Favorite Lead Performances of the 2000s w/ comments! (in progress)
- Bjork as "Selma Jezkova" in Dancer in the Dark (2000)
- This devastating performance is Bjork's first, and will most likely be her last (Von Trier has been known to "terrorize" his leading ladies, so it's no wonder), but it's the type of performance that can only be delivered by a non-actor. Von Trier helped spearhead the Dogme 95 movement in an attempt to bring "honesty" to film, but it's Bjork who brings the necessary raw emotion, honesty, and beauty to a film that would otherwise have collapsed into its own misery. When she sings her final number, her face is covered, only allowing us her voice. It gives the scene an effect I have trouble describing. For the first time in the film, we're listening to Selma, not Bjork. In what may be her only screen performance, Bjork achieved what every method actor on the planet wished they could: a true synthesis of character and performer. This all said, it is also a deeply upsetting sight to behold.
- Daniel Day-Lewis as "Daniel Plainview" in There Will Be Blood (2007)
- It's no coincidence that the two performances topping this list are the products of intense collaborations between director and performer. But while Von Trier reportedly pushed Bjork to mine emotional gold, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis' collaboration is one of mutual respect and a shared artistic goal. Without Day-Lewis' performance, There Will Be Blood would be a turgid, if beautiful, bore; without Anderson's stunning tonal control, Day-Lewis' performance would be over-baked at best. However, these two artists understand each other, and they both knew precisely what they were bringing to the table. Daniel Plainview is a monster, a man whose own humanity acts as a bothersome hindrance to his own happiness -if he is capable of happiness. The contrast between Plainview's "performances" in public, and the raw, violence he displays when crosed lends the film a tension that Anderson reinforces with every directorial choice. Every grimace, sneer, and garbled attempt at friendliness draws the unwilling audience closer and closer.
- Jeff Daniels as "Bernard Berkman" in The Squid and the Whale (2005)
- Jeff Daniel's embodiment of Bernard Berkman will probably haunt my dreams forever. Bernard is one of the most repugnant characters to ever stalk the screen, and I find myself reflecting on him more than I should. He is the embodiment of intellectual superiority run amuck: entitled, arrogant, and pathologically self-centered. Jeff Daniels, however, imbues Bernard with an "I know that guy" honesty, and that is what really creeps me the hell out when I watch this performance. Though he has never really been embraced by critics or peers, Daniels has always been a solid, and sometimes great actor. But Bernard Berkman is something else entirely: a performance that simultaneously attracts and repels you, that sticks with you years afterward, that digs into you the same way Bernard digs into his son. It is an entity unto itself.
- Paul Bettany as “Tom Edison” in Dogville (2003)
- What sets Paul Bettany's Tom Edison apart from most villains of his ilk is his honest belief that he is a good, decent man. His villainy is sly, never directly lashing out at others. He often acts as the self-appointed voice of reason in the town. Much like his historical namesake, Tom's mind is a restless one, buzzing with unformed social experiments and lectures on morality. When Nicole Kidman's Grace arrives in town, he preaches generosity, all the while developing ways to use her presence, and her body, to his advantage. But this isn't how he would see his own actions, he would consider his manipulations as a public service. In Bettany's hands, Tom is at once a well-meaning idealist and a complete sociopath. When he justifies his actions to Grace, it is not an act of desperation; he truly believes the truth is on his side. In the hands of a lesser actor, Tom would be a charicature. But Bettany finds something far more fascinating in Tom, something recognizably and pitifully human.
- Imelda Stauton as “Vera Drake” in Vera Drake (2004)
- Nicole Kidman as "Grace Stewart" in The Others (2001)
- Johnny Depp as “Jack Sparrow” in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Judi Dench as “Barbara Covett” in Notes on a Scandal (2006)
- Mickey Rourke as “Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson” in The Wrestler (2008)
- Tony Leung Chiu Wai as “Chow Mo-wan” in In the Mood for Love (2000)
- Kate Winslet as “Clementine Kruczynski” in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
- Clive Owen as “Larry” in Closer (2004)
- Ellen Burstyn as “Sarah Goldfarb” in Requiem for a Dream (2000)
- Heath Ledger as “Ennis Del Mar “ in Brokeback Mountain (2005)
- Nicole Kidman as "Grace" in Dogville (2003)
I'm constructing this list piece by piece, so I can't speak for it in its entirety, but it's probably best to give some sort of mission statement.
I love film, always have, always will. However, I hadn't had any formal film studies education before my time at Hampshire College (I'm currently a sophomore/second-year). That said, I studied acting at The University of the Arts (2004-2005), so my criteria for performances is very influenced by my own experience as an actor; though I was not a particularly good one, mind you.
Funnily enough, the combination of my cinematic and theatrical passions results in a taste for performances that are essential elements of their films, not just successful artistic achievements in their own rights. I tend to be unforgiving of performances that seem "out-of-place" in their films, no matter their merits.
The world's best actors are also some of the world's best artistic collaborators, and the best screen performances tend to be products of both the actor's own talent and their ability to serve the needs of the material. The specific choices an actor makes within the structure of the film around them must work to elevate, not distract.
Ultimately, all of these performances are testaments to the beauty of the collaborative nature of film. These actors are all talented, but it's not their talent I am judging, it's the application of that talent in serving a shared artistic vision.
Hi There,
I just wanted to list 3 performances that are glaringly missing from your list:
1. Tony Leung Chui Wai - Chow Wo-man - In The Mood For Love (2000)
2. Olivier Gourmet - Olivier - The Son (2002)
3. Joseph Gordon Levitt - Mysterious Skin (2004)
Well, for #s 2 & 3, I have yet to view the films in question.
As for In the Mood for Love, I think this film deserves a rewatch to fully appreciate it. Which is high on my cinematic to-do list.
2 more outstanding performances from this decade to recommend:
Romain Duris - Paul - Dans Paris (2006)
Mads Mikkelson - Jacob Pederson - After the Wedding (2006)