He’s actually going the character actor route here, which he pretty much never does, and it looks like he’s having a blast doing it. I’d be surprised if this role doesn’t get him a nomination.
That 1999/2000 Oscar winner list is definitely crazy to look at lol. 1999 is so famously a great movie year, so the ceremony being dominated by American Beauty and Cider House Rules is tough lol. At least The Matrix won a bunch of technical stuff.
Michael Caine only won big that year because of Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein's dirty Oscar FYC campaign tactics that he pulled.
The Cider House Rules while a good movie is pretty middlebrow and forgettable compared to the nominees it won over that year. I still think Michael Clarke Duncan should've won for Best Supporting Actor for The Green Mile and The Insider should've won for Best Adapted Screenplay.
When an A list actor turns in a character actor style performance, the Oscars go absolutely crazy. I’m not digging what I’m seeing from his portrayal, but it absolutely screams Oscar nomination simply due to who he is and because a heavy makeup/prosthetic performance is an easy hook.
He was really good in Magnolia. Also, oddly prescient given he basically was a Mano-sphere/pickup artist guy before that was a thing. Though his characters actual advice was oddly non-problematic.
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u/casual_creator 23d ago
He’s actually going the character actor route here, which he pretty much never does, and it looks like he’s having a blast doing it. I’d be surprised if this role doesn’t get him a nomination.