Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2001: Results

5. Steve Buscemi in Ghost World- This is an entirely solid performance by Steve Buscemi, but for me it is just that.

4. Viggo Mortensen in The Fellowship of the Ring- Mortensen gives a strong performance balancing well both the strength and underlying weakness in his character. He never becomes the highlight of any of the individual films, but his Aragorn is a highlight of the trilogy as a whole.

3. Brian Cox in L.I.E- Brian Cox plays a very risky role to say the least and Cox maybe plays it too well being a complete creep, but still a charming and very down to earth sort of creep.

2. Jude Law in A.I. Artificial Intelligence- Law is very effective here being quite artificial in his showman's manner. but still having a decent amount of humanity that brings out in his character's warmth and wisdom.

1. Sean Bean in The Fellowship of the Ring- When I watched this film for the first time over ten years ago Bean probably would not have been the first actor I would have mentioned when speaking about the strengths of the film. It was not that I did not like him, I liked him but I took what he did in the role for granted. Bean goes beyond his call of duty here in his portrayal of Boromir who could have easily just been a prideful dupe. Instead he brings a great deal of honest emotion to the role and turns Boromir's folly into the tragic portrait of a patriotic career soldier whose emotions slowly overwhelm and get the best of him.

Overall Rank:

1. Sean Bean in The Fellowship of the Ring
2. Jude Law in A.I. Artificial Intelligence
3. Ian McKellen in The Fellowship of the Ring
4. Brian Cox in L.I.E.
5. Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast
6. Justin Theroux in Mulholland Drive
7. Tsutomu Yamazaki in Go
8. Viggo Mortensen in The Fellowship of the Ring
9. Luke Wilson in The Royal Tenenbaums
10. Ben Stiller in The Royal Tenenbaums
11. Tony Shalhoub in The Man Who Wasn't There
12. Steve Buscemi in Ghost World
13. Ed Harris in A Beautiful Mind
14. Sean Astin in The Fellowship of the Ring
15. Robbie Coltrane in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
16. Paul Bettany in A Beautiful Mind
17. Clive Owen in Gosford Park
18. Ian McShane in Sexy Beast
19. Christopher Lee in The Fellowship of the Ring
20. Peter Boyle in Monster's Ball
21. James Gandolfini in The Man Who Wasn't There
22. Mickey Rourke in The Pledge
23. Heath Ledger in Monster's Ball
24. Jim Broadbent in Moulin Rouge!
25. Richard Harris in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
26. Owen Wilson in The Royal Tenenbaums
27. Basically the cast of Black Hawk Down
28. Bill Murray in The Royal Tenenbaums
29. Hugh Bonneville in Iris
30. Jon Polito in The Man Who Wasn't There
31. Andy Garcia in Ocean's Eleven
32. John Lone in Rush Hour 2
33. John Rhys-Davies in The Fellowship of the Ring
34. Nick Stahl in In The Bedroom
35. William Hurt in A.I. Artificial Intelligence
36. Hugo Weaving in The Fellowship of the Ring
37. Patrick Swayze in Donnie Darko
38. Kurt Russell in Vanilla Sky
39. Alan Bates in Gosford Park
40. Billy Boyd in The Fellowship of the Ring
41. Noah Taylor in Vanilla Sky
42. David Duchovny in Zoolander
43. Mario Van Peebles in Ali
44. Seymour Cassel in The Royal Tenenbaums
45. Ian Holm in The Fellowship of the Ring
46. Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
47. John Hurt in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
48. Ed Harris in Enemy at the Gates
49. Richard Jenkins in The Man Who Wasn't There
50. Brendan Gleeson in A.I. Artificial Intelligence
51. Holmes Osborne in Donnie Darko
52. Christopher Plummer in A Beautiful Mind
53. Will Ferrell in Zoolander
54. Richard Griffiths in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
55. Tom Noonan in The Pledge
56. Owen Wilson in Zoolander
57. Cavan Kendall in Sexy Beast
58. Carl Reiner in Ocean's Eleven
59. Jason Lee in Vanilla's Sky
60. Paul Bettany in A Knight's Tale
61. Michael Gambon in Gosford Park
62. Kumar Pallana in The Royal Tenenbaums
63. Bob Balaban in Gosford Park
64. Benecio Del Toro in The Pledge
65. Don Cheadle in Swordfish
66. William Mapouther in In The Bedroom
67. Christopher Walken in Joe Dirt
68. Elliot Gould in Ocean's Eleven
69. Danny Glover in The Royal Tenenbaums
70. Jon Voight in Zoolander
71. Ron Silver in Ali
72. Michael Jeter in Jurassic Park III
73. Ian Hart in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
74. Ryan Phillipe in Gosford Park
75. Jerry Stiller in Zoolander
76. Orlando Bloom in The Fellowship of the Ring
77. Bran Renfro in Ghost World
78. Bernie Mac in Ocean's Eleven
79. Bob Balaban in Ghost World
80. Aaron Eckhart in The Pledge
81. Tom Felton in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
82. Michael Badalucco in The Man Who Wasn't There
83. William H. Macy in Jurassic Park III
84. Steve Buscemi in Domestic Disturbance
85. Eddie Murphy in Shrek
86. Rupert Grint in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
87. Matt Damon in Ocean's Eleven
88. Dominic Monaghan in The Fellowship of the Ring
89. Don Cheadle in Ocean's Eleven
90. Oded Fehr in The Mummy Returns
91. Vince Vaughn in Domestic Disturbance
92. Joseph Fiennes in Enemy At the Gates
93. Sam Robards in A.I. Artificial Intelligence
94. Rufus Sewell in A Knight's Tale
95. Jon Voight in Ali
96. Arnold Vosloo in The Mummy Returns
97. Jamie Foxx in Ali
98. Iain Glen in Tomb Raider
99. Richard Roxburgh in Moulin Rouge!
100. Alessandro Nivola in Jurassic park III
101. John Hannah in The Mummy Returns
102. Trevor Morgan in Jurassic Park III
103. Freddie Boath in The Mummy Returns
104. John Leguizamo in Moulin Rouge!

Next Year: 1975 Supporting

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2001: Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Viggo Mortensen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Aragorn/Strider in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy despite being nominated for best picture each time only received one Oscar nomination for acting that went to Ian McKellen in this film despite the large ensembles of the films. Apparently if the Academy is going to nominate someone from a fantasy or a science fiction film they better be the old wise mentors of the character like McKellen as Gandalf or Alec Guinness in Star Wars. The two performances I am looking at here though don't fall in those categories though they are important to the success of the film. I'll start with Mortensen who plays Aragorn who in most stories would be the main character of the film though he is not.

Frodo played by Elijah Wood is actually the lead of the film but Frodo is not physically imposing and his main method is to avoid danger rather than face it. Aragorn comes along as their guide some time in their film and tries to help them best he can. In McKellen's review I said that he made the character exactly as I pictured him when I read the book, Mortensen's Aragorn is not exactly how I pictured the character, but nevertheless his take on the character still is successful. Mortensen plays Aragorn quite effectively as most certainly a hero in the film yet not a perfect hero which is essential for his character's path that moves across all three films.

Mortensen's quite good showing strength well at the same time concealing greater strength. One of the biggest aspects of his character is the shame he feels due to the actions of his ancestors, and Mortensen brings this into his performance by showing a certain distance in his heroics. Yes Aragorn is a completely heroic character literally throwing himself into danger to save others, but still his manner with others withdrawn and hesitant. Mortensen makes a nice balance showing exactly how he became the ranger in that he does not have the strength to fulfill his destiny yet will still will do whatever good he can in his own way.

Mortensen delivers a very important need in terms of the film is that he stands as certain support to Frodo and the others. He is strong but far from perfect. When he shows up he is able to help the hobbits but he does not really act as a comforting factor which properly keeps the intensity of those that threaten the hobbits. Mortensen is a strong presence and always believable in the action scenes honestly showing an effort in them. His work adds nicely to the tapestry of this film as well the whole trilogy where his character arc lies. He may not quite be the highlight of any of the films, but is one of the highlights of the epic trilogy.

Sean Bean did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Boromir in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

I have to admit this is a performance that I really took for granted for the longest time. I certainly thought he applied himself admirably, but he was not the performance I took away from the film. Really looking critically at this performance though there is a great deal to be admired by Bean's portrayal of Boromir. Boromir easily could be a throwaway role and could be seen just as part of the background then eventually an obstacle that needs to be overcome by the other characters (as he basically is in the Ralph Bakshi animated version, he's also viking for some reason but the less said about that the better). Bean though very much invests himself fully in the character and does his best to bring humanity to Boromir.

Boromir easily could be just a bully frankly whose want for power is pretty blunt, but Bean does not portray him as such. Bean has him very close to Aragorn actually, but with the key difference being that Boromir is a far more emotional man whose pride can override his better judgment. Bean importantly in any of the moments where he speaks of his homeland has a great intensity in this pride. We can even sense his feelings of both accomplishment and even sadness in what he and his people have been doing and what they have lost to protect the rest of the world from the forces of evil. Bean is great in honestly creating a history in the man, a man who has faced the evil directly for so long on the front lines, and cannot forget that.

Whenever Boromir speak of the ring and his own ideas for it, it never is of evil or greed. Bean is quite effective in the way Boromir seems drawn to in such a primal way, but is almost poetic in the manner in which he speak of the ring. Although he may be wrong about the ring Bean never shows his fallacy to come from evil. Instead Bean has such a genuine passion in what he speaks about, he shows him as a man who honestly believes that the ring will save his land and his people he cares so much for. When Boromir does finally betray his pledge to help Frodo in an attempt to steal the ring for himself Bean is excellent portraying it as an act of desperation above else, and importantly afterwards allows us to see the sadness in Boromir that comes when he realizes what he does.

Bean's absolute devotion in the part when it comes to realizing that underlying motivation of the man humanizes Boromir beautifully and even manages to show just how it was his overpowering emotions rather than evil that drives him to attempt to steal the ring. Bean finds a truth in the character that makes his final scene far more powerful than it would be otherwise. I personally love his reactions in his last stand as he fights on even it becomes quite clear he is losing the fight. Bean's has such heart in his expressions showing the last stand of a man who will try to his last breath. Bean makes Boromir's final moments quite poignant in creating this man who deep down inside only did desire good in his soul. In close examination this is great work that turns what could have been just a simple display of a prideful idiot, into a tragic portrait of a true patriot.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2001: Steve Buscemi in Ghost World

Steve Buscemi did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe and being nominated for and winning several awards from critical awards including the NYFCC and NSFC, for portraying Seymour in Ghost World.

Ghost World is an enjoyable enough quirky film about social outside Enid (Thora Birch) who after playing an anonymous prank on a a middle aged man she strikes up a friendship with him.

The still never nominated Steve Buscemi must have been close to being nominated for this performance considering his Golden Globe nomination and great number of awards he received for his performance. He certainly was the closest of the five I have chosen to review as Law played an android in a science fiction film, the Fellowship was apparently covered by Ian McKellen only, and despite the critical love Brian Cox was never going to be nominated for his performance in that film. Putting all that aside though just what is so great about Buscemi's performance in this film.

Well nothing especially comes off great about this performance. Steve Buscemi plays Seymour a middle aged man who loves his record collection and has a hard time connecting with anyone or finding himself in a romantic relationship despite wanting one. Buscemi goes about making a particular characterization than sticking with it. He makes Seymour a likable enough fellow though one who always seems to have a certain malaise due to his loneliness yet Buscemi doe portray him as being able to compensate for it well enough due to his little joys that gets from listening and collecting vintage records.

When the other younger outsider Enid starts spending time with him Buscemi stays consistent in his portrayal. In their relationship Buscemi shows Seymour to certainly like the fact that she is interested in his interests yet still has a certain unease about the whole thing suggesting properly that Seymour does not exactly know how to deal with the attention she is giving him. He continues on in this fashion pretty much throughout the film, and even when Seymour has some changes like getting a girlfriend, or getting frustrated when learning that how he met Enid was due to a cruel prank he still stays pretty much the same man.

Buscemi handles the highs and lows of Seymour's personal journey pretty well and is believable in the way he shows him as he'll spike one way or another but can easily settle to his usual self. It's a good performance because he finds just the right characterization for Seymour to make the fact that Seymour does not really learn anything both seem natural and even satisfying as he shows that is simply the way Seymour is. This is solid from Buscemi, enjoyable with a certain charm and realizes exactly who Seymour should be. At the same time though this never feels like a great performance in anyway, and it is far from Buscemi's best work.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2001: Brian Cox L.I.E

Brian Cox did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for and winning awards from several critics groups, for portraying John "Big John" Harrigan in L.I.E.

L.I.E is a film about a very much trouble teenager Howie (Paul Dano) who slowly becomes involved in a relationship with a pedophile. This is one of those very edgy films, but honestly I found it mostly dull that seemed to rely too often on its edginess rather than making a truly compelling film.

Brian Cox plays Big John which is likely the aspect of the film that caused it to be rated NC-17, as Big John is the pedophile who slowly becomes interested in Howie after Howie and his friends stole from him. Cox initially is full on creep, the very definition of it. Unlike say Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones, Cox plays the part very realistically and is very unnerving because of that. He does strive away from this man's method instead being quite blunt about it as he portraying Big John as the man who seems so nice as he approaches the boy with his big smile, and gentle charm yet with those very unpleasant thoughts clearly going around in his mind as well.

Cox doesn't hold back in his portrayal of Big John the pedophile. He does not to try to make him extra colorful, or even say a villain making actually far more disturbing in a way in that he is the day to day pedophile. Cox is so unbearably natural as he both threatens as well as comes onto to Howie at the same time. Cox is all too effective really because he doesn't hesitate, and there is just a great deal of casualness in his performance. This seems all standard for Big John, its what he does and Cox doesn't show him to have second thoughts when he is doing his come on. He makes it clear that this is not something new for Big John rather something he does all the time.

Big John is not a man like Stuart Whitman in The Mark who knows he has some serious problems and can barely live with it. Cox portrays Big John as a guy who lives his actions just fine, there is some regret that Cox brings to Big John to show him as a human being, but Cox makes it abundantly clear that his shame never is enough to rid him of his sunny demeanor. Cox never takes an easy route with his performance making a very strange yet always believable portrait of Big John who most definitely is a creep, but at the same time not as some sort of pure evil psychopath either. He never cops out in terms of the filth of the man's mind yet still seems natural whenever Big John is charming or seems to honestly care about Howie and not in a sexual fashion.

Brian Cox gives a compelling turn here that is easily the highlight of the film. He mixes different elements of what could be entirely separate characters, but he is able to meld them into one single man. Cox is able to fully be the creepy pedophile never shying away by how intense he will be at times or just how unabashed he will be about the whole matter. In the same man Cox does show a man though and he is honestly does bring charm into his performance, and even seems natural in the moments where Big John acts as much more of a mentor. Cox manages to make it so neither part of his portrayal compromises the other succeeding in realizing Big John as a complex character who easily is the most intriguing as well as sickening aspect of the film.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2001: Jude Law in A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Jude Law did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, for portraying Gigolo Joe in A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence is an intriguing film, although a far from perfect film that wears out its welcome by the end, about an artificial boy named David (Haley Joel Osment) who wishes to become real to be loved by his human mother.

Jude Law plays Gigolo Joe an artificial prostitute who befriends David after David has been abandoned. Joe himself is in a precarious place by being framed for the murder of one of his clients. Joe acts as David's guide to the real world and the world of the robots as they both travel along as David searches for the blue fairy he believes will be able to turn him into a real boy. Law much like Osment is very good in making the android. They both are good in making certain tics that seem unnatural and that of a robot yet still seeming very human as well, and create the androids as truly strange things that both seem like real humans but are not quite.

Law is great as being the hustler selling his "wares" with his own particular and rather sensual style. Law does not play the part as the usually sort of selling himself, as he is not the usual sort, after all he was only ever programmed to do such things. Law instead shows Joe as a performer above else, and does this with considerable style and charm. He does not show Joe as a troubled man, but rather something selling its trade using his charisma and abilities to do so. Law is very effective showing that for Joe being a prostitute is merely something he was born to do therefore he will be don it with plenty of pleasure, and never a single thought questioning his "life" path.

Law has a great presence here making Joe very likable, and adding some much needed humor to a film that is pretty harsh otherwise. He is great in his scenes with Osment and the two make a rather particular pair. They form an unusual friendship that never seems like the mentor/protege, but instead they strike up a rather unique dynamic that is rather interesting. Law mixes well the various emotions that Joe comes with when it comes to dealing with David's journey. He has a nice warmth though still in Joe's hustler style that comes with the information he lends to David as David attempts to help David find his blue fairy. Law makes the connection between Joe and David moving as well as believable.

The balance of their relationship comes with that Joe is also aware of the hatred humans have for the artificial beings. Law balances a certain coldness from Joe's experiences with the warmth in being caught up with David's dreams quite brilliantly. It is difficult to be both the optimist and the cynic but Law manages it in a rather memorable fashion. His scenes total not a great deal of time but Law makes his stamp on the film with his performance despite this film being easily one where the acting could be overshadowed by the writing, and direction. Law finds just the right path with his character making him a certainly a robot but one where humanity lies as well. This is strong work, and honestly I wished his exit from the film was a little less abrupt as Joe could have easily lead a film.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2001

And the Nominees Were Not:

Sean Bean in The Fellowship of the Ring

Viggo Mortensen in The Fellowship of the Ring

Jude Law in A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Brian Cox in L.I.E

Steve Buscemi in Ghost World

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