Much of the 2003 race felt like an inevitability. We all knew Best Picture and Best Director were locked for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. We all knew Renee Zellweger was getting Best Supporting Actress. And we all knew the winner for Best Supporting Actor was gonna be Tim Robbins. And we were right:
My ranking, from 5th to 1st:
5. Tim Robbins as Dave Boyle
Mystic River
only nomination for acting; Golden Globe winner for Best Supporting Actor, SAG Award winner for Best Supporting Actor; BAFTA Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor, SAG Award nominee for Best Ensemble
Performance-wise, he’s not terrible, his insularity speaks to the unspoken trauma that he’s long kept buried, the way he carries himself the after-effects of someone who felt he made himself a target by standing out. It’s a little twitchy at times, a bit broad, with some sinister-seeming moments that feel less organic to the character than they do necessary for the plot. He’s primarily #5 because he is a co-lead with Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon, not supporting.
4. Benicio del Toro as Jack Jordan
21 Grams
past winner, second of two nominations; BAFTA Award nominee for Best Actor, LAFCA Awards runner-up for Best Supporting Actor, SAG Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor
There are three leads and he’s one of them. Might give the best performance in the movie, frustratingly principled but frighteningly unpredictable. You see the battle within him in every pause he takes before responding, the eyes somehow seeming to look within before coming back with a decision. I wish it was for the sake of a better role and movie, but he’s a terrific performer.
3. Alec Baldwin as Shelly Kaplow
The Cooler
only nomination; National Board of Review’s Best Supporting Actor of 2003, NYFCC Awards winner for Best Supporting Actor; Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actor, SAG Awards nominee for Best Supporting Actor
I distinctly remember his presence throughout the season being met with confusion - didn’t we just deride him for The Cat in the Hat? - but it was inescapable. He’s got that small-time moon thing down, so down, in fact, one wishes they watched a movie about this wannabe Rat Packer rather than the professional loser at film’s center. Not much to it, though, very little inner life.
2. Djimon Hounsou as Mateo
In America
first of two nominations; SAG Award nominee for Best Ensemble (In America)
Understated performance depicting suspicion of others (he knows the class of people in this building!), anger at the world and himself, and, mostly, a warmth, an understanding of others' needs, of the pleasure of helping each other - as babysitter, as sounding board, as friend and neighbor. He listens. May not seem like much on first glance but it's a performance that stays with you, burrows deep under the skin.
1. Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto
The Last Samurai
only nomination; Golden Globes nominee for Best Supporting Actor, SAG Awards nominee for Best Supporting Actor
This is the kind of marquee role (being the title character and all) that would net a bigger star a lead nomination but, it’s still borderline enough that I can't disqualify. Clearly, I feel it’s a great performance. Watanabe doesn’t play “most honorable,” but a man determined to live out principles, often stubbornly so. You can see in the set of his jaw and certain pauses there are moments he questions this, that he wants to lash out and attack rather than take the time to consider, but he actively works to be the best version of himself.
Next up, Best Supporting Actress: Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog), Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April), Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River), Holly Hunter (Thirteen), and Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain).
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