Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2025: William H. Macy in Train Dreams

William H. Macy did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Arn Peeples in Train Dreams. 

William H. Macy plays one of the men on the logging jobs that our central character Robert Granier (Joel Edgerton) works with, an old timer, the oldest on the jobs, who we come across for a brief section within the film. Macy's performance for me is one where I find the extent of the work goes beyond the character beautifully so as his screentime is fairly limited overall. Macy though seeks to give as much life as he can for Arn in just a few scenes. First portraying the specific type of age of the character, which Macy himself is 75 but a modern 75 not the 75 of the far rougher living age of the men of the turn of the century of Train Dreams. Macy specific aged manner, his voice, his movements they are all reflective of the very specific period. His vocal work is quite impressive with making the specificity of the period dialogue particularly natural, but also natural within the idiosyncratic man that is Arn. Macy pulling off the trick marvelously in being of this period so distinctly, because he manages to be so of the period while also wholly tangible of that period. Macy fashioning such specificity in the way he sits, the way he smokes his pipe, the way even walks back and forth when checking his dynamite job, that appears to be Arn's main purpose as he seems to rarely do much actual logging. Macy walks right out of that past in such a wonderful way because none of it feels like a put on rather he captures the man as though we are just transported through time to meet Arn and get to know him just a bit. His rambling delivering in itself speaks so much to someone who frankly has gotten used to frequently speaking to himself even though he speaks it in a way as though he's offering the conversation for anyone who would like to hear it. To the point Macy's reaction is almost of a bit of surprise when Edgerton's Robert shows a bit of genuine interest in one of the man's random songs he' singing. Macy's delivery has this constant internalization of even when he starts speaking to Robert, he's always looking down, still expressing the words towards himself, though with this quiet hints of warmth and attempt at a shaky wisdom of the man wholly enjoying this connection for a moment. We see within Arn's reaction to the death of a few men, a history of experiencing deaths, Macy not projecting disconnect but rather a painful acceptance of the suffering with as much grace as he can. Something he explores a bit more in the philosophical discussion about tree cutting, Macy brings such a beautiful simple passion towards describing the history the trees represent, Macy speaks with a distinction and a connection to the trees. Selling the idea powerfully in his eyes of a man looking beyond his own life in a way and having this sense of a deeper reflection. A reflection not of a modern sensibility but Macy finding it so soulfully for a man of this period. The most revealing moment of Arn though as Robert asks about his family, and Macy's delivery of "Wherever there's a smiling face" has such an artful combination of warmth and pathos of a man who means yet does suffer from it in a way well. Bringing then a direct sincerity in his appreciation for getting to know Robert beyond temporary meeting. Macy finding the man of Robert's ilk before Robert and the end of such a man, when a random branch lands on Arn's head. I love his death scene because Macy doesn't make it this big drama, rather showing the man very much lost in his thoughts from the head injury to a degree, but just trying to appreciate what's around him one last time with his modest yet heartbreaking delivery of seeing the beauty one last time. This is an extremely brief performance, which should not be a criticism but rather a reason to praise Macy all the more. Macy transforms himself here, in a way that I have not seen before from him, so specifically to embody such a distinct sense of period and setting, but also so specifically this man and his unique philosophy.