OVP: Best Supporting Actor (2002)
The Nominees Were...
Chris Cooper, Adaptation
Ed Harris, The Hours
Paul Newman, Road to Perdition
John C. Reilly, Chicago
Christopher Walken, Catch Me If You Can
My Thoughts: We are heading into the home stretch of 2002 today with the Best Supporting Actor field and the start of the Big 6. This field featured five white, middle-to-late aged men, four of whom were/are noted character actors and the fifth being one of the most iconic movie stars of all-time, an actor getting the only supporting nomination of his career. Don't feel bad for him, though, as Newman would amass ten nominations in his long career so we'll be discussing him for a while in this series...this is also the latest of four nominations for Ed Harris so we're starting our discussion of him as well. So to kick us off, though, let's look at an actor who got his only nomination (to date) that managed to also snag him a trophy.
Chris Cooper's performance is kind of extraordinary, both because it should be a caricature (it's not even clear at first if it's written intending to be a caricature), and it's so multi-layered. I loved the way that he indulges celebrity in the character, the idea of being famous being a perverse thrill for all of us, having us be found interesting enough to write an article about or for the public to ask us a series of questions...even the most mundane can find that intoxicating, and he brings that to life. I will say, though Cage gets the worst of it, some of the meta-focuses in the center cost him slightly (no one does a great job of bringing that to life), but this is easily the longtime screen presence's best work.
John C. Reilly was having a remarkable year in 2002. It sometimes gets lost in supporting nominations that the nomination is not "just" for that performance, but for their career or the year they've had, but Reilly wasn't just in Chicago, but also in Gangs of New York and The Hours (gaining him the rare distinction of an actor who appeared in three Best Picture nominees in one year), and had been doing bravura work for Paul Thomas Anderson for a while. But OVP rules clearly state that we only award for the performance at hand, and with Chicago's Amos, that's just okay. This performance feels a bit one-note, and while "Mr. Cellophane" is a good number (he can sing), it's nowhere near the most memorable in the film. Amos is meant to be forgotten in the script, and it's hard to imagine him being remembered here had Reilly not had the year he'd had in 2002.
Paul Newman's work in Road to Perdition is inarguably the last great performance of one of the Golden Age's final movie stars (I don't believe in the concept of the "final movie star" because every few years that crown gets handed down, but in terms of Golden Age, Studio System stars...Newman's one of the final ones). This is bravura stuff-he plays a man who has lived by a unique criminal code that shapes his worldview. He understands the worthlessness of his son, but the point-of-pride that comes with knowing that he's his son, and there's that great monologue at the end with Tom Hanks where he said "no one here will see heaven" that just chills. Proof that decades in the spotlight never totally get rid of the thespian within.
Ed Harris's work in The Hours is not for everyone, and there was a time that this performance might have aged in a different direction than me. Everything about The Hours is hyper-stylized, and Harris might be pitching the most to the rafters of the bunch. But watching this through the years, I've found that it works better the further you go into the film, particularly when you know his character's fate. Playing a man who was a noted writer, but had a novel that was ill-received despite high expectations, Harris is a man adrift, knowing that AIDS is going to ensure that his chapter in life is about to be over. The way he plays off of Streep is marvelous-every sentence feels like it's cutting through the air in the final scene, not just of her Clarissa, but also of everything we've seen before us, the ways we hang onto the best parts of our lives even when they've become antiques in our memories...it's beautiful work.
Our final nomination is Christopher Walken. Walken is an odd actor when it comes to Oscar because (to date-he's still working regularly at the age of 79), he's only been nominated twice, including his initial win for The Deer Hunter. His work here is a slightly odd fit, as he's not a big part of this movie, and it's hard not to notice it feels like an "old age" citation even though he wasn't even sixty when this was released. But he does provide a sentimental heart to the film, one that DiCaprio infuses in the later scenes, sort of projecting on what you know is coming, and he's winning even if he's not lifting any major acting muscles here. Sometimes adding a pleasant note to the film is what you're supposed to do as an actor. I don't know if that's Oscar-worthy, but it's important to make your movie work.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Globes gave their statue to Chris Cooper atop Harris, Newman, Reilly, and Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven), while BAFTA favored Walken against Cooper, Harris, Newman, and Alfred Molina (Frida). SAG also picked Walken, with Cooper, Harris, Molina, & Quaid the nominees. This puts you in a quandary when it comes to who was in sixth place, as Molina & Quaid strike very similar profiles. Both were nominated for two precursors, both were in Best Actress-cited films that did well in the tech categories, and both were trying to get what might've been their only real shot at a nomination (both still work today, but neither have been nominated for an Oscar yet). The Weinstein factor probably means I should pick Molina, but I'm going to guess it was Quaid, mostly because Quaid was also getting good notices for The Rookie in 2002, which was a surprise hit for Disney that spring and marked a proper comeback arch for the star who'd just been through a very messy public divorce.
Performances I Would Have Nominated: I don't entirely know how to categorize Andy Serkis, and I'm never entirely sure if voiceover performances are deemed eligible by the Academy. But what he does here is remarkable-we have been quoting and mirroring Gollum for a reason, and his work here basically became the prototype for how motion-capture performances were done in the decades to come. That deserved some sort of prize.
Oscar’s Choice: Walken & Cooper were in a close race, and Walken definitely was closing well in 2002, but Cooper ultimately picked up the trophy in the "Battle of the Chris's."
My Choice: I'm going to go with Paul Newman, who is giving some of the best work of his career here, and does a good job of trading on his movie star persona while also just giving great acting. Ed Harris (silver) and Chris Cooper (bronze) would've made worthy winners, and picking between them would've been so hard that I'm glad Newman is my easy out here. Walken and then Reilly bring up the back.
Those are my thoughts-what are yours? Do you side with Oscar's choice of Mr. Cooper, or do you want to join me celebrating Paul Newman? Why do you think actors like Christopher Walken go such long stints without Oscar remembering that they're a fan? And who was in sixth place-Molina or Quaid? Share your thoughts below in the comments!
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