Alternate Best Actor 2025: Josh O'Connor in Wake Up Dead Man

Josh O’Connor did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Father Jud Duplenticy in Wake Up Dead Man. 

Wake Up Dead Man is the third Benoit Blanc mystery following this time the murder of a Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin) of a small parish. 

Following in the spirit of all three of Rian Johnson’s Benoit Blanc mystery, Blanc himself is technically secondary to the good person embroiled in the mystery, this film taking this approach to the most extreme to the point where he’s fully supporting to the unquestionable true lead by up and comer Josh O’Connor. O’Connor had quite the year in 2025 appearing in four films, three of which he was the lead. O’Connor delivered three different performances in each. One particularly low key was in Rebuilding bringing a quiet paternal energy that was befitting the specific tone of that film. A film built on the attempted naturalism to which O’Connor offered that with the most ease within that film, and more impressive in creating this rancher type without forcing the presence in any way. A good performance though I’d argue held back a little by the limitations of his material. There was also the Mastermind, a performance in a kind of anti-heist heist movie, where it technically depicted the mastermind of a heist but in an exceedingly low key way that more so depicted just the dissolution of any connection between the man, his family and society in general. O’Connor plays the man where the performance is an effective combination between bridging the description and the execution. Where O’Connor does deliver the certain cold precision of the expert thief with careful silent moments of performance where you see him considering his actions, along with the overly blasé man whose moral standings become less and less through the progression of the film. O’Connor’s performance working there was almost as a realization of the hideousness of a kind of complacency. Where his performance consistently is about the lack of guilt or remorse, creating a very specific quality of sinister where it is the lack of consideration for anyone’s true feelings yet constant is the sense of the man thinking through his next step of his criminal enterprise then his next step in escaping justice for his crime. O’Connor weaponizes this very specific duplicity brilliantly. Which seems a natural segue to O’Connor’s performance here which is natural show of range and a specific contrast as the character who is our full entryway into the mystery, to the point Blanc doesn’t show up until 30 minutes into the film, as the good Father Jud. 

O’Connor offers a specific contrast from his other two leading performances in very much emphasizing his youth with Jud and quite effectively so. In the opening of the film we find Jud as he’s in slight trouble with the Catholic hierarchy as a priest for punching a jerk deacon, which might seem like a minor scene but even O’Connor instinctual moment in the performance suggests the nature of the character. That nature being the strictly goodhearted nature of Father Jud, despite his first act being an act of violence, something we emphasize all the more in his conversation with the church authorities. Where O’Connor brings such a great energy that is particularly endearing in expressing Jud’s view of faith and his wish to embrace not fight as a shepherd. Where O’Connor finds just the right kind of enthusiasm where it is just almost too much like when he tells his superior he’s going to come at people with the spirit, O’Connor hits the note just right to be almost too much but also wholly convincing as someone whose filled with just a lot of goodwill to the point it is nearly bursting out of him. Unfortunately for him he’s sent to work with the fire and brimstone Wicks who instantly tries to purposefully challenge Jud’s patience. O’Connor’s effective in the quiet way he takes in every attack and mind game from Wicks, along with finding out the background of the church with the church lady Martha (Glenn Close), where O’Connor finds a nice variation between his comedic surprise to Martha’s way of appearing out of nowhere along with his more down to earth frustration with the nature of Wicks. 

We follow Jud then as he tries to deal with the church parishioners who are immediately disgusted away by Wicks’s judgmental sermons or are in this strange sway with Wicks at all times as their spiritual leader. O’Connor brings the right sense of quiet empathy within all of his reactions and his earnest narration in explaining where he sees Wicks going all wrong while attempting to connect with the parishioners as best he can. Where O’Connor is most effective in showing just the way that Jud listens to everyone at all times and there is the important sense of the man wanting to learn, wanting to connect to the best of his ability and trying to be a good priest however in this instance almost censored by his situation. O’Connor bridging tonal moments of the film particularly effectively such as when he tries to set up a prayer group with the core group only to find they only care about Wicks, and O’Connor’s way of tossing around the ball of frustration while also still showing that earnest concern of trying to connect with them manages to be funny while also getting across the genuine nature of Jud. Building within just the increasing distress at the situation and small scene that I love is when Jud has been drinking and yells at a devil’s head at a bar. I love it because O’Connor manages within it sum up Jud, as even the way he’s yelling at the head has this very lax quality of a man who can only get so mad in the moment, followed by the most sincere of all apologies to the barkeep when he accidentally the lap it sits upon. 

Eventually the conflict leads to the unexpected murder of Wicks in a seemingly impossible setup in a small room without any other exits where he was the only person in the room leading to the arrival of Benoit Blanc and one of O’Connor’s best scenes. The moment being as Blanc denounces religion from his perspective, Jud offers his counter with such a specific and effective rhythm, where he begins by acknowledging Blanc’s perspective with a calm, before quieting building to present his own passionate beliefs with this quiet certainty and directness where you see in the moment Jud’s full potential power of a priest flawlessly realized in O’Connor’s delivery. Followed however by his quick breakdown where O’Connor expresses a convincing frustrated sorrow of someone who sees he may lose his ability to fulfill his calling because of the murder that people are trying to pin on him leading to Jud joining Blanc in the investigation. Where we get the dynamic between the two which very much makes this sequel in so many ways. As while Blanc is calculating the possibilities, O'Connor is terrific in the energy he brings in his bursts of specific enthusiasm of trying to make his own guesses and put different ideas together. Finding a remarkable balance again to certain comedy within the “spirit” of Jud, such as his perfect delivery of Jud’s declarations of questions for the possible suspects so confidently before realizing he has no more to say. Or just sometimes his confusion at a bit of the absurdity such as his confusion when realizing one of the suspects is essentially quoting Star Wars to him. Finding the right endearing quality in Jud not being a great detective but being absolutely sincere in every bit of detail and clue he tries to bring out or name as they go along. 

At the same time though what O’Connor carries is the emotional weight of Jud as a character throughout the situation. Particularly one seemingly throwaway moment when calling a construction company for piece of evidence where the employee Louise (Bridget Everett) is taking awhile to give it, where O’Connor is great in playing up the attempt at being as courteous but with the sense of trying to move the conversation along as quickly as possible with the entirety of the focus on the evidence not the woman. However she continues to speak revealing that her mother is dying and she’s struggling. O’Connor is truly great in playing the moment of switching from just focusing on the mystery to just in his reaction portraying the moment of pause and immediately switching to calm empathy. O’Connor presents the best of Jud within his delivery of his prayer with Louise where every bit of his delivery is with the strictest care and absolute empathy for the woman’s plight and to help her. Following the moment where you see in O’Connor performance essentially where Jud should be rather than caught up in the mystery. Where O’Connor is able to deliver the built up frustrations of all, again but now with a passionate alternative as he explains his reasons for calling to help the sinners and the sick. When Jud explains his own troubled past not as defense but a man with this conviction in clarity of knowing what he has to do. Leading towards the climactic moments of the film where O’Connor is able to combine a comedic confusion at the series of unexpected revelations, but with this exact conviction whenever he is focused on actually being a priest. Leading to the finale where I would say the call scene actually is more moving than the setup mystery ending dramatic scene, however O’Connor still absolutely delivers on the dramatic intentions of the scene. Where O’Connor’s performance continues to embody that sense of calm and understanding throughout the sequence where he brings this quiet comfort from that unquestionable earnest empathy that is just pouring out of every aspect of his performance. The crowning achievement of O'Connor's impressive year, as his resume continues to grow in his range and of this film. O'Connor breathes a pivotal life into the mystery creating essential investment not only by offering a new kind of energy as the novice investigator but also providing rich emotional depth to the journey of Father Jud.