The only other Oscar nomination
J.K. Simmons has in his career is for that astounding performance in
Whiplash that rightfully earned him an Oscar. In
Being the Ricardos he doesn’t look or sound anything like William Frawley, but Aaron Sorkin gives him a few choice scenes with that fun Sorkin dialogue, so here he is. Obviously it isn’t in the same stratosphere as Fletcher in
Whiplash, and few roles ever will be. But for the man who is Commissioner Gordon in the Zach Snyder DC Universe, J. Jonah Jameson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Vern Shillinger in
"Oz", Dr. Skoda on
"Law & Order", and all of his other characters I can’t see him winning here. But he is well loved and respected by his peers, to be sure.
Ciarán Hinds has been one of those “ohhh, THAT guy” character actors for decades. You can spot him going all the way back to
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover though his profile really started rising in the 21st Century. Spielberg’s
Munich was a nice breakout part and that was followed by the likes of
"Rome" and
"Game of Thrones" on television as well as projects as diverse as
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, There Will Be Blood, and
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Belfast is the first ever Oscar nomination for the Irishman who just turned sixty-nine. While he does a sweet job as the grandfather it doesn’t feel like the kind of work that will get him the statue.
Power of the Dog co-stars
Jesse Plemons and
Kodi Smit-McPhee both earn their first nominations. Kodi is only twenty-five though you may notice him from
The Road with Viggo Mortensen or
Slow West with Michael Fassbender and he also voiced the main character in the animated
ParaNorman. His role as the odd and sensitive son who is the target of mocking and perhaps desire from Cumberbatch’s character has more to do on screen. Plemons is thirty-three and one of those distinctive character actors you can’t help but notice. His first significant role was probably the mostly silent, baby-faced thug on
”Breaking Bad” if you didn’t already know him from the
”Friday Night Lights” series but he was also great on the second season of
”Fargo” (where he met and fell in love with co-star Kirsten Dunst) and in the films
Game Night, Judas & the Black Messiah, Paul Thomas Anderson’s
The Master, The Post and
Bridge of Spies for Spielberg, and
The Irishman and the upcoming
Killers of the Flower Moon for Scorsese.
Troy Kotsur is fifty-three and though you may remember him from small roles in
The Number 23 with Jim Carrey or on
”The Mandelorian”,
CODA has made him an overnight sensation. His funny and nuanced performance as the patriarch of the mostly deaf family just jumps off of the screen, whether he is signing about birth control to his daughter’s new potential boyfriend or realizing the incredible gift she has that he cannot appreciate the way the rest of the world does, he is real and magnetic. His co-star Marlee Matlin is the only other deaf performer to have won an Oscar when she was named Best Actress for
Children of a Lesser God way back at the 1987 ceremony. Four other hearing actors have won for playing deaf characters with performances that were mostly in sign language: Jane Wyman (
Johnny Belinda), Patty Duke (
The Miracle Worker), John Mills (
Ryan’s Daughter), and Holly Hunter (
The Piano). Other nominees for playing deaf characters include Alan Arkin (
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter), Samantha Morton (
Sweet & Lowdown), Rinko Kikuchi (
Babel), Sally Hawkins (
The Shape of Water), and Riz Ahmed & Paul Raci just last year (
Sound of Metal).
Kodi Smit-McPhee did win the Golden Globe for Supporting Actor but Kotsur won the Screen Actors Guild Award. I think this is Troy’s all the way, but we shall see.
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