Alternate Best Actor 1988: Eric Bogosian in Talk Radio

Eric Bogosian did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Barry Champlain in Talk Radio.

Talk Radio tells the story of a shock jock radio host just before his show is about to go national.

The always reliable character actor Eric Bogosian actually crafted his own lead role as this is a reprise of his performance in a stage play that he also penned, and co-wrote the screenplay here. All of this makes sense as the role of a radio host seems ideal for Bogosian given his idiosyncratic voice with its timbre that is of a filling consistency, aka an ideal radio voice. Bogosian sounds like he should host a radio show, so playing a radio host already is perfect, but of course Talk Radio isn't about a DJ hosting any standard radio show. Instead what Bogosian Barry hosts is talk radio show designed to interact with the most fringe, and often hateful elements of society, as we see through the extended opening sequence that depicts a night of callers for Barry's show. It can only be said that Bogosian is stellar in every single moment of Barry as the radio performer. Because it is a performance, just as there are also elements of Barry the man, but he's going about attacking the program as this kind of almost weird song and dance. And while Bogosian isn't literally singing he almost might as well be in terms of the way the words flow out of his mouth in these sequences. He's on, with the radio voice, and when starting to speak there's no hesitation, no thinking seemingly, he's just ready to go. And it is easy to be convinced of the success of Barry's show immediately because Bogosian's work is immediately captivating, even often in a way of morbid fascination.

Bogosian's performance has a unique power to it, because what Barry's place within the radio show is both the man playing off of the fringe, as seemingly speaking some sensible aspect of society speaking against those insane callers he gets, while also being just as much right within the fringe with methods in which he uses in this strange format of combat. Every call Bogosian performs as both a battle and a dance, but what is behind it all is a strange kind of hatred being bounced around. There are the moments of the most hateful callers calling simply to state their hate, or to threaten Barry even, and Bogosian performs these early on with the same hostility though couched within the natural flow of a comedian who is savoring the hate as something he can play with. When it is one of the strange callers, where we never quite find out how many are hoaxers, exhibitionist, or genuine articles within their strangeness, Bogosian's performance is the one simply playing with them often with a bit of an sneer but just as much ease as he's allowing the nonsense to go on while also undercutting it. Then there are the callers who call in with a degree of support or love for Barry, and these perhaps speak most to the nature of Barry himself, as he responds to them with his own disgusted hatred towards any affection, that reveals Barry's own self-loathing, yet even when carelessly insulting those supporting him, Bogosian's performance still keeps that same slick edge of performance. And that is what is so captivating, is how convincing Bogosian makes this performance art, of the man who is juggling, he is dancing, he is singing, but the elements he's doing that with is for entertainment based around hatred, shock and morbidity.

The radio scenes are what make the film great, and it is easy to see why the stage version would've been successful, which were only based in the radio station, as that is where the film absolutely works. Outside of the scenes of performance, is where the film itself is less good, but where Bogosian still thrives within his performance, because he uses these scenes effectively to help inform us of what exactly is true and what isn't about his onscreen persona. As the first radio sequence, we see Barry checking in with his staff who are talking about his moment as he's about to go national. And what we see in Bogosian's work is in a way a less convincing performance in terms of what Barry is doing, but as convincing in terms of what Bogosian is doing. Because Barry still puts on the edge a bit with those at the station, as he seems to be dismissive, yet when speaking about the chance to go national Bogosian couches genuine nervousness and desperation within the persona. Bogosian lets moments slip showing the man who really does want to have his radio show be successful, even with the "suits" he still tries to the best of his ability to put on his sardonic manner even then. Bogosian artfully shows the sort of breaks even with a certain control within that. The one place where we see even less than that are the moments with his wife (Ellen Greene) which are two sides, those before his show and those after.

In terms of the writing the scenes involving Green are the weakest in the film, as they're just pretty rote and basic moments of a guy losing himself to fame against his loyal wife. Regardless, Bogosian does make the most out of using these scenes in terms of showing where Barry sort of crafted his radio personality from. The earliest scenes of Barry being that of the enthusiastic wannabe, where there are shades of the man, but a much more positive direction. Where his remarkable voice leads him to being invited to guest on another radio show where a trolling caller leads to Barry's first sort of dive into the Barry personality we know now. Bogosian's great in this moment because he shows it as less of an invention and more so an immediate inspiration, almost an insatiable urge to go into the combative sardonic style that we see so dominant in him in the future. However in the present, when with his wife, we seem to see the best Barry, where Bogosian pulls back the intensity of the personality, to show a quieter, more humble, even somewhat ashamed man, trying to reconcile with his wife. Where Bogosian hides the personality and seems to show Barry completely through, even if for a moment, and perhaps a better side. But what is notable, is Bogosian's choice to be so meek in these moments, showing that there is so much bluster behind the personality that is hiding the weak man.

The film does come together for the final act with Barry's final radio broadcast, where he takes on some particularly extreme callers including even bringing in a guest in a drugged out man (Michael Wincott). Bogosian's performance is outstanding in this sequence because again it is just captivating to see him run his show, but there's more here as it becomes the most challenging. We have a key moment where a man claiming to be a serial rapist calls, and Bogosian's performance is exceptional in the moment in showing just a bit of active deterioration that goes to show a hint of horror in Barry's eyes as he comes to believe the caller. Bogosian pulling back just enough being so powerful in indicating a bit of humanity. This though is purposefully undercut as when his wife calls him live to essentially ask about their relationship where Barry pours all the bile he can in response before going off on a tirade basically of all of humanity. Bogosian is magnetic but also so brilliantly wretched in basically this intense release of every bit of hatred, but also self-loathing pouring out in the sequence. Creating this moment of a controlled mania where it is unleashing every bit of ire he's held in, while also essentially giving fully to his trade of miring in the muck for the sake of entertainment.  It is a full mental breakdown in Bogosian's hands, but still all pointed as this weaponized insanity. Bogosian is flawless in the moment because he manages to merge the man with the personality, and it isn't beautiful rather deeply disturbing in seeing the man being simultaneously sickened by what he has become while also fully embracing it. And even while the film has weaker aspects to it, Bogosian is never one of them. His work is complete in creating a singular portrait of a man becoming one with his nightmarish creation.