supportingactor2003

Best Supporting Actor

THE FIVE NOMINEES:

THE WINNER:

JOHN C.
REILLY
"CHICAGO"

PAUL
NEWMAN
"ROAD TO PERDITION"

ED
HARRIS
"THE HOURS"

CHRISTOPHER
WALKEN
"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN"

In the singular most
acclaimed supporting
performance of the year,
he deftly mixes screwy
with serious.

He's a legend who
continues to excel in
different roles. This is
one of DreamWorks' few
pushes that went through.

Long overdue for an
Oscar, he gave
another
gut-wrenching
performance.

Oscar seems to gravitate
toward older winners being
recognized again late in their
careers (like Jon Voight in
"Ali" last year).

What a year. Aside
from "Chicago," he had
acclaimed turns in
"The Good Girl," "The
Hours" and "Gangs."

His screen time is
nearly nil. There also
might be resentment
that he stole Dennis
Quaid's slot.

THE LOWDOWN:

Chris Cooper wins as predicted. The late surge by Christopher Walken wasn't enough to outpace the "Adaptation" star's
lead, and points to the uselessness of the SAG awards in estimating Oscar winners. Cooper's speech was very heartfelt
and simple, and he was by far the most humble winner of the evening.

DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT THIS YEAR:

DENNIS
QUAID
"FAR FROM HEAVEN"
He had a great year, and
received some career-best
reviews. But the film lost
a lot of steam.

RAY
LIOTTA
"NARC"
Buzz sprung from
nowhere for this corrupt
cop flick, and it could
snag a crucial nod.

ALFRED
MOLINA
"FRIDA"
He didn't get the
Globe nom, but still
turned in a memorable
performance.

DENNIS
HAYSBERT
"FAR FROM HEAVEN"
He truly was the
emotional center of the
film, and justice would
see him with a nom.

JEFF
GOLBLUM
"IGBY GOES DOWN"
This could be the year
of comebacks and
longtime career
recognition.

JUDE
LAW
"ROAD TO PERDITION"
Law pulled off a memorable
turn in an extremely strange
role; hopefully Newman/Hanks
won't get all the glory.

ROBIN
WILLIAMS
"INSOMNIA"
He was the perfect foil
for Pacino's conflicted
cop; it'll be easier for him
to sneak in here.

CHRISTOPHER
PLUMMER
"NICHOLAS NICKLEBY"
Plummer is another potential
nominee snubbed recently in
the past (for "The Insider").
Good reviews necessary.

WILLEM
DAFOE
"AUTO FOCUS"
His extremely weird role choices
have yielded mighty interesting
performances. Can he score as
an amateur pornographer?

VIGGO
MORTENSEN
"THE TWO TOWERS"
He clearly was a standout
and audience-pleaser in the
film. He needed a campaign
that focused solely on him.

TOM
HANKS
"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN"
After several leading noms
(and wins) it might be odd to
see him here. Also, Walken's
getting all the buzz.

ORIGINAL PREDIX 4/12/02... MOLINA - HARRIS* - McKELLAN - LAW - IZZARD
LABOR DAY PREDIX 8/25/02... MOLINA - HARRIS* - WILLIAMS - LAW - COOPER
EALY SEPT. PREDIX 9/2/02... MOLINA - HARRIS* - WILLIAMS - LAW - COOPER
LATE SEPT. PREDIX 9/19/02... MOLINA - HARRIS* - WILLIAMS - GOLDBLUM - COOPER
EARLY OCT. PREDIX 10/6/02... MOLINA - HARRIS* - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER
HALLOWEEN PREDIX 10/31/02... MOLINA - HARRIS* - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER
NOVEMBER PREDIX 11/18/02... MOLINA - HARRIS* - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER
EARLY DEC. PREDIX 12/6/02... LIOTTA - HARRIS - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER*
LATE DEC. PREDIX 12/19/02... LIOTTA - HARRIS - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER*
EARLY JAN. PREDIX 1/7/03... WALKEN - HARRIS - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER*
LATE JAN. PREDIX 1/20/03... WALKEN - HARRIS - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER*
FINAL PREDIX 2/2/03... WALKEN - HARRIS - NEWMAN - QUAID - COOPER*

CHRIS
COOPER
"ADAPTATION"

FOR HIM:

AGAINST HIM:

Support for "Adaptation"
definitely seems weaker
without a Best Picture
nomination. Is the
performance too odd?

FOR HIM:

AGAINST HIM:

His 'career' Oscar was
dealt in 1986. There's no
need to validate him
again, considering the
competition.

FOR HIM:

AGAINST HIM:

His relatively small
amount of screen
time could offset
strict voters, but
tinier roles have won.

FOR HIM:

AGAINST HIM:

Walken's performance was
touching, but would anyone
really call it one of the best
of the year? Plus, he's won
already.

FOR HIM:

AGAINST HIM: