Alternate Best Actor 1992: Results

5. Eric Stoltz in The Waterdance - Stoltz gives an effective performance that offers a rather low key and alternative take to the disabled man story.

Best Scene: Asking Anna to move on.

4. Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog - Poelvoord's work does not just fit but also creates the chilling off-beat tone in his strange portrayal of a vicious serial killer.

Best Scene: Heart Attack murder.

3. Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper - Crowe gives a terrific initial indication to his considerable talent through his brutal portrayal of a neo-nazi where he grants emotional nuance to the character yet purposefully never makes him sympathetic while doing so.

Best Scene: Hando finds Davey and Gabrielle.

2. Peter Coyote in Bitter Moon - Coyote embraces yet also provides some needed depth to his lurid material in his terrific realization of a man slowly overwhelmed by bitterness.

Best Scene: Final remorse.

1. Willem Dafoe in Light Sleeper - Dafoe gives a powerful internalized portrayal of his drug dealer, showing the man attempting to find a new life after having already seemingly suffered through the worst.

Best Scene: Street Jumper. 

Update Overall

Next Year: 1992 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 1992: Eric Stoltz in The Waterdance

Eric Stoltz did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Joel Garcia in The Waterdance.

The Waterdance is a surprisingly low key film about a writer dealing with being confined to a wheel chair after breaking his neck.

This film follows Eric Stoltz in the lead role of Joel as he deals with his injury within a hospital ward where he interacts with other men in a similair situation most frequently former biker Bloss (William Forsythe) and braggart Raymond (Wesley Snipes). The film really is almost as much about those two as it is Joel, though we most often see those two in how they way Joel perceives them. Stoltz, whose career unfortunately never really fully recovered from being replaced in Back to the Future, though once again proves himself to be a particularly natural performer. This allows for a kind of a different take on the injured man story line that is fitting to the film's style which again seems to be striving to avoid the usual melodrama associated with these types of stories. Although that is not to say there isn't drama, but the film very much takes it in a calm and controlled fashion. This is partially due to Stoltz's performance which begins with the character in a mental state that is a tad unexpected, although this plays partially into the structure of the film where we open post-injury before we had time to even meet the man before his time in the film.

Stoltz portrays initially a strange euphoria in the character, perhaps relating to initial survival of his injury which one could presume was near death. Stoltz is effective in his portrayal of this though as he shows it to be almost a detached state in some ways. As he speaks not as though he is out of it, but as though his focus is upon his survival rather than his injury. Stoltz does not overplay this making it feel a very natural state of being for the moment, a being of a certain contentment in his existence. This naturally though is a relatively short lived state of a mind, as Stoltz rather naturally portrays the progression to a more earthly understanding of what's real going on around him. Again though Stoltz's portrayal of this switch is very nuanced as he does abruptly losing one the switches, but rather he gradually reveals the other emotions creeping into his work. A notable aspect of this though is how Stoltz works this in whether he is the focus or not. He never wastes his time when a scene is more clearly focused upon Bloss or Raymond rather than Joel. His reactions are always remarkable as Stoltz relates them to Joel's own state of mind.

The main focus of Joel's story comes in his relationship with his married girlfriend Anna (Helen Hunt apparently prepping very early on for The Sessions). Again though unlike say The Men with Marlon Brando, Stoltz and the film takes this very easy though effectively. After that early period of enthusiasm, where it seems as though their is no hesitation in their relationship despite the injury, the problems soon arise. Stoltz though is terrific in revealing these seeds of potential bitterness so internally in his work, in a glance, or a moment. He is infrequently direct in any moment yet Stoltz's work never feels vague in this regard either. He instead portrays exactly the pain Joel's going through but in a distinctly understated fashion. Again his reactions within the other men's stories are key, particularly in the moments where Raymond struggles with his wife, and Stoltz reflects Joel taking the it in which only seems to create his own certain distress. As much as this pain gradually moves in, it also gradually is changed as well in Stoltz's performance. The acceptance of his condition and his difficulty of that is all equally a quiet one. Even in the major scene where he suggests Anna move on from their relationship, Stoltz downplays it yet still manages to be rather affecting in portraying a subtle anguish in this choice.  The film fittingly leaves on a modest note of Joel leaving the hospital to start his life on the outside, not necessarily a perfect man, but a man comfortable with his existence. This is a good performance by Eric Stoltz as he is essential in realizing this distinct approach the film takes to the material, as even in its modesty he creates a poignant portrait of this man's recovery.

Alternate Best Actor 1992

And the Nominees Were Not:

Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog

Peter Coyote in Bitter Moon

Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper

Willem Dafoe in Light Sleeper

Eric Stoltz in The Waterdance

Alternate Best Actor 1985: Results

5. James Mason in The Shooting Party - James Mason delivers an affecting portrayal of an elderly aristocrat watching time pass him by, worthy to be his final leading cinematic turn.

Best Scene: A final prayer.

4. Aleksei Kravchenko in Come and See - Kravchenko gives a powerful portrayal of the loss of innocence and devastation of a young boy through the horrors of war.

Best Scene: Witnessing the massacre.

3. Griffin Dunne in After Hours - Dunne gives an often hilarious and always effective portrayal of a sane man dealing with insanity of a single night.

Best Scene: Paul's breakdown.

2. Eric Stoltz in Mask - Stoltz manages to not be overshadowed by the appearance of character, giving a moving yet never simplistic portrayal of the honest person behind the mask.

Best Scene: Fighting with his mother. 

1. Tatsuya Nakadai in Ran - Tatsuya Nakadai gives a masterful portrayal of his version of a formerly strong ruler, so powerfully realizing the man's descent into madness as his world fall apart around him.

Best Scene: The siege of the third castle. 

Updated Overall

Next Year: 1985 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 1985: Eric Stoltz in Mask

Eric Stoltz did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe (absurdly for supporting actor), for portraying Roy "Rocky" Dennis in Mask.

Mask is an affecting film about teenager with a facial deformity trying to live a normal life alongside his biker mother Rusty (Cher).

Eric Stoltz has a bit of unfortunate notoriety attached with one of the most notable films of 1985, Back to the Future, where he was the original actor cast as Marty McFly, though not the original choice, to the point he shot several scenes, and can even still be seen very briefly in the film. Apparently not being quite right for the role, in that he was not Marty McFly as Michael J. Fox was, he was replaced by Fox which was fitting given that Fox was the original choice to begin with. Any chance at stardom seemed set to allude Stoltz by fate since he had another leading role in 1985 here in Mask, but the film's whole point setup Stoltz to be unrecognizable. Stoltz plays Rocky who is based on a real person who suffered from a condition that caused calcium to build up on his skull which caused his head to enlarge abnormally. Stoltz has a set challenge from beginning as he is always encased in this thick makeup throughout the film. This challenge is particularly important for the film itself given that Stoltz's work needs to overcome the makeup in a way, that makes him more than the makeup while still making it seem like a natural part of the character.

Stoltz accomplishes that with his performance as the makeup just seems part of him, and we only really see him as this kid with this condition. Stoltz never seems restricted by it as his eyes allow more than enough expression even as the rest of his face is set in place. Now the remarkable element of Rocky in the film is that this is not about someone living a different life through this condition, instead it is about him trying to live as normally as he can. This is set up well in an early scene where after a checkup the doctors tell Rocky he only has a few months to live, but both his mother and Rocky dismiss this given that they've heard this so many times before. That is not to say they are ignoring the idea, but rather not allowing it to control Rocky. Stoltz makes the decision to play Rocky as naturally as a he possibly can. He speaks with just the voice of an average teenager, he physically acts without mannerism. Stoltz makes the right decision as he shows firmly from the start that Rocky is just the same as anyone else except for some unneeded calcium on his skull. This is not to say that Rocky is completely unaffected by his condition, but this is not handled as one might expect.

The emphasis is on optimism for Rocky rather than any sort of pessimism. Stoltz's portrayal of this is remarkable as he is able to realize it in such a genuine fashion. Stoltz brings this energy of personality in Rocky that creates this certain charisma in him as someone who is willing to be anyone's friend. What I love about how Stoltz does this is that he does not portray this as effortless, but at the same time makes it completely honest. Stoltz subtly alludes to the recognition in these moments that Rocky knows its time to put on a bit of charm. He does not handle these moments with an ounce of cynicism though, instead portraying an understanding that this is what he must do to help others get over their reaction to his appearance. Stoltz makes Rocky actively likable in that he shows Rocky as someone who is always trying to win over someone best he can no matter what, given that if he did not do this he would be completely ostracized. Stoltz makes Rocky's success with the other teenagers convincing since he remains such a consistently endearing young man.

Although optimism defines Rocky much of the time Stoltz never allows Rocky to become one note, nor does he even allow the optimism itself to be simplistic. Stoltz is brilliant in the moments where he interacts with people who are seeing him for the first time because he does bring just a subtle hint of the discomfort in Rocky at seeing others initial revulsion to him. Stoltz portrays what Rocky himself must get over with his optimism by so effectively showing these vulnerabilities in Rocky. He portrays that most of the time he can override it through his upbeat personality, but it never is completely gone. Stoltz is especially strong in realizing the way these insecurities occasionally rise when something specifically occurs that reminds maybe a bit too much about his condition. Stoltz is terrific since he even keeps this moments fairly low key yet quite powerful. He shows so well the way it cuts deeply in him in this specific unease that seems ingrained unfortunately through his experience of life. Stoltz makes it so when there is the time for a more dramatic breakdown it not only is heartbreaking but completely earned in the moment.

Now two of the most important aspects to the film comes in Rocky's two most pivotal female relationships. A romantic one being with a blind girl Diana(Laura Dern). This is made to be just a very nice and altogether sweet relationship. It works though as they share the right chemistry, and Stoltz does well to show the way Rocky overcomes a natural shyness in regards to his appearance throughout their scenes together. The strongest aspect of the film though is in Rocky's other relationship, which is with his mother Rusty. The relationship is based in love as Cher and Stoltz both realize the needed genuine warmth between the two, as Rusty fights for Rocky to be treated normally with fierce dedication. The relationship though is more complex than that in large part due to Rusty's drug addiction and problematic lifestyle. Both Cher and Stoltz are fantastic in finding the depth in the relationship between the two as their moments of fighting are made raw and realistic. Stoltz does not sugar coat Rocky's disappointment in his mother's behavior, and by doing so he allows the tender moments to be all the more moving. One can see the history between the two in every moment they share together making the final scenes of the film rather devastating. Eric Stoltz gives an outstanding performance that is never defined by the makeup, as he successfully acts through it to give a complex portrait that makes Rocky so much more than just a boy with a tragic condition.

Alternate Best Actor 1985

And the Nominees Were Not:

Aleksei Kravchenko in Come and See

Eric Stoltz in Mask

James Mason in The Shooting Party

Tatsuya Nakadai in Ran

Griffin Dunne in After Hours