Being a supporting actor is tough — you know, with all the limited screen time to make a real impact.
That said, a good supporting actor has all the potential to steal the limelight. Case in point: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.
Here are seven great supporting performances that are worth the effort of an article.
Benedict Cumberbatch in Atonement
Wait. What?
Bumbleshack Bumbersplat Buttercup Crumplebutt Benedict Cumberbatch was in Atonement?
I mean, I don’t blame you: just check out the poster.
But yet there he was as a real foul man who was capable of the most heinous crime: rape. And here’s the kicker: he was a paedophile.
That said, his absolutely detestable actions set the entire plot in motion. Apparently, it was his performance that got him the role in Sherlock.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, his performance goes to show that Cumberbatch is a really good actor. Check out this utterly creepy “bite” scene:
Did you know that Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johansson already crossed paths on screen before they were Doctor Strange and Black Widow? In The Other Boleyn Girl, Cumberbatch had a small role playing William Carey, husband to Johansson's Mary Boleyn.
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
This is one for the keepers.
The perfect Hollywood leading man as foul-mouth, balding businessman with gross eating etiquette?
Yes, please!
It was such a perfect performance from the perfect Hollywood man that many got a rude shock when it was revealed to be Cruise all along in the end.
How can a man be this good and this bad at the same time?
I don’t blame you for not knowing this.
Firstly, Cate Blanchett was not credited.
Secondly, this was Cate Blanchett.
But you might get an inkling because the eyes kinda gave it away. Not only were they beautiful, the way they rolled and expressed themselves suggested that they belonged to a really good Oscar-winning actress.
And the Oscar goes to… Cate Blanchett’s eyes.
Zoe Saldana in Crossroads
The early 2000s belonged to one Britney Spears. And as the headliner for the 2002 movie Crossroads, Britney took most of the spotlight away from her follow actors like Zoe Saldana.
Yes, before she was Gamora, she had to pay her dues and bills in a widely-panned (what were the critics expecting anyway?) Britney Spears movie.
It was forgettable but hey, we all need to start somewhere right?
Brie Larson in 13 Going on 30
We know Brie Larson for mainly two things: her Oscar-winning turn in Room and as Captain Marvel.
Now you can add a third thing you know about Brie Larson.
Drumroll please....
She was in 13 Going on 30 as one of the mean girls (part of the Six Chicks clique).
Wait, what?
Yup, check out her mean girl vibe here (psst… she’s the one in blue):
Her role was so under the radar that MCU co-star Mark Ruffalo didn’t know. Check out his reaction here.
Viola Davis in Kate & Leopold
Before she taught us how to get away with murder and her Best Actress Oscar statuette, Viola Davis was in many minor roles earlier in her career.
One of the more memorable roles was as a police officer asking Hugh Jackman, a heartthrob who time traveled from the 18th century to the 21st century, to clean up after his dog.
Scarlett Johansson Home Alone 3
To the 80s kids, the Home Alone franchise was all about Macaulay Culkin and his shenanigans.
But what good were his shenanigans without company?
Enter Scarlett Johansson in Home Alone 3 (1997):
Six years later, Scarjo starred in Lost in Translation and the rest, as they say, is history.
