Netflix
Lily Gladstone caused chaos when it was announced that she was moving from supporting actress to lead actress for her starring role in Killers of the Flower Moon. The move makes sense in terms of screen time, but many thought she already had the best supporting actress. Now she has moved into the Best Actress category and the supporting female category is in limbo.
This leaves the door open for a number of surprises in this category, meaning that the likes Tilda Swinton could get a surprise nomination. Swinton stars David Finchernew thriller The Killer, which just premiered at this year’s BFI London Film Festival. Netflix will release it in theaters on October 27 and begin streaming on November 10.
The star of the show is undoubtedly Michael Fassbender, who plays a philosophical and meticulous hitman trying to make amends and take revenge in a solo mission. However, towards the end of the film, Swinton emerges as the film’s most prominent character. Known only as “The Expert,” Swinton only appears in one scene, but boy does she make the most of it, adding some much-needed color and wit to a cold and ruthless film. Critics agree that Swinton is a highlight.
Lex Briscuso (IGN) noted: “Tilda Swinton has a small but nevertheless key role in the film, and she perfectly embodies the qualities of wise and self-possessed, but humble. It would be a spoiler to say more about her character, but it’s nice to see her appear in the story, even in just one scene.”
Adam Solomons (Awards Watch) wrote, “None of The Killer’s supporting actors manage to leave a mark, although Tilda Swinton impresses with a minor but memorable character reminiscent of the villainous roles that first made her famous in Hollywood.”
Donald Clark (The Irish Times) observed: “When Tilda Swinton appears, we can reasonably expect the underlying implied wit to break through the surface, and it proves so. Her attempts to bounce the metaphorical ball off the brick wall of the killer persona confirm her prowess in the extended cameo.”
We currently predict that Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“Remains”) Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”) Daniel Brooks (“The color purple”), Taraji P. Henson (“The color purple”) and Julianne Moore (“May December”) will be nominated for Best Supporting Actress. But we thought Gladstone got it, and look what happened, so things might change here. Randolph’s number one status may be fading. The Color Purple may not appeal to Academy voters as much as we think. Moore may be completely closed. This category is the most unpredictable of the four acting categories this year, and there is room for surprises.
Swinton could take advantage of this, especially since we know voters like her in this category. She won the Best Supporting Actress award back in 2008 for Michael Clayton, another business thriller starring an A-list actor (George Clooney), giving a cold, brilliant presentation at the center of the picture. “The Killer” fits the same principle.
And yes, we know Swinton only appears in one scene. But in “Michael Clayton” she did not have enough screen time, and there she managed to win. Who was nominated the same year Swinton won? Ruby Dee, for “American Gangster”. Dee’s performance was memorable but very short. Likewise, Judi Dench won this category for Shakespeare in Love in 1999 for a very short performance. AND Viola Davis was nominated in 2009 for his role in one scene in Doubt. These short performances are often nominated if they are memorable enough.
Swinton is there. She stands out as the most charismatic character in the film and also has a great speech in which she tells the story of the bear and the hunter. It’s this speech that sticks out the most, just like Davis’ speech about her son in Doubt earned her a nomination. Likewise, Christopher Walken was nominated in 2003 for his support on “Catch Me If You Can”. The most memorable part of his role was the “two mice and a bucket of cream” speech.
Ann Hataway won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for Les Misérables, in which she performed a speech of sorts, the song “I Dreamed a Dream.” Of course, this is a very dramatic song and not a witty speech, but it means the same thing. This is a clear, decisive moment in the performance that the audience remembers. Swinton’s speech about “the bear and the hunter” would work in the same way. If that happens and voters decide to nominate her, she will become the second actress to receive a supporting actress nomination in a Fincher film after Amanda Seyfried in 2021 for “Mank”. Let’s get a look.
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