And The Winner is….Michael Stuhlbarg, the most overlooked but most valuable player in this Academy Awards Season

And the Oscar Goes to…Michael Stuhlbarg!

Wait…who?

I became familiar with actor Michael Stuhlbarg after binge watching Boardwalk Empire a few years back, where he plays millionaire Arnold Rothstein. He was one of my favorite characters — charmingly cold and calculating, is cruelty was made all the more frightening by his calm, almost gentle demeanor.

And there lies the quiet genius of Michael Stuhlbarg, who played roles in THREE Oscar Nominated films this year: the sympathetic Dr. Robert Hofstetler in Del Toro’s gem The Shape of Water, Abe Rosenthal(head of the NY Times) in Spielberg’s new star-studded drama The Post, and Mr. Perlman (Elio’s father) in Call Me By Your Name.

In all three, his sublety shines through and gives his characters nuanced humanity. Even in the briefest, simplest moments (which in the Post are all he has), his subtlety and quiet focus bring shining moments of nuanced humanity through the screen and straight into your poor little heart. Yet where is the recognition? His name is noticeably missing in the pop culture and media talk surrounding awards season.

SO, I’ve decided to throw him a little awards party right here, right now!

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…Michael Stulhbarg, as Dr. Robert Hofstetler in The Shape of Water:

This is the first film of the season where I went, “Oh…THAT GUY!” while watching Stuhlbarg’s performance of Dr. Hofstetler. He’s a misfit in the top secret laboratory where plans have been laid to murder their newest “asset,” a mysterious humanoid sea creature. He also can’t seem to fit into his double life as a Soviet spy, where he is also charged with the destruction of this creature and the thwarting of American plans.

Stuhlbarg’s quiet defiance, dignity, heroism, and empathy seems like a match made in heaven for Del Toro’s penchant for championing the fringes of society, the misfits, and the hearts of even the most dangerous monsters.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…Michael Stuhlbarg, as Mr. Perlman in Call Me By Your Name.

No other film and no other performance moved me as much this year than Stuhlbarg as Mr. Perlman, a gentle, observant father; a man of science, but one of great heart. He delivers a monologue to comfort his son toward the end of the film that left me ugly crying/dry heaving, and got to the very heart of heartbreak itself.

And sure, that is a testament to the writing as well, but his quiet, simple, and incredibly nuanced delivery gave the words wings. Here’s an excerpt that particularly moved me:

“If there is pain, nurse it. And if there is a flame, don’t snuff it out. Don’t be brutal with it. We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as to never feel anything — what a waste!…Remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once”

This is a lesson we discover Mr. Perlman learned at great cost (he subtly drops that he almost had a homosexual relationship once, but was never had the courage to act on it), and one he now imparts on his son in one of the most poignant and truthful variations of the “don’t make the same mistakes I did” speech.

These words and what Mr. Perlman reveals about himself can also beautifully describe Stuhlbarg’s approach to all of his characters and the mark he leaves on these three nominated films: never brutal, always gently revealing the heart of his characters, and reminding us of our human fragility.

So, at long last, I’d like to take this time to award Michael Stuhlbarg the Oscar for “Oh, THAT GUY!” award. He cradles the heart of every film he is in, but does it with such quiet truth that it’s easy for him to just miss the circle of limelight that superstars like Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks (his peers in The Post) seem to perpetually exist within.

Still, even if you failed to recognize his work in these films, I bet an Oscar you’d know if his marks on the films were absent, for the stories would not move you nearly as much.