Photo Credit (Freepik)

Who better than someone who has consistently slipped under the radar to start our list? This talented artist didn’t receive an Academy Award until 2024, which was a well-earned recognition for their portrayal of the famous Joker. But in the crime/thriller You Were Never Really Here, written and directed by Lynne Ramsay, Joaquin Phoenix gave one of 2017’s most memorable performances as Joe, a war veteran with PTSD who makes a fortune by saving sex-trafficked females.Sheila O’Malley, a film critic, writes, “It’s tempting to say Phoenix has never been better than he is here, but that just would not be true.” In two quite different roles, The Master and Inherent Vice, he excelled. He has had a somewhat erratic career, but in the past several years, he has found his footing. He seems to sense the ground beneath his feet and knows exactly what to do. It has been thrilling to observe.

“He doesn’t’show his work’ at his best.’” You’re simply spending time with whatever odd persona he’s portraying. As an actor, he isn’t consciously “stretching” by playing these various parts. To paraphrase Walt Whitman, he simply “contains multitudes.” He occasionally vibrates with mismanaged trauma and suicidal thoughts in You Were Never Really Here. When his tears fall, they are heartbreaking because he feels so powerless. Silent agony pulses in his crystalline green eyes. You can never be quite certain of Joe’s next move.[1]

Melissa McCarthy: Will You Pardon Me?
Melissa McCarthy’s portrayal of the real Lee Israel in Marielle Heller’s 2018 comedy-drama Can You Ever Forgive Me is a triumph. Desperate for cash, Lee, a disgruntled drinker and failed writer, forges old letters from well-known authors and sells them for high prices to cover her rent. McCarthy received a nomination for the part, but her excellent performance was largely disregarded.Geoffrey Macnab @TheIndyFilm writes, “In her role as Lee, McCarthy does something very special: She makes a character who is strange, annoying, challenging, and alcoholic seem lovable and even heroic.” “McCarthy makes no effort to be ingratiating or to soften Lee’s blend of malice and awkwardness.” She somehow manages to get the audience to support this vile figure.[2]

One cannot be identified without the other. In Robert Egger’s 2019 psychological horror thriller, The Lighthouse, Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe play opposites and complement each other beautifully. Living on a lonely island and working as lighthouse keepers, the two men attempt to keep their stanity.”Pattison’s incredibly dedicated portrayal of the reserved Winslow is at the heart of the movie,” says Alison Willmore for Vulture. As a sea-brined gremlin with an insatiable thirst and an unexpectedly sensitive taste for his own food, Dafoe might be a delight. At one point, he yells, “You like me, lobster.” “Say it!” However, Patterson, who portrays the heterosexual male, is the one who effectively conveys the gradual decline in the two characters’ mental health. [3]

The First Reformed Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke plays Reverend Toller, the pastor of a small church in upstate New York, in Paul Schrader’s 2017 drama/thriller First Reformed. Following an existential meeting with an environmental warrior and his spouse, Toller starts to doubt his beliefs and lose control.Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times comments, “A steady, unblinking camera draws you into Toller’s story, quickening your pulse while encouraging your contemplation.” The captivating clarity and intelligence of Hawke’s performance, which implies that the most profound insights might also be the most subtle, keep you there.”Perhaps too subtle,” Chang adds. Hawke was noticeably not nominated for either the Golden Globe or the Screen Actors Guild Award, two important Oscar precursors. It is easy to understand why. This type of acting doesn’t draw attention to itself or dazzle you with impressive vocal distortion and prosthetic virtuosity.After the biographical metamorphoses of Born to Be Blue (2015) and Maudie (2017) and the nuanced examinations of midlife unhappiness in Before Midnight (2013) and Boyhood (2014), First Reformed offers us the most recent in a series of outstanding Hawke performances. It is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of the wealthiest, most successful, and most unexpected acting career currently employed in American motion pictures.[4]

Vox Lux’s Natalie Portman
You shouldn’t miss Natalie Portman’s portrayal of a celeste in Brady Corbet’s musical drama Vox Lux, even though it’s not as good as her Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan. Celeste is a music diva who was a victim of a school shooting. She is 31 years old and about to make a return when her career is threatened by yet another terrible scandal. Attacks by terrorists and the crazy world of pop culture? You can bet!According to film critic Luke Chanell, Vox Lux aims to investigate the relationship between pop artists and terrorism by making clear references to both the Columbine High School shooting and 9/11, generating a plethora of provocative concepts in the process:This is kept together by Portman’s outstanding performance. In addition to being compassionate, emotionally damaged, and deceptively clever, she is equally parts furious, spoiled, and insane. With her over-styled hair and swaggering manner, Portman looks the part, and her nuanced interpretation is always captivating. As a world-famous pop diva in the film’s climactic concert climax, she is completely compelling and convincing.[5]Disney’s Top 10 Underappreciated Villains

Gyllenhaal, Jake—Nightcrawler
As Louis Bloom in Dan Gilroy’s 2014 crime/thriller Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal dazzled audiences with one of his best performances to date. After learning that he can make money by selling films of crimes and accidents to local news networks, Louis embarks on a new profession as a freelance cameraman. He develops an obsession with getting the money shot and would stop at nothing to achieve it.Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press comments, “Gyllenhaal’s fearless, dedicated performance makes Nightcrawler one of the most entertaining movies of the year.” Even more terrifying than those sunken, sallow cheeks, those gooey eyes, and that disheveled hair in a greasy bun is Gyllenhaal’s smile. That smile—a silly, self-assured grin that reaches its full width just when you’re beginning to realize how insane the guy truly is—is what they called “creepy.”

Nyong’o Lupita—Us
It’s odd that Lupita Nyong’o, who won an Oscar in 2014 for her performance in 12 Years A Slave, was not nominated for a nomination five years later when she played Adelaide and Red in Jordan Peele’s horror movie Us.Manohla Dargis of the New York Times writes, “A vibrant, appealing screen presence, Nyong’o brings a tremendous range and depth of feeling to both characters, who she individualizes with such clarity and lapidary detail that they aren’t just distinct beings; they feel as if they were being inhabited by different actors.”She gives each a distinct gait and radically different gestures and vocalizations (monstrously harsh vs. maternally silky). Red moves with the staccato, mechanical step, and head turns of an automaton, as if keeping time to a metronome; Adelaide, who studied ballet, moves elegantly and, when necessary, quickly (racking up miles). They both have big, unblinking eyes and ramrod posture. Red’s mouth is a hideous chasm.[6]

Kang-ho Song—Parasite
Although Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 comedy/thriller Parasite won numerous Oscars, Song Kang-ho’s portrayal of Kim Ki-taek, the father of a poor family struggling to make ends meet, did not receive the recognition they deserved. The other Kim family members quickly find themselves lying about their degree and experience level in order to obtain positions within the household after his son gets a job as a phony teacher for the wealthy Park family.Bong noted that he was able to embolden his approach by selecting Kang-ho to feature in the movie. “There was a sense of relief that came from knowing that, should this actor do the part, the audience would find even the contentious scenes convincing. There are several daring, surprising, or somewhat contentious scenes in the later part of the script, particularly in Parasite, but writing them with Song Kang-ho in mind allayed my worries.“Over the years, the characters I’ve played have appealed to the Korean audience more as familiar, very realistic people that they can relate to, rather than somebody from a fantasy world,” says Kang-ho, who has starred in over 30 Korean films and worked with Bong on four of them. However, Patrick Brzeski of the Hollywood Reporter claims that Kang-ho isn’t the “big star” in Parasite and can’t rely on his immediate likeability.According to Bong, the acting style is actually ensemble-style, with nearly ten major characters collaborating with one another in a balanced manner. Despite this, Song Kang-ho is the one carrying the film’s central theme as well as its riskiest and most audacious scenes, as is evident when we revisit the movie’s climactic sequence,” he stated.[7]

Toni Collette—Inborn
Toni Collette’s performance in Ari Aster’s 2018 horror picture Hereditary was one of the greatest Oscar snubs of the past ten years. Annie, played by Collette, is a distraught mother who recently lost her daughter in a terrible vehicle accident. Unable to handle the loss of her daughter, Annie rapidly loses her mind, falls into a rabbit hole of demonic practices, and learns that her own mother might be responsible for a curse on their family.Tasha Robinson said for the Verge, “Collette is the film’s most valuable asset, snarling, screaming, and crying her way halfway off the screen and into the audience’s laps.” Annie is a complex character who can be both upsetting and downright disgusting at times. Collette’s ability to sell her feelings to an audience that might wish to avoid her obvious suffering is the only reason the role succeeds. She portrays the role so intensely that it is extremely draining to watch her struggle.