Just saw Rachel Getting Married, Jonathan Demme's painfully microscopic view of the toll taken on a family by one woman's instability. The woman in question is not the title character (of course) but is Rachel's sister, played masterfully by Anne Hathaway, whose performance in Brokeback Mountain was by far one of the most nuanced and under-appreciated in that film's ensemble. But this time it's Hathaway's turn to take center stage, leaving her co-star, Rosemarie DeWitt to play the less flashy and far more difficult role of the functional sibling in this family drama.
This brings to mind so many marvelous performances given by first-rate actors but which, by virtue of their proximity to another character with far more obvious and gut-wrenching afflictions, were somewhat overlooked by critics, awards, and to some degree, audiences.
So without further ado, here is my top 10 list of the best Thankless Roles from the past few years. (Obviously this ain't scientific given that I'm including small screen, big screen and stage all in one list, so I don't want to hear any complaining. Got that?)
1. Emily Blunt in Devil Wears Prada
2. Johanna Day as Mary Louise Parker's sister in Proof on Broadway
3. Anne Hathaway in Brokeback Mountain
4. Rachel Ticotin as Lady Macduff in Patrick Stewart's Macbeth on Broadway
5. Jennifer Connelly in Little Children
6. Gordon Pinsent as Julie Christie's husband in Away from Her
7. David Eigenberg in the entire TV series Sex And The City
8. Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
9. Boyd Gaines as Herbie in Gypsy with Patti Lupone
10. Daniel Craig in Infamous (the other Capote movie—the better one)
Recent Comments