Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin
The story takes place in the 1920s on the fictional Irish island of Inisherin. Musician Colm (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly stops being friends with his longtime drinking buddy, Patrick (Colin Farrell). This decision sets off a chain of unfortunate events.
Irish actor Barry Keoghan can rightfully be called the king of supporting roles. Before Martin McDonagh’s film, he had already outshone Colin Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dev Patel in The Green Knight, and Fionn Whitehead in Dunkirk.
In The Banshees of Inisherin, Keoghan plays the funny and annoying village fool, Dominic. The character tries to reconcile the former friends and win the heart of Patrick’s sister, Siobhán. Keoghan masterfully brings to life a naïve and straightforward character hiding an inner fragility. For this role, Keoghan earned an Oscar nomination.
Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now
During the Vietnam War, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent into the heart of the conflict. His mission is to find and neutralize the mysterious Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who is hiding in the Cambodian jungle. Willard assembles a team and sets off into the hellish chaos of Vietnam.
Robert Duvall plays the film’s most memorable character. His role is Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, a bloodthirsty, death-insensitive lunatic. He delivers the iconic monologue that begins: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Kilgore is supposed to help Willard’s group move up the river, but the area is dangerous. He agrees only in exchange for a surfing session with one of the crew members—a famous champion.
Orson Welles in The Third Man
American pulp writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in post-war Vienna at the invitation of his old friend Harry Lime, only to discover that Lime recently died. At the funeral, a police captain tells Martins that Lime was a gangster who sold diluted penicillin on the black market, causing the deaths of many children. Martins is convinced that his friend couldn’t have been involved in such crimes and decides to investigate the matter and clear his friend’s name.
Without giving away spoilers, let’s just say that Orson Welles’ character is tied to the detective plot and appears in the second half of the film, stealing the spotlight from Joseph Cotten. Welles’ character is cruel, arrogant, yet so charming and charismatic that it’s impossible to resist him, especially for the woman who also appears in the story.
Patricia Arquette in Lost Highway
Fred (Bill Pullman) and Renee Madison (Patricia Arquette) live in a two-story house on the outskirts of Los Angeles. One day, an unknown person tells them through their intercom that Dick Laurent is dead. Soon after, disturbing tapes arrive in the mail—someone has been filming the couple while they sleep.
The next morning, Fred discovers a new tape, showing him sitting next to his wife’s bloody corpse. Fred is arrested and, while in police custody, mysteriously transforms into auto mechanic Pete Dayton, who has no connection to the case. Upon being released from jail, Pete tries to unravel what has happened.
In this tangled crime thriller by David Lynch, the main characters are Fred Madison in the first part and Pete Dayton in the second. They represent two parts of the fractured consciousness of a killer. The fragmented film is connected by Patricia Arquette, who plays both the brunette Renee and the blonde Alice. The two characters symbolize different interpretations of the same woman. Renee is the quiet, modest housewife married to Fred, while Alice is the seductive, mysterious lover of Dick Laurent.
Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The film is based on a book by Cameron Crowe, a journalist who, at the age of 22, decided to spend a year undercover at a high school. He later wrote a novel about the amusing and engaging lives of the students.
At the heart of the story is 16-year-old Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her relationships with boys. First, she loses her virginity to an older guy, and then she has a brief fling with ladies’ man Mark. But in truth, she is attracted to a shy ticket seller at the cinema.
All the actors in Fast Times are excellent, but Sean Penn stands out in the role of Spicoli, a secondary character who is a failing student and a surfer, constantly getting into humorous situations. Most of his troubles stem from conflicts with his strict history teacher, Mr. Hand. Spicoli wastes the teacher’s time during class, so by the end of the school year, Mr. Hand decides to get revenge on his worst student.
Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider
In the late 1960s, two biker friends set out on a journey across the southern states to attend the Mardi Gras festival. Along the way, they encounter hippies and face hostility from conservative Southerners. The heroes make it to the festival, but leaving becomes a significant challenge.
Director Dennis Hopper managed to capture the spirit of the times. The biker road movie told a story about the search for freedom in a country where people are trapped by their prejudices.
During their journey, the two riders meet Jack Nicholson’s character, George Hanson, an alcoholic lawyer. It’s one of the best character introductions in cinematic history. Hanson, despite his better judgment, decides to join the bikers on their trip to the festival.
Tommy Lee Jones in Eyes of Laura Mars
People around scandalous New York photographer Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway) start dying. At the same time, Laura suffers from vivid visions of these crimes, as if she is watching the murders through the eyes of the killer. Detective John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) joins the investigation. Together, they must uncover the identity of the murderer and prevent Laura from becoming the next victim.
Faye Dunaway, a true Hollywood diva of the 1960s, plays the lead role with a monumental, somewhat mannered performance. In contrast, Tommy Lee Jones, still a relative newcomer at the time, stands out with his organic, sometimes chaotic, expressive acting style, which adds complexity to his character.
Jones would later overshadow Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, Val Kilmer in Batman Forever, and Will Smith in Men in Black.
Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
During World War II in France, SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), nicknamed “The Jew Hunter,” murders the family of Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent). Years later, Shosanna becomes the owner of a cinema.
A grand premiere of the film Nation’s Pride, glorifying Nazi “heroics,” is planned at her theater, with the Gestapo’s top brass in attendance. Shosanna, bent on revenge, plans to set the cinema on fire with Hitler inside. She is unaware that a ruthless group of Jewish assassins, led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), has similar plans.
Quentin Tarantino is known for creating memorable supporting characters. In his films, actors in minor roles often outshine the leads. Initially, Tarantino considered Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of the villain in his war-western, but during the scriptwriting process, he realized the character needed to be an older German actor.
After a lengthy casting process, Tarantino was almost in despair, as none of the contenders could bring his vision to life. That was until he came across the relatively unknown 50-year-old Austrian actor Christoph Waltz. Waltz surpassed all his famous co-stars, won an Oscar for his role, and became one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood.
John Turturro and Steve Buscemi in “The Big Lebowski”
Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), nicknamed “The Dude” — an overgrown slacker and bowling enthusiast — gets into trouble. One day, gangsters mistakenly show up at his home and ruin his rug. It turns out they confused The Dude with a millionaire of the same name. So the hero decides to contact the other Lebowski and demand compensation for the ruined rug. Instead, he gets dragged into a story involving kidnapping, ransom, and a briefcase with a million dollars.
The Coen brothers, like Tarantino, also pay a lot of attention to the supporting cast. In this comedic neo-noir, two actors could compete for the title of best background actor. John Turturro as Jesus is The Dude’s unforgettable bowling rival. By the way, Turturro improvised a lot on set. For example, he came up with his character’s victory dance and decided to lick the ball before throwing it.
There’s also Steve Buscemi as the frail Donny. Although he doesn’t participate in the main adventures, he’s even more memorable than the main characters.
Jennifer Coolidge in “American Pie”
The cult teen comedy from 1999 tells the story of four high school seniors trying to lose their virginity before graduation. The main character Jim, completely clueless in sexual matters, dreams of seducing the most attractive girl in school. Oz, a sensitive lacrosse team star, falls in love for the first time. Kevin still can’t have sex with his longtime girlfriend Vicky. And Paul Finch, the nerdy outsider, suddenly becomes the most popular guy in school.
However, the character that became a household name in the film was “Stifler’s mom,” played by Jennifer Coolidge. She embodies the concept of MILF — a sexy mom — which didn’t exist in ’99. The character appears in only one episode but makes an indelible impression. Such is the Coolidge effect, whose too-obvious sexuality cannot go unnoticed.
