Wednesday
Nov182015
Happy Birthday, Chloë Sevigny
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 3:24PM Kieran, here. "It has recently come to our attention" that today is the birthday of one of the cinema's most peculiar, fascinating and gifted actresses.
Isn't it time for Chloë to get another great film role? Especially since that 1999 Best Supporting Actress Oscar should be hers by rights?
Reader Comments (27)
I thought that was supposed to be Toni Collette's Oscar!
Another great role? Yes. That Oscar being "hers by rights"? It doesn't belong to Jolie (and that second nom is kind of shameful as well), but I think anyone who's seen Being John Malkovich would raise an eyebrow at that.
San FranCinema: Another better choice.
My favorite Drew Droege "Chloe" video, naturally. I know he's not intending to do a literal interpretation of her, but he does get some of her speech patterns and stature right on the money sometimes.
I love how unpredictable her choice in material always is, though!
Yeah, my vote is CATHERINE KEENER that year but great great year for supporting actresses.
the nominees
COLLETTE - The Sixth Sense
JOLIE - Girl, Interrupted (winner)
KEENER - being john malkovich (nathaniel's vote)
MORTON - sweet & lowdown
SEVIGNY - Boys Don't Cry
other non-nominated but well regarded turns
DIAZ - being john malkovich
MANVILLE - Topsy Turvy
MOORE - Magnolia
BONHAMCARTER - fight club
BLANCHETT - talented mr ripley
BIRCH - american beauty
ANTONIA SAN JUAN - all about my mother
All great performances you mentioned Nathaniel, and I would add Jessica Lange for Titus, Sissy Spacek for The Straight Story, Anna Paquin for A Walk on the Moon, plus the other wonderful ladies of Magnolia.
Damn, that was a great year indeed. Supporting Actress in particular is superb, with Jolie's performance being the weakest one for me, but by no means bad. Still, the other 4 give better performances. Catherine Keener is tops though.
I love Chloë! Loved her since the moment I saw her in Kids. She's so special. I think she'll be perfect in the upcoming Whit Stillman film.
Say what you want about her otherwise, but Paltrow is so heartbreaking and so natural (for lack of a better word) in Ripley. But I would give the statue to Collette, Bonham Carter or Morton.
"Isn't it time for Chloë to get another great film role? Especially since that 1999 Best Supporting Actress Oscar should be hers by rights?"
Yes and yes. Sevigny's work in 'Boys Don't Cry' is profoundly affecting and just as vital to the success of the film as Swank's. You never catch her acting.
She's the MVP of this season's American Horror Story. And will likely reap her first Emmy nomination.
Angelina Jolie was always winning an Oscar. Glad they got it over with quickly in supporting actress. Unfortunately supporting actress was rich that year for those nominated and not nominated.
Angelina Jolie was so unbelievably ferocious and movie-star electric in Girl, Interrupted that I can't begrudge her her win, but Sevigny really was terrific in Boys Don't Cry.
I have Sevigny and Birch in Leading - doesn't everyone? In particular, nobody can argue that Bening is Leading if Birch isn't.
What with Grace, Moore, Dillon, Jolie, Goldberg, Murphy, Keener, Diaz, Paltrow, Blanchett, Bonham Carter, San Juan, Paredes - I can't think of another year where I am desperate to nominate so many performances. All spectacular.
Colette was strong, but Morton (who I generally love) had no business making the line-up.
Strangely, Sevigny's sole win from me comes a year later in American Paycho. She completely grounds Bale's star turn and helps us remember that we despise him...
The character, not Bale himself...
For the record, my nominees are -
Cate Blanchett - The Talented Mr Ripley
Helena Bonham Carter - Fight Club
April Grace - Magnolia (Winner)
Angelina Jolie - Girl, Interrupted
Gwyneth Paltrow - The Talented Mr Ripley
To miss out the others listed in my previous post really does break my heart...
I still can't believe Cameron Diaz wasn't nominated for Being John Malkovich! I would have given her the Oscar for sure.
1999 Supporting Actress was definitely an embarrassment of riches. A lot of great performances for sure. Should have mentioned that when I said I would have voted for Sevigny (which I still would have), but damn...what a strong set of performances.
"Nominated, NOT nominated" to invoke Meryl Streep.
and Melora Walters...
I'm so glad the commenters mentioned Gwyneth for Ripley...if she hadn't won the year before and if her win hadn't been so divisive, I think she would have been nominated. Was she campaigned as supporting or lead? Blanchett's role was too small to warrant a nomination for Ripley.
Blanchett's role was too small to warrant a nomination for Ripley.
It was not.
I hate her TV work outside of Big Love. She's so much better in movies.
@kermit -- YES on April Grace.
SoSue - I feel like Paltrow was campaigned as Lead, though can't be certain...
James - one of my favourite Supporting Actress performances of the decade. She takes a basic dialogue role (essentially just asking questions) and with her mannerisms, expressions and eyes creates a fully-realised character, with full back-story. She goes toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise and matches him every step of the way - I never understood why she failed to get a Viola Davis in Doubt reaction.
A lost character actress.
Paltrow is also a revelation - the character kind of morphs from a warm and engaging Doris Day to a brittle and icy Grace Kelly, yet you never see the seams. It's only at the end when we see her at the end that we see what effect Ripley's actions can have on a person.
Ah... To live in a world where April Grace would be an Oscar winner for Magnolia!!
@Kermit the frog - you're so right about Paltrow's performance. Have you read the book? Her character goes through the exact opposite arc (from accusatory to trusting) which actually makes Ripley and the ending even creepier, as you see how successful he is at getting away with it.
She goes toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise and matches him every step of the way - I never understood why she failed to get a Viola Davis in Doubt reaction.
A lost character actress.
PTA movies fail industry audiences all the time. And they will latch onto identifiable performers with bigger roles.
For those interested Grace has a small arc on the current season of HTGAWM as a judge.
I'm still so happy Toni Collette got nominated, but I feel so bad for Cameron Diaz... I mean to be that close and miss out twice? Yikes lol.