of Mattie Ross. Despite being the film’s lead character, her age and newcomer status landed her in this category. Fourth on the list is Helena Bonham Carter, playing George VI’s wife in the unstoppable The King’s Speech. Her performance is subdued but of high quality, and the fact that she’s a twelve-time nominee Academy darling can only enhance her chances. The four ladies are joined by Jacki Weaver, from the Australian crime thriller Animal Kingdom. Her chances of winning are particularly slim, for the film received little attention in America, but she was a definite scene-stealer and belongs on this list just as much as her co-nominees. This one is a remarkable category; the only notable omission is Mila Kunis, who earned Golden Globe and BFCA nominations for an impressive turn in Black Swan &- but, as far as I’m concerned, the five chosen nominees are more deserving of the recognition.
