Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1998: Results

5. Mike Myers in 54 - Myers is far better than his film giving an effective portrayal of a man lost in his strange power, even if it's a shame he doesn't have too much to work with.

Best Scene: Final speech.

4. Thomas Bo Larsen in Festen - Larsen is an expert lout however is effective in showing the intensity of his transitions later on both for better and worse. 

Best Scene: Punishments.

3. Kiefer Sutherland in Dark City - Sutherland gives a strange but compelling portrayal of a man twisted by his very odd existence.

 

Best Scene: Teaching everything in but a moment. 

2. Donald Sutherland in Without Limits - Sutherland Sr. steals his film by making a potentially standard coach role stand out, and utterly his own. 

Best Scene: Eulogy.

1. Jim Caviezel in The Thin Red Line - The question wasn't if Caviezel would top this lineup but rather how I would decide on what Thin Red Line performer for the win. As Nolte, Koteas, Penn and Caviezel are all brilliant in portraying the different and distinct perspective of each of their soldiers so powerfully. And honestly it is a toss up till this point I've toyed with putting Caviezel in lead to make it *slightly* easier, which I actually don't think is grievous fraud since Witt's story bookends the film and is a consistent presence throughout. Anyway forgetting that for a moment, the top four are the top four, though to say it is set in stone is hard to say.

Best Scene: The hut.

Updated Overall

Next: 1977 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1998: Thomas Bo Larsen in Festen

Thomas Bo Larsen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Michael in Festen.

Festen depicts a family gathering for the family patriarch's sixtieth birthday...naturally things don't go according to plan. 

Frequent Thomas Vinterberg collaborator Thomas Bo Larsen plays Michael the son of the birthday man, and the brother of Christian (Ulrich Thomsen) who has a vendetta to expose his father as a pedophile sexual abuser of his family, after his and Michael's sister commits suicide. Where Christian is weighed down by that abuse, Michael is a very different man. In fact Bo Larsen's performance is one of a kind of id as we see him even coming to their gathering place without any sort of good grace and manners. Bo Larsen throws himself into the scene in a way where there is no sense of any kind of balance of the man. Bo Larsen's performance is that of this ball of energy that isn't exactly the most pleasant however, as it goes in about any direction with a sudden specified outburst, in moments of very unexpected cruelty whether that be a moment of seemingly more silly flamboyance before a celebration, or more disturbing moments of sexual cruelty, misdeeds or overt racism towards his sister's African American boyfriend. Bo Larsen presents it as all in this way a disturbing ease in the way he unleashes himself so naturally, that it seems as authentic as any moment of calm, and painfully presents Michael as just the way that he is.

The revelation that perhaps explains parts of Michael is in Christian who reveals his father's abhorrent treatments of his own children in a toast, that despite the revelation the party proceeds as though nothing has happened. None the less it seems to grant understanding to the behavior of each of the children even if it is never stated as such. As we see this most evidently so when their father speaks to Michael with very specific instructions for the ceremony, and the potential reward. The usually so brazen Michael is very much a different man, Bo Larsen becomes retiring a moment, fearful as quickly and just listening as a little boy would if he was on the edge between punishment and reward from a parent. Bo Larsen in just a brief mostly reactionary scene reveals so much of what defines Michael as a man broken by his father as Christian is, but how his own trauma reveals itself couldn't be more different perhaps in the specific nature of that trauma. As we see rather a man suffering in his trauma as is the case for Christian, Bo Larsen portrays the man in a way almost recreating the manner in some degree, as though the implication perhaps is that Michael may not have been sexually abused in the same way he was regardless still cruelly treated in some way. In turn Bo Larsen presents a man who covers up his own experience in part by hedonistic pleasures or becoming cruel in his own ways. It is all just the natural thrust within Bo Larsen's performance that creates this intensity within Michael as a man who clearly acts first and thinks later as related to both his urges and any reaction to any emotion. When their father attempts to deny any wrongdoing, Michael reacts by becoming his personal hatchet man by both physically beating Christian and leading a racist chant against his sister's boyfriend after the latter presents sympathy for Christian. Bo Larsen is impeccably vile in these scenes, with a key animalistic approach to every one of these moments in emphasizing Michael as a man doing it with very little thought, and just the most immediate action as to please his father. Change only comes when their living sister reads the suicide note of their deceased sister that supports all of Christian's claims, and Bo Larsen does much with his genuine reactions of a man who finally has to think for once, being less of a surprise and more of a forceful acceptance to something he likely already knew deep down within himself. Leading however to less thinking as he goes about brutally attacking his father instead as the same id action, though the difference being there can be any good of it. Bo Larsen earns the final scene of his character finally being supportive of his brother, because he doesn't make it this grand shift, rather a gentle one of a man no longer being caught within the viral poison of his father. Bo Larsen's performance most needs to ride the line of the blunt reality the film is crafting due to the overt nature of Michael, yet as extreme as his character is, he feels as authentic as any other element because of the honesty of Bo Larsen's performance which simply IS, Michael and realizes an authentic extreme. 

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1998

 And the Nominees Were Not:

Donald Sutherland in Without Limits

 

Kiefer Sutherland in Dark City

 

Jim Caviezel in The Thin Red Line

 

Thomas Bo Larsen in Festen

 

Mike Myers in 54

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2012: Results

5. Ronald Cheng in Vulgaria - Cheng is easily his film's highlight in his hilarious and appropriately ridiculous portrayal of an over the top gangster.

Best Scene: Dinner time.

4. Cillian Murphy in Broken - Murphy gives a funny, moving and above all very honest portrayal of just unassuming teacher accidentally getting involved in some rather difficult situations. 

Best Scene: Apology

3. Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Gangs of Wasseypur - Although the film mutes his impact Siddiqui gives an effective and affecting portrayal of a man forced to become a gangster when you do see him.

Best Scene: Somber victory. 

2. Bradley Whitford in The Cabin in the Woods - Whitford gives a very funny portrayal of a white collar worker who just happens to run a murder factory.

Best Scene: The merman. 

1. Thomas Bo Larsen in The Hunt - Bo Larsen gives a terrific performance that is essential to the film as he finds the complexity of the man who condemns but eventually forgives his best friend for a horrible, though false, crime.

Best Scene: The Church.

Updated Overall

Next Year: 1968 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2012: Thomas Bo Larsen in The Hunt

Thomas Bo Larsen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Theo in The Hunt.

One of the major reasons The Hunt is such a powerful film is how convincing it is in realizing its scenario of this kindergarten teacher Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) being ostracized and demonized due to false allegations of sexual abuse. In this it seeks no simplification even though Lucas is clearly innocent the whole time. The film though does not seek to create the accusers and the believers of the accusations into villains. This includes the pivotal role of Theo played by Thomas Bo Larsen who not only is the father of Klara the girl who first claims to have been abused by Lucas, but also happens to be Lucas's best friend. In the early scene Bo Larsen's good just by being convincing at being a normal guy. He has such a natural chemistry with Mikkelsen, as I love the way they sort of have that casual way of fooling around with one another fitting to a rich friendship, and the earnest warmth Bo Larsen brings in his delivery when Theo asks Lucas about custody of his son.

There's one scene that is technically outside of directly interacting with Lucas where it is a tender moment between Theo and his wife. I love the moment because of just how authentic it feels between the two of them and how honestly it just offers a real history outside of the confines. The film excels, amplified by these performances, because it never feels constricted by the central element. That is of course a pivotal factor but as with Bo Larsen's performance there is so much more than that to the community we see, and the people meet that makes the degradation of it all the more powerful. This degradation comes when Klara lies about Lucas's actions, which leads to a sort of hysteria as everyone start to believe it. This isn't simplified which is well shown through Bo Larsen's performance when Lucas comes to attempt to explain things to Theo.  Bo Larsen is brilliant as he creates the complexity of Theo's belief because he actually portrays this conflicting feeling, a wish to disbelieve the act of his friend yet the heartbreak of accepting that something horrible was done to his daughter. He manages to make sense of the belief of the lie and actually creates sympathy for the man even though we know he's wrong.

Bo Larsen's work helps to importantly make the situation all  the more convincing and honestly are the more heartbreaking. There's a scene later on where Theo speaks with Lucas's son Marcus. Again Bo Larsen finds the nuance of the past within situation as he portrays the underlying desire to reach out as the old friend and help while though offering the cold distress, and tension of man still pained by what he believes has been done to his daughter. This eventually leads to the Christmas Eve Church scene which is the highlight of Mikkelsen's masterful performance. In On the Waterfront one should never dismiss Rod Steiger's contribution to the taxi cab scene most noted for Marlon Brando's performance, nor should one dismiss Phillip Seymour Hoffman's incredible work in the processing scene in The Master though Joaquin Phoenix may leave the strongest impression, and one should not forget Thomas Bo Larsen's contribution in this scene. Bo Larsen's own reactions are essential to the power of the scene as he subtly alludes to Theo coming to grips with a certain shame, and understanding of what he has done to his friend. His final reaction when Lucas stares right at him is particularly effective as Bo Larsen shows that Theo has nothing to say for himself in this realization. This leads soon to an incredibly moving scene where Theo admits his mistake, and this is because Bo Larsen earns this so much as in the sort of spoken realization the years of their friendship and the pain of his mistake is so deeply felt in his face and his words. Thomas Bo Larsen's role overall is limited yet critical to the film. His work not only makes the town's forgiveness of Lucas believable but also very poignant. His screentime is limited but within it he importantly adds so much to the film by granting the needed complexity and really humanity to those who turn on Lucas so brutally.  

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2012

And the Nominees Were Not:

Bradley Whitford in The Cabin in the Woods

Richard Jenkins in The Cabin in the Woods 

Thomas Bo Larsen in The Hunt

Cillian Murphy in Broken

Ronald Cheng in Vulgaria

Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2

For Prediction Purposes:

Whitford in The Cabin in the Woods