I can't believe she won
Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 8:30AM To love the Oscars is to live in perpetual disappointment. The Academy can celebrate cinematic excellence and their choices may even serve as a gateway to a cinephile's love for the seventh art. However, more often than not, great artistry is left unrewarded while more conventional fare coasts by and triumphs. When it comes to actors, it isn't rare to find stupendous professionals whose labor was and will never be recognized by AMPAS. Perchance their filmography is too foreign, their style too outré or their directors too artsy. Whatever the reason may be, an Oscar obsessive quickly learns that a lot of their favorites will never get close to winning that little golden man.
Sometimes, though, there can be wonderful surprises. One such event took place in 2007. Quite frankly, all these years later, I still can't believe this happened…
The 2007 Best Supporting Actress category was a notoriously wide-open race. While the lineup of five nominees was quick to solidify through the precursors, there was no consensus regarding who would win come Oscar night. The contenders were Cate Blanchett's protean Bob Dylan in I'm Not There, Ruby Dee as a judging matriarch in American Gangster, Saoirse Ronan's devious innocence in Atonement, Amy Ryan's narcissistic mother in Gone Baby Gone, and Tilda Swinton as an attorney with no scruples in Michael Clayton. Going into the ceremony, Blanchett had the Globe, Dee the SAG, Ryan the Critic's Choice Award, and Swinton the BAFTA. Ronan, she was just happy to be there.
Oscar pundits were torn when predicting a winner and, looking through articles of the time, it's easy to find people batting for every nominee except Ronan. The two most likely victors appeared to be Dee or Blanchett, each one blessed with a strong narrative. The older actress was enjoying the first nomination in a legendary career, making her Oscar coronation feel like a celebration of her legacy. Blanchett, on the other hand, had gotten superb reviews that pointed to her achievement as a great feat of transformative acting. AMPAS loves a chameleon, especially when they practice showy celebrity impersonation.
To add to the Aussie's bid for the prize, she was a double nominee that year, having also conquered a Best Actress nod for Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The other two had their advantages, but felt like unlikely spoilers as the months of campaigning went on. Ryan had the benefit of playing a bad mother which is catnip to Oscar voters, but hers was the picture's sole nomination. As for Swinton, the general love for Michael Clayton bode well for her but neither the performance, the role, nor her reputation as an arthouse mainstay made her out to be an obvious winner. That's not to say she's bad in the movie or didn't deserve her award, quite the contrary.
From her first scene, Swinton plays Karen Crowder as a woman unraveling. Sweaty and going through a full-blown panic attack, she's introduced to us in a most unglamorous manner, underlining the banality of Michael Clayton's default antagonist. As the movie flashes back to before everything went to shit, Swinton is allowed to delineate the artifice of her ambitious character's façade. We watch Karen rehearse what she's going to say in a press conference, observing, through the repetition of gestures and words, how her mask of cold professionalism is built. Because of that, when we witness the result of such preparation, there's an edge of despair to her boardroom shtick.
The film presents Karen in a constant state of self-obsessive performativity, a corporate actress trying at all costs to remain in control, even if people have to lose their lives for her success. It's easy to imagine such a creature being portrayed with emotionless monstrosity, but Swinton reminds us of this woman's fallibility and harried mental state. She's no supervillain but her evil actions are no less venomous because of their mundanity. Karen's an animal trying to survive, a workaholic whose worldview is limited to profits, results, and has no disposition to consider the price she's paying for power. This woman sold her soul long before she ever ordered the murder of an unstable lawyer.
All in all, Swinton is sheer perfection, but her win feels miraculous. Her adversaries had showier roles, even though some of them were drastically shorter. She had next to no Oscar narrative and there's also the fact that Tilda Swinton is a delightfully weird artist whose work often feels more suited to an art gallery than the multiplex. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the star of Derek Jarman's best films, Sally Potter's Orlando, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria, and so many other cinematic oddities, is an Oscar-winner. It still appears too good to be true and remains a beacon of hope when the Academy's choices swerve towards the indefensible. Sometimes, Oscar gets it right.
Michael Clayton is new to streaming on HBO Max, HBO Now, and HBO Go. You can also find it on DirecTV or rent it from Amazon, Google Play, Youtube, etc.
Reader Comments (40)
I was ecstatic when she won. I thought "MIchael Clayton" was great and was hoping she would win. Oscar wishes do come true sometimes.
She totally deserved this,I knew she was going to do something special once her sweaty blouse made an appearence.
My heart though still remains with Ronan,who bettered this performance later on with Brooklyn and Lady Bird but would still be my winner in 2007 by a tiny margin over Tilda
Blanchett was her usual great self but one nomination was enough,I like to think she didn't win because of The Golden Age,I would remove the over playing Ryan and the nominated for a slap/career Dee.
I'd replace them with Susan Sarandon In the Valley of Elah and the little seen TV Set's Sigourney Weaver again showing her gifts with any type of comedy
Atonement whilst seeming like a frontrunner early on seemed to stumble and Keira and James were overlooked,love Redgrave's cameo too.
Back to Swinton she has also been great in many things since her win but Oscar hasn't noticed.
Lovely read! Can we make this a series? (I guess it would sadly be a short one though)
"I can't believe she won pt.3: Emannuelle Riva oh, wait.."
It still feels like a dream I’m going to wake from at some point and is quite possibly my favorite win in any category. (Eiko Ishioka’s triumph for Bram Stoker’s Dracula also vies for that title.)
I believe this would’ve been Blanchett’s first Oscar if she hadn’t already won in *this* category. Everyone (rightly) suspected she’d be a strong contender for best actress in the near future and you have to be around a while before people consider you worthy of a third - not to mention the impulse to avoid giving a leading lady two supporting awards. As for Dee, the length of her performance wouldn’t have mattered if the movie was momentarily ceded to her the way Network was to Beatrice Straight, but it wasn’t (slap notwithstanding). Ryan was the victim of a lower profile, I suppose. And Ronan didn’t have any obstacles other than the fact that children rarely make it all the way to the dais (though this is the type of scene-stealing performance that usually gets them there).
j. - That one still hurts. That she lost on her *birthday*, no less...
Thank heavens Tilda took this - much as I generally adore Cate & Ruby, I'm really not fond of their nominated turns here.
I remember after she won pundits were saying that the Academy had liked Michael Clayton and wanted to give it something and Tilda had the best chance of winning from that movie. I thought she would be in 5th place honestly. I believed Ronan had a better chance and that Atonement would be winning more awards and that she could get caught up in the surge. But I do believe Tilda gave the best performance in the category and I'm very happy she won.
Such a great write-up of my favorite supporting actress winner of the ‘00s (give or take Mo’Nique). Nice job!
It's a stunning turn (she doesn't try to make the character anything more than she is, pathetic and in over her head) and a pretty stunning win. Ruby Dee is doing good work on the edges of a meh film, and while no one would've begrudged her the moment, a win for her would've been for a great career and a performance that should've been nodded over 35 years earlier (she's so lived in and just stunning in A Raisin in the Sun). I actually thought if anyone would ride their film's Best Picture momentum to a win it would've been Ronan, but they rightly recognized that this was just the first of many to come. I wonder if the strike and fewer than usual precursor events impacted this category. Would Amy Ryan had gotten a few more votes if she just could've been out there a bit more? How close was Jennifer Garner to breaking through? Just a rare occurrence where really anyone could've taken it.
i always assumed Keener or Redgrave were 6th spotters.
Val: If we assume Globe and SAG are usually very good barometers? Garner (as deserving as she would have been) was 8th at highest. If I were to guess a 10 wide field in 2007 Supporting Actress? Here:
1. Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
2. Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
3. Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
4. Ruby Dee, American Gangster
5. Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
6. Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
7. Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson's War
8. Jennifer Garner, Juno
9. Allison Janney, Juno
10. Joan Allen, The Bourne Ultimatum
I was thrilled that night and remain so. Such a deserved and exciting win.
mark & volvagia -- its funny who stays and who fades and how history has examples of it on either end of the nominated or shut out. Like I vaguely remember Keener being a distinct and likely possibility but in all honesty I dont ven remember who she plays in that movie now but the other women (who you've listed behind her and who i agree were behind her) i remember quite vividly.
"Michael Clayton" is a very good movie
Let's make "I can't believe (s)he won!" a series! We need cause for celebration
I always felt her win was literally we won't have another opportunity. And supporting actress generally is a low stakes category until it's not (Redgrave, Tomei, Mo'Nique).
What makes her win even more miraculous is that in later years it's apparent that the Academy is really not into her...at all. They've had numerous times to honor her again with a second nomination and she always comes up short (the most telling example being We Need to Talk About Kevin).
I remember being firmly in Blanchett's corner at the time, but now I am totally Team Tilda. Her performance in Michael Clayton is a masterclass in understatement and now I'm entirely confident it's one of the greatest wins ever in best supporting actress. Also, Michael Clayton is an excellent movie.
It also should be said that 2007, IMO, has one of the all-time lineups of best picture nominees. Every single one of them are truly great and special.
The best supporting actress lineup since I don't remember when
Ruby Dee is the weakest link. The rest is pure acting gold
My fav and still is for the Oscar that year was Blanchett. She really really impressed me. And Swinton did amazing as Karen. It was so weird to have both my Queens nominated and "battling" out he he
One question: If Blanchett won for Im Not There, would she have won for Blue Jasmine? Becoming a 3 time Oscar winner?
One of my favourite wins in this category. An excellent film that gets better with re-watching, possibly Clooney's best performance, and the cherry on top - Tilda Swinton gets the Oscar she deserved.
Aaron - I'm with you, Swinton should have been nominated at least a couple of times since then, but hasn't been that fortunate. So it makes her win for "Michael Clayton" all the sweeter.
I do like Swinton's performance in the film but... the Oscar still should've gone to Cate Blanchett as she just OWNED the role of Jude Quinn.
Love the actress, the role, the movie, the win, the haircut and the dress.
We're telepathic!
I'm watching Clayton this weekend with my boyfriend, because:
a. He's never seen it.
b. I've been wanting to re-watch it since it kicked off The New Classic last year.
c. I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WON!
As a huge fan of the supporting actress category, her win finally ended what was almost a 10-year slump (I'm not a huge fan of any winners from Dench to Hudson, although I give Zeta-Jones a pass.) Swinton's win got that category back on track for a few years.
If we couldn't have Ryan or Ronan win then this was the best option. Satisfactory on too, I must say. I put into perspective Academy member biases and tastes (or lack of at times) and put my minimum bar at "Was it a great performance?" removed from competition. So yes.
I always admired Tilda Swinton's artistically daring roles for their painterly craftsmanship, fearlessness, and an unflinching belief that one doesn't need to portray a sympathetic or relatable role to be a constantly working actress in an unrelentingly fickle industry. So (pleasantly) surprised she won for Michael Clayton -- a film that shows her talent and range with delightful glaciality. Those scenes of interiority that allow us a glimpse of the vulnerability of a cold tactician is a master brushstroke. If she didn't win for Michael Clayton, I would still consider her performance here as one of her best.
In my idealised parallel universe, I want her win to be in her other films, especially Julia, Young Adam, and Orlando. She created a lot of vivid characterisations from her rarely discussed filmography like The Deep End, The Last of England, The Man from London and the much derided Teknolust. I am okay if she will not be Oscar-nominated in the future as I'm sure she will continue to forge her own artistic path, accolade or no. Nonetheless I'm glad she was considered first among equals by the Oscar voters in 2007.
One question: If Blanchett won for Im Not There, would she have won for Blue Jasmine? Becoming a 3 time Oscar winner?
@Manuel
The answer is no.
Streep, Nicholson, and Bergman are three time winners with 2 Lead wins and 1 Supporting. That's how it always breaks down if you win in both categories with 3 wins.
Blanchett was my favorite but when Tilda won I had no problem, she's an amazing actress, she deserves more nods (Orlando, We need to talk about Kevin), but I'm afraid the Academy voters won't dare to give recognition again.
I knew the Oscar was hers when she won The Bafta. Same with Marion Cotillard the same year.
I remember being so surprised she won, as I hadn’t seen the film and I wasn’t too familiar with Swinton’s work at the time. I sorta remember following the Oscar race this season, and I thought Ryan was winning a lot of critics groups at first, then Blanchett won some of the bigger ones. So on the big night, I really thought it was between them two (with Ronan and Dee as the “happy to be here/first-time” nominees).
Amy Ryan my winner .
I remember it as a very exciting category that year, as the precursors were all over the place. I wish that happened more! Too often these days we see a sort of pack consensus that gets pretty tedious pretty quickly. Very rarely does a performance truly deserve to win everything. There's always lots of excellent work in a year.
I found it hard to predict who would win. I remember thinking that Blanchett would have been the favourite if she hadn't won before and so recently and that Ryan clearly had a lot of respect (due to lots of critics' awards). But who would dare underestimate Ruby Dee's vivid, if brief, work, especially after she won SAG. And then Swinton won the BAFTA. Ronan seemed the only one unlikely to win - and it's the only performance of hers that I've seen that seemed less than brilliant. She was pretty good, especially for a youngster, but she's done amazing work since (above all in Brooklyn).
Swinton is fascinating in Michael Clayton. If there's a slight flaw, I would say it's that Swinton radiates such intelligence in everything she does, it becomes a little hard to credit some of Karen Crowder's decisions in the story (e.g. the murder). I like the film quite a bit and was glad it came away with an Oscar - and it was nice that Swinton won: a rare meeting of a truly independent sensibility and the established industry identity of the Academy Awards. Incidentally, I also read the published version of the screenplay and it reads very well on the page: it's a model of screenplay form and a very entertaining read in its own right.
I would have given that one to Ruby Dee, not only for her long career (I'm all for honorary Oscars apart of competitive ones) but because she gave the emotional focus to American Gangster, to make it trascend the purest Hollywood spectacle, in my opinion (I need to recheck the film)... Tilda's Oscar for me... Snowpiercer. Or Orlando. She is absolutely superb in Michael Clayton, for sure, and it is a great victory, but her wild performance in Snowpiercer, instantly iconic, probably is the Oscar she deserved the most. And she could have 3-4 already, easily, she's given enough great performances to justify a huge golden collection at home.
If Blanchett missed the undeserved lead nomination she would have won. It was a sign that a second Oscar was always going to come her way and that it could wait for a triumph such as Blue Jasmine.
Sucks for Dee that they couldn’t beef up the role with a decent extra scene or two. Brilliant small roles don’t really win much outside of Beatrice Straight. I mean, Jo Van Fleet in Cool Hand Luke has one scene and was better than Straight’s winning role, plus better than her previous win in East Of Eden. But nada, zip, bupkis.
LOVE the movie and everyone in it, especially Tilda.
Another worthy entry for this series: MARK RYLANCE!!!
My acting nominees and winners* of 2007 are:
Leading Actor
Viggo Mortensen* - James McAvoy - Tommy Lee Jones (NCFOM) - Matthieu Almaric - Denzel Washington
Leading Actress
Marion Cotillard* - Julie Christie - Ellen Page - Keira Knightley - Laura Linney
Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - Javier Bardem* - Mark Ruffalo - Paul Dano - Hal Hallbroock
Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton - Saiorse Ronan - Vanessa Redgrave - Dee Rees - Cate Blanchett*
I was so nervous going in that Ceremony, cause I know the Acting Winners would be the BAFTA Ones or Christie and Blanchett in Lead and supporting and I saw Cottilard in April the Year before and said to all, that in a perfect World Cottilard should win the Oscar next Year, but thought she would be forgotten, so I was so exciting for that race and so glad that she won. Swinton was my pick, too. But I still think all 5 are deserving, Ryan and Blanchett in particular.
Swinton makes so much more of that role, that could be in another Hands not making a great Impact. She also should nomited or won für We Need t talk About Kevin (but my pick was Olivia Colman in Tyrannosaur that Year) and especially for JULIA. Ist a crime, that she was overlooked that Year. I mean Sandra Bullock a Winner is still a Joke 10 Years Later. Although I like her.
It would be tragical as well, when Blanchett won for I´m not there and NOT for Blue Jasmine instead. This is such a complxwork and well deserved win, but Sandra Bucllock defently has a Chance that Year, when she not had won für the bleak Blind side.
Thanks for a reminder of the power of this film.
It's a fantastic voyage from beginning to end. George Clooney's acting is quite top-notch in this.
We just re-watched it tonight. Tilda Swinton is an amazing actress and chameleon. I love her in We Need to Talk About Kevin and I Am Love.
In every scene in Michael Clayton, she radiates brilliance.
I may have been crushed that the exquisite Cate didn't win a deserved Oscar that year, but Tilda was no consolation winner.
Swinton being an Oscar winner is wonderful, but I think that "Michael Clayton" is one of her most mainstream and least interesting roles. It's telling that she's never been nominated again when the Academy has had numerous chances to do so. I think most of all this was a prime opportunity to honor a BP nominee that wasn't going to win anywhere else. My choice that year was Ryan. Swinton should have won a lead actress Oscar for many roles though, like "Julia," "WNTTAK," "I Am Love," "The Deep End," etc.
I agree that Karen is the most mainstream role for Swinton. And she won! I strongly believe that two factors were behind her ultimate win: the movie itself and her performance.
It is also very strange that Swinton has not been nominated for her brilliant work in I am Love, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Julia. If Blanchett had been in the lead in those movies, she most def would have been nominated for at least one of these roles
So it may be all about star power? Or the feeling of intimidation?