FYC: Lucas Hedges, Best Supporting Actor
Friday, January 6, 2017 at 1:00PM 
by Brian Zitzelman
As a vital player in Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea, which at this point in the Oscar race appears a lock in many a category, if not particularly a frontrunner in any of them, Lucas Hedges might seem preordained to be a member of the Best Supporting Actor club in the months to come.
However, Hedges isn't - hopefully - getting in by shear wave of momentum for the movie. His Patrick is a vital, memorable part of the Manchester puzzle...
In other words, Patrick is human. Hedges sands down what could be overplayed traits to make a three dimensional young-man that is confronting his life's difficulties as they come along. When Patrick is trying to convince Uncle Lee (Casey Affleck) to come into one his girl's homes to chit-chat (aka distract her mother to allow for some teenage spirit), Hedges plays it cool. He's casual charm, almost bullying Lee about how much of a square he'd be to refuse help. It doesn't read as cruel with Hedges opting for relaxed instead. When he breaks though, as everyone in Manchester does no matter strong the wall they've erected to seel off the pain, Hedges goes full-force into the grief. Torn up and unable to think of how his dead father's remains wait in limbo for the moment, Hedges uncontrollably sobs and howls to powerful effect. Like much else in Manchester, the moves may not all be original or groundbreaking; they are done quite perfectly though.
If nominated, the newly twenty year-old Hedges wouldnt be close to the youngest ever in the category, with Kramer vs Kramer's Justin Henry having cracked in at a mere 8. A win, however, would be record-breaking. Hedges would be the youngest winner for Supporting Actor, just barely beating out another actor who got the gold for a tale of familial troubles; Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People (who was also 20). But first things first. Hopefully Hedges makes it to the final five.
Reader Comments (21)
Is there any doubt he'll be nominated?
Yup. Mostly because of his Golden Globe snub, his age, not a lot of buzz if you compare to some of the other in contention etc. He is probably in the 5th slot right now, might be snubbed and replaced with Shannon, Foster, Taylor-Johnson. Who knows, really?
Hedges was one of my favorites in the film. So good.
He is so good. If things are fair, he'll get in. I'm seeing Silence tonight, and have high expectations of Neeson, who might have a shot.
Paul -- i'd say plenty of doubt. I mean he has a good clear shot at it but for the reasons Jea states, yeah, no lock.
@ Jea
He's very buzzy in Los Angeles, and the three you named are absolutely buzzless (shame about Foster). The Golden Globe thing is odd and Neeson is indeed a threat, but I believe in the power of the coattails, despite the Best Actor frontrunner wearing the coat.
I guess I'm the only one who considers this a lead performance... co-lead, anyway.
@ Jonathan
In the neighborhood of Dev Patel in Lion...
I seriously hope he gets in because to me, he's the Best Supporting Actor of the year. I think there's a good chance given the strength of the film, his industry connections (his father, writer/director Peter Hedges), and the fact he has a an emotional scene that's a real nomination-clincher. But they are so finnicky with nominating young boys. Despite them loving Room last year, they didn't even nominate Jacob Tremblay who's the center of the movie.
He totally deserves an Oscar nomination.
Jonathan: Plus Bridges also seeming like co-lead in Hell or High Water. This year is grosser than 2010, and if category fraud were treated like the entertainment equivalent of insider trading scandals (which it absolutely SHOULD), this would break the camel's back.
Matt St.Clair: The problem was that there was NO justification to view him as supporting. You can't say he was as emotionally simplistic as Hailee Steinfeld (a bullcrap justification, but one I can see a lot of voters using) in True Grit. And he wasn't in the same movie as an enduring bona fide mega star, which is the OTHER excuse I can see the rest of the voters using to justify viewing Steinfeld as Supporting in True Grit. Now as to how he couldn't muscle into Lead, in spite of that field being mediocre at best (the winner wasn't even acting!) from a quality standpoint? THAT genuinely baffles. It's not like The Danish Girl hadn't been incessantly blasted by actual trans people so hard that nominating it would be less progressive than waiting for something better. Or that Trumbo had anything for Cranston to bite into, but bio-mimicry sells slots. OR that DiCaprio wasn't even acting due to the nature of that production and the only honest reason he's here is to give him a "competitive" career honours statue.
Paul, what are Michael Shannon's chances for Nocturnal Animals?
The globes always snub the young actors though! Keisha Castle-Hughes, Quevezhane Wallis, etc etc - I hope he's in - he deserves to be even if Mahershala has this category sewn up.
Morganb: And it's good that Ali has the category sewn up, because the only way this category could be more corrupt than it is, would be if Grant or Patel pulled off a surprise win.
I would say Manchester is a particular front runner in Actor and Original Screenplay, which is not to say Denzel and La La Land/Arrival aren't legitimate threats.
@ brookesboy
If you ask me (and you did), Shannon is a respected actor's actor across all three media who you could say is overdue for a second Oscar nomination. The film is extremely buzzy, though not adored and not a box office smash, and it stars an actress who is in the spotlight (albeit for a different film). That said, I haven't seen Nocturnal Animals yet, so I can't judge the performance. And it's not because I have an aversion to it. I would like to see it (soon), but there are no SAG screeners (zero nominations); I missed the early screenings; and it's not been all that easy to find screenings in LA for the other guilds*. So do the math...
*(I suppose I could rush over to the Chinese Theater, but I'm not dying to pay to see it.)
Paul, it's a very strange film--actually two films that don't really ever connect. I didn't really like it, but it sure as hell ain't boring! Adams, Shannon and Taylor-Johnson are all excellent. I agree, Shannon is overdue for his second, and he's got great notices for this. And he's in two other acclaimed movies from last year.
OK, I just found a screening on January 20 (so four days before Oscar voting closes), supposedly followed by a Q&A with Tom Ford. It better be good, brookesboy! ;-)
Paul, "good" is probably a strong term. Can we go with interesting? Lol. I'm curious to hear your take. I know Nathaniel hates it!
I am surprised to say that Dev Patel is my favorite of all the performances in his category. His placement is highly debatable, of course, but I would vote for him. Anyone with me?
You'd vote for him to be nominated in this category? Or you'd vote for him to win in this category if that is where he were nominated?
Very important dinstinction.
I would vote for him out of the nominated men.