13 Actors Who Dialed It to 11 for an Oscar Nomination
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a long history of doling out Oscars to actors who can really, truly act. Many actors have gotten the message that “more” works better than “less” and have dialed up their performances accordingly to secure that coveted Oscar nomination.
Whether their directors pushed them or the role simply called for something extra, estimable actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, Kathy Bates, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and many others have turned in off-the-hook performances for a chance to take home a statue of a little gold man.
All of the following actors earned an Oscar nomination for playing a part as if their lives depended on it. It turns out that there is a fine line between over-the-top and Oscar glory.
Emma Stone in Poor Things (2023)
In Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Emma Stone dials it to the max to play Bella Baxter — a woman living in Victorian London who is brought back from the brink of death by having her brain transplanted with that of her unborn child.
With the mind of a child, wide-eyed Bella is all kid — she rants, raves, breaks things, speaks in baby language, and touches everything. This includes her own body as she explores herself sexually, but also the adult men in her life. She talks dirty — in an innocent, childlike fashion — because she essentially IS a child.
Despite the disturbing twist-on-Frankenstein theme that sexualizes a woman with a baby’s brain, the Academy couldn’t wait to throw multiple Oscar statuettes at Poor Things, including a Best Actress Oscar (her second) for Stone.
Charlize Theron in Monster (2003)
In Patty Jenkins’ 2003 biographical crime drama Monster, Charlize Theron plays serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who killed seven men before her execution in 2002.
An excellent way to get the Academy’s attention if you’re a beautiful actress is to make yourself unattractive to play a part. Theron packed on the pounds, wore nasty fake teeth, and disappeared into her performance as Wuornos. When she pops off on a job interviewer after trying to “look good,” you don’t know whether you’re supposed to laugh or feel sorry for her.
The Academy settled the matter by handing Theron a Best Actress Oscar.
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder (2008)
Ben Stiller directed and stars in this satirical action-comedy about a group of popular actors making a war movie about Vietnam. Robert Downey Jr. plays five-time Oscar-winning method actor Kirk Lazarus, whom we’re told had a “pigmentation alteration” surgery to play a Black character.
The whole point of Tropic Thunder is to poke fun at diva actors who take their parts way too seriously. Downey Jr. hungrily chews the scenery as Kirk — an actor who refuses to break character even though it’s ludicrous for him to play a Black man in the first place. After an accident happens in a remote jungle filming location, Kirk and the other actors have to rely on their acting skills to survive.
The Academy appreciated Downey Jr.’s mockery of actors, taking it to the extreme to get an Oscar nomination by nominating him for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys (1995)
In Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys, Bruce Willis plays James Cole — a convict living in a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity was nearly wiped out decades prior by a man-made virus. Scientists send Cole back in time to gather intel about how the virus got released. In the past, Cole meets Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) in a mental hospital.
Playing a mental patient is an open invitation for an actor to take their foot off the brakes, which Pitt does as the environmental extremist Goines. Pitt wore colored contacts with one off-center to make Goines seem even loonier than the twitchy tics and mad rants already conveyed.
The Academy nominated Pitt for Best Supporting Actor, but he didn’t take home an Oscar until years later for his more understated performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…
Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (2004)
In Martin Scorsese’s biopic The Aviator, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Howard Hughes, and Cate Blanchett plays Katharine Hepburn.
Hepburn was known for her affected mid-Atlantic accent — one that sounds not quite British or American but somewhere in between. Blanchett jumped at the chance to imitate the instantly recognizable yet geographically indeterminate accent, dropping the “r” sound from words whenever possible. For viewers unfamiliar with Hepburn or pretentious speech patterns from decades ago, Blanchett’s performance seems a bit exaggerated.
The Academy has no problem with mid-Atlantic accents or four-time Oscar winner Hepburn and awarded Blanchett with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar — excuse me, “Oscahhh” — for her performance.
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
In the comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep plays Miranda Priestly — the tyrannical editor-in-chief of Runway magazine.
Academy-darling Streep can earn an Oscar nomination for reading a phone book, so her fire-breathing performance as the tough-as-nails Priestly enjoying her position of power in the fashion world is pure Oscar bait. Streep drew inspiration from Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour for her fan-favorite performance as the abusive boss every employee dreads.
Streep earned her 11th (at the time) Best Actress Oscar nomination for playing Priestly.
Kathy Bates in Misery (1990)
In Rob Reiner’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Misery, Kathy Bates plays Annie Wilkes — the “number-one fan” of author Paul Sheldon (James Caan). After Sheldon gets into a car accident, Wilkes brings him to her home, keeps him captive, and forces him to rewrite his new book featuring her favorite character, Misery Chastain.
The entire movie hangs on Bates’ performance, who is terrifying to watch as she switches gears from quirky homemaker (“Isn’t that an oogy mess?”) to sledgehammer-wielding psycho in the blink of an eye. Although Wilkes has no problem with clubbing a man’s ankles or abduction, it’s amusing that she has a zero-tolerance policy for profanity and loudly mocks its usage.
Bates deservedly took home a Best Actress Oscar for her iconic performance in this horror classic. Heavens to Betsy!
Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle (2013)
American Hustle is a black comedy crime film inspired by the FBI Abscam operation that began in the late 1970s. Jennifer Lawrence plays Rosalyn Rosenfeld, the erratic wife of the con artist played by Christian Bale.
American Hustle is one of those movies that seems like it’s being performed on a theater stage with everyone acting for those seated in the back row. This is especially evident in this scene with Lawrence’s character using a microwave that catches on fire and her subsequent over-the-top, heavily accented histrionics as her husband questions her about it.
We’ve already established that the Academy loves accents and ACTING in all caps, so it tracks that Lawrence got nominated for Best Supporting Actress for dialing that microwave scene to full power. Still, American Hustle received 10 total Oscar nominations but didn’t win any.
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the first film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series and the one that introduced the world to Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp.
From Jack Sparrow’s introductory scene, it’s apparent that this pirate is unlike any other previous big-screen pirate. Depp plays Sparrow like a vaguely effeminate drunk who cracks jokes and makes exaggerated, spastic gestures when simply walking will suffice. Jack Sparrow is a character that oozes confidence and confusion in equal measure.
Depp received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the popcorn blockbuster, which encouraged him to dial up Sparrow’s personality and quirks even more in several sequels.
Mo’Nique in Precious (2009)
Lee Daniels’ Precious is based on the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. In the depressing drama, Gabourey Sidibe plays the titular character — a young woman struggling to overcome a life of poverty and domestic abuse. Mo’Nique plays Precious’ monstrous mother, Mary Lee Johnston.
Watch this clip to learn everything you need to know about the mother-daughter dynamic on display in Precious. Mary Lee’s cruel verbal abuse turns violent as she hurls objects up the stairs at Precious and charges after her daughter like a maniac. Yes, Mo’Nique dials it up to 11 (maybe 12), but she understood the assignment and didn’t hold back.
Mo’Nique won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing one of the most despicable mothers ever on-screen.
Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
In Good Morning Vietnam, Robin Williams plays an irreverent, boisterous Armed Forces Radio Service DJ working in Saigon in 1965. The character is loosely based on the experiences of AFRS DJ Adrian Cronauer.
Good Morning Vietnam is one of those movies in which you can imagine the director putting a microphone in front of Williams and just saying, “Go for it.” Williams goes full manic to play the character, as evidenced in this scene in which he describes how hot it is outside in the most flamboyant, dialed-to-the-max way possible. Vietnam — as well as anyone within earshot — is most assuredly awake as soon as Williams turns on the mike.
The Academy loves to watch actors pump up the volume and awarded Williams with a Best Actor Oscar nomination for making some noise.
Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019)
Joaquin Phoenix plays the DC Comics character Arthur Fleck, aka Joker, in this psychological thriller directed by Todd Phillips. Fleck is a mentally ill failed clown who sparks a counterculture revolution in Gotham City in 1981.
If you’re an actor and have the opportunity to play “crazy,” do it. Critics universally praised Phoenix for his “gut-wrenching,” unhinged, raw performance. The Joker is the rare award-friendly comic book character, too. Jack Nicholson was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) for his performance as Joker in 1989’s Batman, while Heath Ledger won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his turn as Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight.
Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Joker and will reprise the role in 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux.
Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction (1987)
Glenn Close plays the scorned “other woman” who stalks Michael Douglas’ character and his family after a one-night stand in the seminal psychosexual thriller Fatal Attraction.
You can thank (or blame) Fatal Attraction for setting into motion countless movies about characters feeling jaded and hostile after a fling. Whether Close’s Alex Forrest threatens “I will not be ignored” or boils a pet rabbit, her commitment to dialing up the cray begs the question: Was one night with Douglas really that good that losing him shatters your sanity?
Their on-screen hookup and subsequent fallout were inarguably good for several things, including the box office and a Best Actress Oscar nom for Close.
