Natalie Portman, “May December”
In Todd Haynes‘ latest melodrama, Portman pulls off one of the more impressive performances of her career. Her character, Elizabeth Berry, is a B-level (and that might be generous) actress intent on making her upcoming role in an edgy indie the sort of turn that takes her career to another level. She visits the real-life inspiration for her role, Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore, also great), to try and pick up nuances of a woman who became tabloid fodder after falling in love with Joe, a teenager, decades earlier. Elizabeth slowly but surely pokes the tension-filled family, but Portman’s master class is a scene where she reads a letter Gracie wrote to Joe, as Gracie, in front of her hotel mirror. For a fleeting moment, Elizabeth appears to have genuine talent, even if her motivations are morally suspect in getting there. – GE
Rachel Weisz, “Dead Ringers”
Playing two characters in one project is no easy task, but it’s a challenge Rachel Weisz wanted to tackle for years. She, along with Alice Birch, spearheaded the new incarnation of David Cronenberg‘s 1988 movie, which was based on Bari Wood and Jack Geasland’s 1977 novel, “Twins.” Weisz crafts not one, but two of the greatest performances of her career as twin sisters Beverly and Elliot Mantle, two gynecologists with very different personalities. In the wrong hands, these characters could be over-the-top caricatures, but Weisz makes them unquestionably whole. And her scenes where Beverly and Elliot banter back and forth in the same frame? Incredible. We’d argue it’s the best performance of any actor on film or television this year. It might not be up for debate. – GE
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Who would have guessed that Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson would help bring the procedural TV series back? Or, as this version is being christened, the “prestige-ural.” In “Poker Face,” Lyonne portrays Charlie, a Las Vegas casino worker with the ability to recognize when someone is lying or not. As she flees Sin City after a dispute with a casino boss, she quizzically finds herself solving one murder mystery after another simply by talking to people. The show’s scripts are quite good for the most part, but Lyonne’s infectious charisma and talent often carry each episode to its inevitable revelation. The “Russian Doll” star also delivered one of the finest performances of her career in Azazel Jacobs’ “His Three Daughters,” which debuted at TIFF and Netflix is set to release in 2024. – GE
Anthony Carrigan, “Barry”
As this golden age of prestige television appears to be nearing an end, one of the many hidden but not-so-hidden gems has come from Anthony Carrigan. Over the span of four seasons, the now 40-year-old actor transformed Chechen mobster No Ho Hank from a pseudo-comic relief foil for Bill Hader’s title character into a tragic figure in his own right. In one pivotal scene in the HBO series’ final stretch, he tries to stop the love of his life, Cristobal (Michael Irby), from leaving their home and a certain death. Carrigan’s performance at that moment is utterly heart-breaking, showing a side of this character that was unfathomable a few years earlier. If he doesn’t win the strike-delayed Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy, it’s an awards season crime. – GE
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
While “The Bear” Season 2 went out of its way to shine a light on the supporting cast, make no mistake, this is still Jeremy Allen White’s showcase. In nearly every scene he’s in, the viewer can’t take their eyes off of White. No, that’s not because he’s so amazingly handsome that it’s distracting (I mean, he is), but it’s because there’s so much nuance that White puts into every second of his performance; it’s uncanny. Some highlights include the incredible “Fishes” episode (where White is able to play off a never-better Jamie Lee Curtis), as well as the finale, simply titled “The Bear,” where he all-but-earns an Emmy based on a performance that he gives from a restaurant freezer. Season 2 of “The Bear” upped the ante in a number of ways—the supporting cast, tight writing, amazing cinematography, and editing—but Jeremy Allen White continues to be the North Star of the series. – Charles Barfield
