Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2024: Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing

Clarence Maclin did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite receiving a BAFTA nomination, for portraying Divine Eye which is technically himself in Sing Sing.

It is that last bit that I think is why Maclin might’ve missed out on the final five in part, though it didn’t help that A24 barely pushed the film, though Maclin would’ve always suffered from the criticism that I see, that instantly makes me not interested in one’s opinion, which is dismissing a performer or performance for “playing themselves”. Now Maclin is literally playing himself, in that Divine Eye is his nickname, however this is the younger Maclin who was in prison who joined the prison theater program. But I guess it’s best just to go through every reason why any such criticism is ridiculous, starting with the first aspect that is the skill to naturally be one’s self, though again Maclin isn’t even that. Well Maclin certainly is that, and while he is a kind of one of a kind onscreen performer, in that you haven’t seen precisely Maclin in any way shape or form before, he is entirely his own man, he also is entirely a person you just accept as that person. There is no, “he’s good for a first timer” or any such nonsense. Maclin embodies the role without any difficulty and with such ease. But that is only the first step, of the many steps of why this performance is so much more than just him playing himself. The next thing that Maclin does here is a fascinating deconstruction of acting, while also presenting the learning of acting in a most remarkable way. 

To explain, when we are first introduced to Maclin, Maclin is already playing two different parts as Divine Eye within the prison. The first being the prison drug dealer who goes about imitating one of his “subcontractors” essentially to ensure he gets proper payment out of the man. Maclin is great in the scene because he very much switches on a dime to the specified intensity, as very much owning it as this more of a gangster persona. There’s a bravado to it as the man purposefully is throwing off the other man and just completely taking him apart with an imitation by confidence as he gets the man to affirm that he’ll do what he wants. Maclin is completely convincing in playing the role of the drug dealer who is playing with his prey essentially. But immediately we see another side of him as he speaks to two of the theater committee members coming to interview him about potentially joining, Divine G (Colman Domingo) and Mike Mike (Sean San José). Where Divine G immediately calls on him about the “performance” he just saw as a drug dealer. Maclin is so charismatic in the way he plays this moment, in another different performance, which is a very exact tone of someone very much interested in something doing everything in his power to pretend he’s only slightly interested. As Maclin makes it all a joke, says everything as kind of out of the side of his mouth with a degree of disinterest. I especially love the moment where Divine G asks him to be honest, and Maclin’s way of reciting King Lear is a work of art. As he walks along it like it’s a slight inconvenience until speaking verse himself with intent and clarity, before then shrugging it off rather hilariously as though he’d just casually glance at King Lear. 

The next version of Divine Eye that Maclin presents is as he’s been allowed into the program and where he, along with the other guys work on deciding what their next play should be. Maclin’s fantastic in the way he is able to create a new “performance” of Divine Eye within this theater group, that he’s not part of in his mind yet, though they have let him in. Maclin is brilliant in the way he so naturally exudes this defense mechanism within Divine Eye’s own presence, which within the prison culture is to “play tough”. Where Maclin reigns himself into a dismissing sneer, however Maclin’s work isn’t so simple. Again there’s hints of vulnerability in his eyes of really shyness and even a fear in the man trying to figure out what his place is precisely here and if he belongs at all. Even when he does finally speak, there’s a degree of hesitation within it before he starts talking, but as he starts speaking we seem to finally get to something a bit more authentically the man. Although all Divine Eye does is suggest a comedy to help prisoners get their mind off of prison life as an escape, Maclin suddenly just is right there with no bravado on top. He’s telling the truth as something he just hopes to see and even within the degree of shyness, for a man who is not shy otherwise, there is an honesty there even if still reserved overall. Through his suggestion however this leads to the group going with a very strange hodgepodge of various characters and ideas in a comedy about a time traveling prince who runs into a series of different people from Freddy Krueger to Hamlet. Leading the men to go into auditions for the various parts including to Divine G’s surprise, who thought for sure he’d play Hamlet himself, Divine Eye decides to audition for the Prince of Denmark. 

The moment Divine Eye is going in for the audition is one of my favorites in the film as Divine G calls him out on his inconsistency of promoting the idea of doing a comedy only for him to audition for the one serious part in the piece, to which Divine Eye replies that he didn’t want to get yawned off the stage as a man said, comedy is hard. Maclin’s delivery is absolutely hilarious in just the quickness of it, but also the rather flagrant lie of it, however in very much a good nature as the man goes in with his ample charisma into the audition. Where Divine Eye gets the part of Hamlet and we begin the performance within the performance. That's incredible on Maclin’s part because even as approaching Hamlet, what he is also doing is showing all that Divine Eye is doing to kind of get in his way within this process. As the first scene where each actor needs to introduce themselves as their character, Maclin does two performances, first as Divine Eye of just saying he’s the Prince of Denmark but with the “above it all” dismissiveness of the prison drug dealer, before they urge him to try again, and Maclin fancies a little bit of overly dramatic manner while saying a light accent that he’s Hamlet. Maclin playing the start of the performance as something that needs to go a lot further. Even more so you see the anxiety of the idea of bringing Hamlet to life fill his expression as we see the self-doubts so naturally within Maclin’s performance. Something that he shows as part of what we see in the follow-up scenes where you see a coldness, of the man trying to present himself as the uncaring prisoner and nothing more than that, but within it the real fear of the man below it not wanting to look as a fool as he says “fuck this shit” to rehearsing his part. 

Following this there is the real start of the relationship between the Divines, as G tries to offer some advice while also calling out Eye for bringing in a knife into the rehearsal hall that could destroy the program. Maclin again is playing the layers of each role within Divine Eye’s prison presentation of himself. From first just bringing that callousness again in dismissing the acting warmups, then to something more severe and intense when G mentions the knife, where Maclin turns it up to be fully intimidating as how Divine Eye would threaten anyone in prison who he thinks is trying to put power over him in any way. There’s more though as he continues noting the troubles in his life as part of the reason why he doesn’t want someone telling him what to do, Maclin is amazing in bringing the striking undercurrent of real emotion that exists in the man, that while the threat to an extent is posturing his hurt is very raw and wholly real. Although to this G only corrects Eye on the use of the “N” word as inappropriate, where G shows no fear, and Maclin brings it down back to the callousness however without any sense of power against G in the moment. However Eye continues as the rehearsals continue, where Eye just pushes back against everyone to get into conflict to avoid the risk of performance. And what Maclin shows in these moments is the thinness of the posturing, there is the man just trying to put up the defense, not the reality, and just keep the edge to not get hurt himself. Maclin brings the intensity but not a reality beyond just using the surface anger to hide the truths about himself. That is until another one of the men gives an impassioned speech about his previous time in that same anger and the purpose of the acting, where in this moment, you see real greatness from Maclin with something that makes one forget anything about “playing himself” or first film, which is his silence. Maclin nonverbal reaction just speaks it all as you see the way he takes in the words, it breaks down that surface protection and from here on we start seeing the man hidden within the prisoner. 

One of the most important steps in this transformation is now Diving Eye seeking out Divine G as both an acting mentor but also as a friend. Maclin's way of playing with sincerity has nuance even within that because you see the tough guy, ease up into speaking with quiet earnestness at first in just asking a few more questions. Maclin’s straightforward, brief, blunt, just letting out a bit, before then speaking about his own son. Maclin deliveries become more articulated, more emotion is being presented forward, as he tells that his son is in prison just like him, Maclin is starting to show Divine Eye revealing more of himself and just honestly let himself out a bit in a very moving start to his transformation. Before then asking G what is the “trick” to remembering lines, now without callousness just real interest. We start getting such wonderful chemistry between Domingo and Maclin. The warmth feels so easy between them as they start chatting with one another as people. But Maclin never makes it simple. When G gets more person, asking about a parole hearing, Maclin brings a little bit of the shade of closing up for a moment again as a man still struggling to just be completely real with him. This coincides with his bringing Hamlet to life, which we see the same struggle there as Maclin’s shoulders are down, his delivery just enough effort or even that in terms of getting by in the part. When G wants him not to be the prisoner with his head down but royalty, Maclin obliges pitch perfectly as his posture changes, his manner goes up, and we see him channel his “drug dealer” bravado but now funneled through to be Hamlet. Maclin starts bringing the sense of rhythm, the way he listens to every suggestion with keen interest, and wanting to take that next step to really be Hamlet. 

We start seeing the progress and honestly one of my absolute favorite moments of 2024 is just Divine Eye helping to do a wind prop, and the sheer joy in his face has so much meaning within the gesture. Maclin shows the loss of any of his performance to defend himself from the group essentially, to now accepting their help, his place and becoming himself as just a man having fun in an acting troupe. Maclin portrays the growing emotional intelligence as he starts to honestly contemplate his life and uses the acting to reflect himself. The growing camaraderie with Domingo is so winning, as they just become fun in their time together, and just two guys hanging out, a seemingly simple thing that has such power to it because we’ve seen where Maclin came from being so closed off, to this man offering a lot of himself in order to truly act by understanding himself. The next time we come in as he is delivering his rendition of To Be or Not to Be, Maclin is riveting as we see the man channeling the genuine emotion of Hamlet’s intentions, his power as a person and the real depth of the words. Maclin has the bravado, but now it is funneled into specifically a more regal manner though just as charismatic. His words now flow with ease of a man’s own words but the dignity of a classic contemplation. The words themselves nuanced with the precise emotions of that contemplation and the emotional undercurrent of the melancholy, indecision but also betrayal that fuels Hamlet. It is all the more powerful because Maclin has shown us so genuinely this step by step process, showing the pitfalls, showing the trips ups, making his success feel so earned, particularly when we too see the power from his performance. 

As we see Eye and G chat keep going towards trying to actually be paroled, which Maclin’s so great at being so much more open in his performance as even when he puts doubts out, and reasons why not to try, it isn’t with any attack, no anger, just honest hesitation and reservations from someone who has come to learn to accept prison. When he decides to allow G to help him, the simplicity of the switch I absolutely love as just now it is a casual ask because Maclin makes it one friend just asking another for help at this point. If that wasn’t enough, Maclin is able to take one step which is to go from the man going through the process to the man eventually selling the process himself, as we see G end up being the one brought down by life after he loses a friend and gets his parole denied in short succession, which comes to an explosive head in the dress rehearsal for the play. Which just before that Eye gets his own parole, where Maclin is outstanding in the quiet way you see him taking it in, with the years of weight, the struggle of what he’s going to do next, but also the earnest appreciation for his friend in G. And I adore what Maclin does during the performance, not the performance itself, though he excels with that too, but his reactions as he notices something he is wrong with G. Maclin is pitch perfect and so moving in showing the growth in Eye’s emotional intelligence as now he’s the way bringing so much empathy to every moment, and you don’t see just a healthier man in terms of viewing himself but a far greater man truly caring about what his friend is going through just as G has a complete breakdown during the performance. Where it becomes Eye the one coming to call G out later on, and Maclin is perfect in this scene. Because we see the next step in the transformation as he’s the one with the words of wisdom, each that he speaks with so much heart, so much clarity, but also directness in stating so matter-of-factly that G screwed up but all of them are here for him regardless. It is so incredibly moving because Maclin has shown us every little step to this place for the originally angry drug dealer to caring artist. Though the button on the scene really sells it the most, as he’s still Divine Eye in his best ways, as he brings his comedic bravado one more time as he jokes with G that he has to admit just how great his Hamlet was. This is truly a great performance, as Maclin is so open and honest, offering some nuance and detail to this life experience. He plays convincingly not himself, but every version of himself he might've ever presented while in prison, offering different layers all in a single scene that all speak to revealing such raw fundamental truths within his story. Where while Maclin's own performance is immaculate he let's us treasure each moment in the process of showing how Divine Eye made each step of his change throughout the film. Granting us a true understanding but also the real impact of the process at the center of this film.  He shows us with such power, such humor, such poignancy, such heart, such detail of the step by step transformation of becoming the actor but also towards self-actualization.