Great Overshadowed Performances
The CineNation writers pick some of their favorite performances that were overshadowed by legendary roles in the same movie.
When looking at every great actor’s filmography, you can usually always pinpoint that career-defining role for them. It could be the role that won them an Oscar (or one of their Oscars) or it could be a role that impacted the entire culture of cinema.
When you think of There Will Be Blood, everyone probably think of Daniel Day-Lewis’ tour-de-force as Daniel Plainview, but few people rarely think of the great performance of Paul Dano both Paul and Eli Sunday. When people talk about the cultural greatness of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs, Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling is brought up less often in that conversation, even though she also won an Oscar for her performance. While discussing this phenomenon, we at CineNation decided to talk about some of our favorite great performances by actors who are unfortunately passed over for another brilliant or more popular performance in the same film.
Kevin Kline in “Sophie’s Choice”
By Thomas Horton
This is something I’ve already talked about in our earlier article about Meryl Streep’s best performance: Sophie’s Choice is a film that’s cheated of its true legacy by being oversimplified as a Holocaust film. Sophie’s Choice is really one of the most heartbreaking depictions of an abusive relationship in film, but instead the emotional impact of that relationship is often overlooked in favor of pinpointing the scene when Sophie must choose between her two children at a concentration camp. And so, when the core relationship of the film is forgotten, that means the other half of that relationship is often overshadowed.
Kevin Kline is an incredible actor, plain and simple. Drama, comedy, musicals…you name it and the man brings his undeniable charisma and presence to a project. What’s even more astounding about his work in Sophie’s Choice as Nathan is that it’s his feature film debut. This performance should be going down in history as one of the most explosive introductions of an actor of all time, but instead he’s often forgotten in the shadow of Meryl Streep as Sophie.
To be clear, both actors deserve so much credit here for the way they work together to bring this relationship to life. Kline as Nathan captures the essence of mercurial; he weaves that chaotic balance between manic and depressive that is instantly recognizable but only later explained as a lifelong personality disorder. Nathan must be charming, friendly and brilliant, easily winning over Stingo, the film’s narrator. It’s understandable why Sophie is absolutely head over heels for this man. But without a moment’s notice, a switch flips, and Nathan is terrifying, a cruel and dizzying force of nature as he flies into a rage. All the while, Streep is wonderful as his loving better half, a woman who delights in Nathan’s best moments and insists on standing by him in his worst.
Film often fails to depict the true nature of abusive relationships, as the abuser is usually written off as a vile, repulsive villain. By achieving the perfect balance of charisma and rage, Kline turns in a performance that is able to show the tragic truth of abusive relationships: that often the good times can blind the abused to the bad times. This is a film that should be remembered for its bold and complex portrayal of a toxic relationship, and Kline deserves just as much credit for bringing his part of this relationship to life.
Helena Bonham Carter in Everything She is In
By Dan LeVine
Who else can do what she does? She’s a versatile actress who can also sing. She can play everything from loving mother to sleazy innkeeper to crazed psychopath, a role she can arguably do better than anyone. Yet her performances are always overshadowed by the leads.
- The King’s Speech (Colin Firth & Geoffrey Rush)
- Harry Potter films (Daniel Radcliffe and co.)
- Les Miserables (Hugh Jackman & Anne Hathaway)
- Fight Club (Brad Pitt & Ed Norton)
- Cinderella (Lily James)
- Alice in Wonderland films (Johnny Depp)
- The Lone Ranger (Johnny Depp)
- Dark Shadows (Johnny Depp)
- Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp)
But what would those films be without her? What would Tim Burton’s and Johnny Depp’s filmography be without her? Let’s hear it for HBC! Let’s get her some leading roles!
David Strathairn in “Lincoln”
By Alex Bauer
When I read Daniel Day-Lewis was to play Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, I wrote Day-Lewis as the winner of every major Best Actor award. Upon watching the film the first time, the performance lived up to the hype — delivering at award season, too. Lincoln is filled with powerful filmmaking and performances. Out of a sublime cast, one performance, other than Day-Lewis’ sticks out: David Strathairn as Secretary of State William Seward.
As a major history buff and Lincoln fan, I treated every scene and every performance with a bit more scrutiny. With one eye making sure the history made sense, I began to see that each performance truly captures their character. Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic as Republican Congressman Thaddeus Stevens; Sally Field is sensational as Mary Todd Lincoln. In my head, all of the “historical boxes” were being checked off.
When Strathairn is on the screen as Seward, I enjoy every second. A rival, yet a friend, Seward is every bit of the definition of complex. Once a rival to Lincoln, Seward has to work with him as part of his cabinet. Striving for his own glory, yet realizing he must do his job and serve his country, Strathairn beautifully captures these changing emotions. He knows how to chip away at Lincoln, trying to persuade him of his point; yet, there is enough respect between the men to do their job. Again, Strathairn understands this about his character and delivers a truly understated performance.
In the famous “Now” scene, Seward — sitting to Lincoln’s left — fights off his urge to speak up. Knowing Lincoln, it is best for the president to make his point. With the point made, Seward interjects with reality: your lofty language is great, but this is how we get it done. Seward is Lincoln’s rock, grounding him back to Earth. Strathairn’s performance — notably through his eyes and facial expression — tells the whole story.
While Daniel Day-Lewis fully deserves every praise for portraying Abraham Lincoln, let us not forgot the power behind David Strathairn’s William Seward.
Tom Cruise in “Rain Main”
By Brandon Sparks
I love Tom Cruise, and I don’t care who knows it. The man is a damn fine actor. Over the past decade or so, people have lost sight of Cruise’s great acting ability, because the majority of his films today are action films like the Mission: Impossible franchise and the upcoming reboot of The Mummy. But, if you actually studied his filmography you would see just how great of a dramatic actor he is (Seriously, go watch Magnolia).
When thinking of Rain Man, everyone thinks about how great Dustin Hoffman is in the role of Raymond Babbit, and he is amazing. People, however, forget that Rain Man is actually Tom Cruise’s movie, because we are following his character Charlie, not Raymond. The movie is about Charlie’s journey of becoming a better human being, and he only is able to do that because of his brother. The character of Raymond is the flashier role for an actor, but the character of Charlie is the backbone of the entire film. If Hoffman did not have someone as great as Cruise playing opposite him, then he might not have won the Oscar for his performance.
The movie starts out with Cruise in his 1980s Cruise persona. He is selfish, loud, arrogant, and overall your typical jerk. By the end of the film, though, we see Cruise is a completely different character, and Charlie’s transition from a bad person to a good person is done perfectly. Raymond does not change over the course of the movie, it’s Charlie who does.
Cruise is known for his fun and almost over-the-top moments like the famous “Show me the money!” scene in Jerry Maguire or his hilarious portrayal as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder. In Rain Man, however, we see another side of Cruise that we don’t see that much. In some moments we see a much more subtle and quiet Cruise. A great example is when he is saying goodbye to Raymond. It is the ultimate test for the character of Charlie, and it is the moment we truly realize that he is a changed man. He has grown to love his brother and he wants to take care of him, but he realizes that he can’t because he is taking Raymond away from someone who can give him the help he needs. It is a heartbreaking scene that both Hoffman and Cruise perform perfectly.
Tom Cruise has put out a number of great performances over the years, but he has never won an Oscar for his work. In films like Collateral, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, and Rain Man, he has been overlooked because of other actors in the films who usually have flashier roles. People see Cruise as this huge movie star, but in all of those movies he takes a backseat to let the other actors shine in their roles, and that is just as difficult as the flashy role. He takes the quieter and more subtle roles in those films, and because of that he is never truly given the credit he deserves as being such a great actor.
