One of the most beloved actors in the industry, Cranston scored his first Oscar nomination for tackling the role of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Though the film starts out showing Trumbo’s quick wit and humor, it soon delves into a much darker period, when the writer is sent to prison. When he emerges, his entire life has changed, as he takes on writing schlocky films under a pseudonym. Yet through it all, Cranston shows Trumbo’s dignity and, perhaps most touching, capability for forgiveness. Hollywood loves movies about itself and loves Cranston; he just might be the dark horse to watch.
At the age of 59, Bryan Cranston proves to be the new blood in the best actor category, with previous nominees making up the rest of his competition. Matt Damon already has an Oscar, for screenwriting, while Eddie Redmayne won this category just last year. Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Fassbender have been nominated before. And with a total of six nominations and no win, DiCaprio looks like the man to beat.
“Steve Jobs”
Though Fassbender wasn’t big on the campaign circuit, his performance as the Apple founder simply couldn’t be ignored, even in such a competitive year. Taking the iconic Jobs through three pivotal moments in his life, Fassbender proved a perfect match for Aaron Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue. Perhaps even more impressive, he never hesitated to be unsympathetic, whether treating his employees or his ex-lover cruelly. And yet through Fassbender’s performance, you had to admire Jobs — and the actor who played him.
“The Danish Girl”
Last year’s lead actor winner for his immersive work as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything” continues to amaze with another transformative performance, this time as Lili Elbe, one of the first transgender women to undergo sex-reassignment surgery. Strong, complex and never maudlin, Redmayne presents a human being whose confusion morphs into determination, someone who would rather die than live in the wrong body. And he does it all with sensitivity and a quiet resolve, something Redmayne excels at in every role.
