These six supporting actors, all of whom gave gripping, authentic big-screen performances in 2016, have yet to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Could that change in such an exceptionally strong film awards season? We think so.
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” (A24)
Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” sets out to lift the veil on unspoken stereotypes and undo our preconceived expectations. No other character embodies that as profoundly as Ali and his Miami drug dealer, Juan. Coming across the young Chiron (Alex Hibbert) seeking refuge from school bullies in the boarded-up belly of a crack house, Juan takes the boy in and teaches him how to be proud and take hold of his destiny, despite pressing unkindness from all sides. As the counter to Chiron’s crack-addicted mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), Juan plays father to a fatherless child. In the process, Ali shows the pulsing humanity within us all. —Benjamin Lindsay
Hugh Grant, “Florence Foster Jenkins” (Paramount Pictures)
Despite a career full of leading-man parts and affable performances, Grant has never quite fit the mold of a conventional award-winning actor. Here’s hoping the Academy realizes their mistake with “Florence Foster Jenkins,” which features a performance from Grant so undeniably layered and impressive, it’s impossible to claim he coasts on natural charm (although there’s plenty of that, too). His St. Clair Bayfield, husband, manager, and caretaker of the titular New York socialite and wannabe chanteuse (played by Meryl Streep), toggles between two rather different lives, allowing Grant to show off a chorus of emotions. The actor is up to the task and then some. —Jack Smart
READ: “6 of This Year’s Hard-Working Actors”
Garrett Hedlund, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (TriStar Pictures)
The most satisfying of performances are those that surprise us. That’s not to say we ever doubted Hedlund’s acting abilities (he’s turned in an assortment of impressive performances in “Unbroken,” “Friday Night Lights,” and more), but one-note characters like a fuss-free army sergeant traditionally give actors little to play with. That’s where his Sgt. David Dime is different. As the calculating, straight-faced leader of Billy Lynn’s (Joe Alwyn) Bravo Company squad, Hedlund brings layers of quick wit, dry humor, and impassioned dedication to a character that otherwise risked becoming a caricature of a headstrong Army man. As the figure who keeps his squad together, Hedlund, too, commands his scenes with authoritative magnetism. —BL
Stephen McKinley Henderson, “Fences” (Paramount Pictures)
Henderson’s work in “Fences” reminds us what a great supporting performance entails: generosity. As Bono, friend and colleague of Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), the actor makes the most of a part that could easily come off small or unimportant next to Washington’s fireworks. Conveyed in tiny reaction shots that reveal more than pages of dialogue ever could, his Bono exudes a natural warmth that gradually—tragically—gives way to wariness. We glimpse an aching portrait of a man who becomes disillusioned with his closest friend, but who carries too much grace and basic human dignity to reject him outright. Just imagine what Henderson could do with a meatier part. —JS
Dev Patel, “Lion” (The Weinstein Company)
Patel’s had several major roles since he garnered critical acclaim for the eight-time Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire,” but not since that breakout role has he brought such profundity to a character. As Saroo Brierley—the real-life Indian-born, Australian-raised man who in adulthood found the family he was separated from at age 5—he inhabits a man torn. The actor navigates Saroo’s complex feelings of gratitude for his privileged life and guilt over a mother and brother whose whereabouts still haunt him. Even in his mirage-like imaginings of his lost sibling, Patel stays anchored in the very real grief causing his character’s visions and deftly balances a debilitating obsession with the love that lies beneath. —Briana Rodriguez
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Nocturnal Animals” (Focus Features)
Playing a fictional character in a novel within a film gives license for flair, and Taylor-Johnson delivers in Tom Ford’s latest film. As the quintessential villain, Ray Marcus, it’s hard to believe this is the same actor who played wannabe superhero “Kick-Ass” back in 2010. Taylor-Johnson completely transforms in this role, inhabiting the demonic redneck driving a revenge plot forward. But in scenes opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon, the actor reveals the depth of his psychopathic character work. He manages to be both magnetic and terrifying as he pushes us further toward his ugly endgame. We couldn’t look away if we wanted to. —BR
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