Here is a look at the Oscar nominees for best supporting actor.
This year's race for the best supporting actor is all but locked up. Not that this takes away from the other performances nominated in the category. My only grouse with these nominations is that the depth and arch each of these characters get in their respective films is sorely missing from the supporting actress category and that should be food for thought for both the Academy and any film industry.
Here is a look at the Oscar nominees for best supporting actor—
Nominees
JK Simmons — Whiplash
Edward Norton — Birdman
Ethan Hawke — Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo — Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall — The Judge
JK Simmons
JK Simmons plays Terrence Fletcher who teaches at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory music school in Whiplash. Simmons is at his best as Fletcher, an abusive teacher and ruthless mentor who stops at nothing to push his student, Andrew Neiman, to realise his full potential.
Fletcher has no qualms about physical or mental violence in pursuit of the right beat, the right tempo and getting better than the best out of a student. His very presence makes his students both nervous with anticipation as they yearn to impress him and fearful of making any mistakes. This is made even more entertaining by the fact that the audience is made to feel exactly the same way. Simmons keeps viewers on the edge with his foul mouthed yet intimidating, formidable demeanour confusing the audience as much as he does Andrew (Miles Teller) when he says something mildly polite or encouraging. The film builds tension beautifully.
A consistent performer in both films and television, Simmons is probably best known for his role as the brazen and loud J Jonah Jameson in the Spiderman trilogy. He is favourite to win this year having already won the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor. This is his first nomination.
Edward Norton
It's safe to say Norton is playing himself in the film. In Birdman, Norton plays talented, hotheaded method actor Mike Shiner who holds his art very dear to him. Volatile and unpredictable, Norton as Shiner is as impossible and infuriating as he is exciting.
Norton's character is also an obsessive, but unlike Simmon's Fletcher, Shiner is as obsessed with himself as he is with his art. Norton balances this dichotomy in his performance delightfully, playing the artist who even in moments of doubt seems to have a sense of self-assurance.
Norton has been previously nominated for American History X (1998) and Primal Fear (1996). This is his third nomination.
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke plays Mason Evans Sr in Boyhood, who grows from being an uninvolved father in his children's lives to a responsible family man. Like his co-star Patricia Arquette, Hawke gets credit for playing this character for over 12 years with remarkable consistency and growth. Unlike Arquette's character, Hawke is front and centre in the film with the highlights being the father-son conversations.
The role itself is not out of the ordinary. It's possible that the more interesting part of Hawke's contribution to the film were behind the scenes given that he is a long time collaborator of Linklater. Hawke has said in interviews that he was entrusted with the responsibility of carrying forward the film's shoot should Linklater die during its making.
This is Hawke's fourth nomination. He was previously nominated for Training Day. His other two nominations have been for co-writing Before Sunset and Before Midnight with Linklater.
Mark Ruffalo
In Foxcatcher, Mark Ruffalo plays Dave Schultz, an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler and older brother to Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum). Unlike many actors, Ruffalo never performs to grab the audience's attention with drama or dialogue. At his angriest, at his loudest, Ruffalo still seems mild-mannered, quietly drawing viewers into his performance. It is the earnestness of his characters that really speaks to the viewer and this is true of him in Foxcatcher.
Ruffalo's standout roles in the recent past have been in Normal Heart for which he won the Screen Actors Guild Award and as the Hulk in The Avengers. His performance in Normal Heart and Foxcatcher received critical acclaim.
This is his second nomination. He was previously nominated for The Kids Are Alright.
Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall plays Judge Joseph Palmer who suddenly finds himself on trial for murder and with his own son defending him. As the trial process the trouble relationship between father and son unravels. A veteran in the industry, Duvall has been a stalwart in both films and television for decades. But The Judge is clearly an awards vehicle for Robert Downey Jr. As always Duvall delivers a good performance but may not merit an Oscar.
At 84, Duvall is the oldest man to be nominated for acting. This is his seventh nomination. He won an Oscar in the best actor category for Tender Mercies (1983). Some of his better known films are The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Handmaid's Tale and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Our pick: There is absolutely no doubt that JK Simmons will take this one home. In any other year, Norton and Hawke would have provided stiff competition in this category but with his wins at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild, Simmons has this one sealed.
Winner in 2014: Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club
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