OVP: Best Supporting Actress (2007)
The Nominees Were...
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
My Thoughts: Yes, my friends, miracles do occasionally happen on TMROJ, and as a result I am actually writing a second OVP writeup in the same week as the last as we continue along with our rundown of the Oscar races of 2007 (if you're behind, all of the links to past contests, as well as to every other Best Supporting Actress race we've profiled, are in the list below). This race may be the only acting race I remember in my lifetime (save, perhaps, for 1998's Supporting Actor) where literally every single one of the nominees headed into Oscar night had a real shot at winning the trophy. It's also a strange anomaly in recent years because these are all five genuinely supporting roles-there is no lead masquerading as supporting like we got with Casey Affleck in Supporting Actor. Because of both these things, it's become one of my favorites (everyone loves a suspenseful, accurate category, except those paid to make predictions), but will it stand-up in terms of actual quality of the nominations? We shall see, and we'll start with Amy Ryan because-why not?
Ryan's career post-GBG hasn't exactly set the world on-fire. Other than a memorable role as Michael Scott's love interest on The Office, she's largely used her post-nomination time doing fine but uninteresting, 15-minute stuff in major motion pictures like Bridge of Spies and Birdman. This is a pity, because there's real talent in her work in Ben Affleck's first picture. Ryan's role as a "bad mother" who has lost her daughter is crucial to the moral crux of the film; it's hard to examine her role too fully without getting into spoilers, but the final scene of the film, easily the best of the movie, only works because of her. I said at the time that I wish I'd seen a bit more layering of the character-so much of her Helene is surface-level, and perhaps that fits her personality, but even the shallowest of people have layers, and I don't see them inside of this thick Boston accent. Still, it's showy work that keeps the film moving, and a great contrast to her scene-partner Casey Affleck.
Ruby Dee is also largely reliant on her leading man in her film, but unlike Ryan, she doesn't have a director that particularly cares about her role in that man's life. Dee, playing the mother to Denzel Washington, gets one mammoth scene, easily the best in American Gangster, where she famously slaps her son and reveals she knows far more about his criminal enterprise than she's been letting on, but other than that, well-that's it. It's not a bad performance, but in a 160-minute film she's in for roughly 5% of that run-time, and outside of that two minutes of screen-time, there's nothing special there. It's a testament to Dee's long career that she makes that scene work (it wouldn't have worked with a lesser, and perhaps more tellingly, less famous actress), but this feels like it's more of a "we should have nominated you a long time ago, and Ossie too" style nomination more than anything else. The slap works, but the rest here is nothing special.
Cate Blanchett has become so ubiquitous to the Oscars it should shock no one that she once got a dual nomination in the same year, but I do find it strange that so few people remember her excellent work in I'm Not There when listing out the best parts of her career. Todd Haynes messy biopic of Bob Dylan (told with six actors playing fictionalized versions of the legendary songwriter) is at its best when Blanchett is taking on the Dylan-goes-electric period of his career, when he crossed over into the mainstream in a very specific way, a controversial move at the time which is reflected in her performance. She plays Jude Quinn in a mannered, marvelous way, frequently finding the strange combination of genius-taking-a-risk-that-might-not-work, and finding clever touches about what ego will do to even the most "above-it-all" amongst us. Blanchett finds a fragility in Jude/Dylan that was clearly on-display, but is more pronounced under her guidance. It's strange to say since the part is male, but it's hard to imagine literally any other actor playing this role so well.
Tilda Swinton also plays against type but with splendid results as the in-over-her-head attorney in Michael Clayton. Like Blanchett, Swinton has hit so many home runs since 2007 it's hard to remember how revelatory her work was when she won the Oscar in a tough field (it's also deeply frustrating that she's somehow never been invited back despite being one of the best performers in cinema since). Her work here is specific, well-modulated, and impossible-to-ignore. Somehow she makes Karen Crowder intelligent, capable, ruthless, complete, and still unhinged. It's rare with a powerful character who makes crucial mistakes that it doesn't seem like lazy screenwriting to get the plot across, but she manages to make Karen someone who is damn good at her job and also able to fail at it. Combined with excellent line readings ($10...10 million?) and specific character facial reactions (gotta love that scene with her looking in the mirror), it's a triumph of a performance.
The final nominee is one third of Briony Tallis, Saoirse Ronan, one of only four actors to be nominated as both a child and an adult (we'll be getting to the 2015 Oscars once we wrap up 2007 soon enough), Ronan's work here is deeply effective, enough so that her Briony hangs like a ghost over the rest of the picture. Oftentimes with child actors you do wonder if it's actual talent or a really good director at the helm, but as Ronan gave us the wonderfully-specific work in Brooklyn, I'm guessing the former. Her Briony walks so haughtily, and I love the way she grows in confidence in her lie as she speaks, but never entirely abandoning the fact that what she did was, in fact, a deep betrayal to her sister and Robbie. The way she is shocked-how it mirrors adults being shocked rather than a genuine emotion, or how she doesn't understand fully the ramifications of what she's doing-it comes across in Ronan's speech and movements. She plays Briony as a girl who has been told she's clever since she was young, and has confused it with being clever-like-an-adult. It's a great distinction, and I'm so glad she blossomed into such a fine actress.
Ryan's career post-GBG hasn't exactly set the world on-fire. Other than a memorable role as Michael Scott's love interest on The Office, she's largely used her post-nomination time doing fine but uninteresting, 15-minute stuff in major motion pictures like Bridge of Spies and Birdman. This is a pity, because there's real talent in her work in Ben Affleck's first picture. Ryan's role as a "bad mother" who has lost her daughter is crucial to the moral crux of the film; it's hard to examine her role too fully without getting into spoilers, but the final scene of the film, easily the best of the movie, only works because of her. I said at the time that I wish I'd seen a bit more layering of the character-so much of her Helene is surface-level, and perhaps that fits her personality, but even the shallowest of people have layers, and I don't see them inside of this thick Boston accent. Still, it's showy work that keeps the film moving, and a great contrast to her scene-partner Casey Affleck.
Ruby Dee is also largely reliant on her leading man in her film, but unlike Ryan, she doesn't have a director that particularly cares about her role in that man's life. Dee, playing the mother to Denzel Washington, gets one mammoth scene, easily the best in American Gangster, where she famously slaps her son and reveals she knows far more about his criminal enterprise than she's been letting on, but other than that, well-that's it. It's not a bad performance, but in a 160-minute film she's in for roughly 5% of that run-time, and outside of that two minutes of screen-time, there's nothing special there. It's a testament to Dee's long career that she makes that scene work (it wouldn't have worked with a lesser, and perhaps more tellingly, less famous actress), but this feels like it's more of a "we should have nominated you a long time ago, and Ossie too" style nomination more than anything else. The slap works, but the rest here is nothing special.
Cate Blanchett has become so ubiquitous to the Oscars it should shock no one that she once got a dual nomination in the same year, but I do find it strange that so few people remember her excellent work in I'm Not There when listing out the best parts of her career. Todd Haynes messy biopic of Bob Dylan (told with six actors playing fictionalized versions of the legendary songwriter) is at its best when Blanchett is taking on the Dylan-goes-electric period of his career, when he crossed over into the mainstream in a very specific way, a controversial move at the time which is reflected in her performance. She plays Jude Quinn in a mannered, marvelous way, frequently finding the strange combination of genius-taking-a-risk-that-might-not-work, and finding clever touches about what ego will do to even the most "above-it-all" amongst us. Blanchett finds a fragility in Jude/Dylan that was clearly on-display, but is more pronounced under her guidance. It's strange to say since the part is male, but it's hard to imagine literally any other actor playing this role so well.
Tilda Swinton also plays against type but with splendid results as the in-over-her-head attorney in Michael Clayton. Like Blanchett, Swinton has hit so many home runs since 2007 it's hard to remember how revelatory her work was when she won the Oscar in a tough field (it's also deeply frustrating that she's somehow never been invited back despite being one of the best performers in cinema since). Her work here is specific, well-modulated, and impossible-to-ignore. Somehow she makes Karen Crowder intelligent, capable, ruthless, complete, and still unhinged. It's rare with a powerful character who makes crucial mistakes that it doesn't seem like lazy screenwriting to get the plot across, but she manages to make Karen someone who is damn good at her job and also able to fail at it. Combined with excellent line readings ($10...10 million?) and specific character facial reactions (gotta love that scene with her looking in the mirror), it's a triumph of a performance.
The final nominee is one third of Briony Tallis, Saoirse Ronan, one of only four actors to be nominated as both a child and an adult (we'll be getting to the 2015 Oscars once we wrap up 2007 soon enough), Ronan's work here is deeply effective, enough so that her Briony hangs like a ghost over the rest of the picture. Oftentimes with child actors you do wonder if it's actual talent or a really good director at the helm, but as Ronan gave us the wonderfully-specific work in Brooklyn, I'm guessing the former. Her Briony walks so haughtily, and I love the way she grows in confidence in her lie as she speaks, but never entirely abandoning the fact that what she did was, in fact, a deep betrayal to her sister and Robbie. The way she is shocked-how it mirrors adults being shocked rather than a genuine emotion, or how she doesn't understand fully the ramifications of what she's doing-it comes across in Ronan's speech and movements. She plays Briony as a girl who has been told she's clever since she was young, and has confused it with being clever-like-an-adult. It's a great distinction, and I'm so glad she blossomed into such a fine actress.
Other Precursor Contenders: Anyone else remember the heinous Golden Globes that year where Billy Bush complained while presenting during the writer's strike that the Supporting Actress trophy had gone to Cate Blanchett instead of Amy Ryan-I remember it being 10-kinds-of-tacky, though clearly not the most regrettable moment of Bush's career. Anyway, the Globes went with Blanchett, and substituted out Ruby Dee in favor of Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War. The BAFTA Awards went with hometown favorite Tilda Swinton, with Samantha Morton (Control) and Kelly MacDonald (No Country for Old Men) making the cut over Dee & Ryan (both in far more American productions). The SAG Awards were strange in that they completely ignored Atonement after the Globes went gaga for it, picking Catherine Keener (Into the Wild) for the spot filled by Ronan, and then gave Ruby Dee a surprise victory. The true joy here is that this race was all over the place with a lot of very fine actresses, and quite frankly I'd buy an argument for Keener, MacDonald, or even Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement). I remember at the time actually guessing this field entirely right, though I was debating pretty furiously with Keener being in the lineup so I'll go with her as my guess at sixth.
Actors I Would Have Nominated: If Oscar was going to go with a legend in a brief cameo, they probably should have favored Redgrave rather than Dee (though it's hard to quibble with Dee finally becoming an Oscar nominee), as her work as the elder Briony and that terrific final monologue is the stuff of actorly dreams. I also would have included, genre bias be damned, Imelda Staunton, who gave the best performance in the entire Harry Potter franchise with her Dolores Umbridge, a cruel and vicious villain coated in pink, and Staunton manages to make Rowling's most compelling straight-up villain (sorry Voldemort), as evil as she is on the page. And I might have made room for Kelly MacDonald's lonely, lost housewife in No Country for Old Men, as her work is the glue that holds the film together.
Oscar’s Choice: Like I said-I genuinely could have seen Oscar going any direction here, and I suspect Swinton gained a bit for being in a film that Oscar loved but had no other obvious place to honor. Second place is a crapshoot, but maybe Dee-that SAG win was telling, and I actually recall predicting her to win at the time.
My Choice: For me it's between Blanchett and Swinton, and I'm going with the latter-it's a less showy part and she sticks with you longer. In third place I've got Ronan, followed by Ryan and then Dee.
Those are my thoughts-what are yours? Are you in concurrence with Oscar/myself that Swinton deserved the trophy, or do you want to be contrarian (the rest of the precursors were, so why shouldn't you be)? Does anyone recall thinking Catherine Keener could make the cut (and do you think she might again this year for Get Out)? And who was the best supporting actress of 2007? Share your thoughts below!
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