Category Confusion: LEAD or SUPPORTING?
Friday, October 27, 2023 at 9:00AM 
The Gotham nominations caused quite a stir among the Film Experience readership. Going through the comments section, the matter at hand is category fraud: who is and isn't guilty of perpetrating it going into the awards season? For instance, I would have categorized Ryan Gosling as a secondary lead in Barbie, but I've been convinced by the comments that he fits better in supporting. Other cases discussed included Binoche's Gotham-nominated work in Taste of Things, Whishaw in Passages, Hüller in Zone of Interest, and beyond.
So, why not relocate that discussion here while having fun with polls? You get to vote, deciding on each performer's rightful placement…
Since many of the buzziest are still awaiting release after their festival runs, let's leave the likes of Binoche and Hüller for a later date. Instead, these polls shall focus on pictures the general public has had a chance to watch. Also, for variety's sake, the horizons of the inquiry shall be broader than Oscar probability. In other words, some of these folks have no chance of getting nominated, but it's fun to discuss their category placement, what makes someone a lead or supporting.
To start things off, we have three pairs whose categorization may inspire some confusion. They're the Osage heart and the White Devil in Killers of the Flower Moon, a chaotic man's lovers in Passages, and two lonely souls wandering through Wes Anderson's desert diorama in Asteroid City.
Our next thespians have all been nominated for the Gotham Award for Best Supporting Performance, though some would argue they're intruding upon a category where they don't belong. Barbie's Ken Blackberry's belligerent business bro, and They Cloned Tyrone's slick killer – where do they belong?
The next two cases often enjoy the camera's gaze like leads by virtue of their films' structures. Still, they have been categorized as supporting players for campaign purposes. In NYAD, a swimmer's friend is roped into becoming her coach, finding herself as the narrative's anchor when the other woman is too busy swimming for a dream. In Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's intertwined chronologies mean a third of the picture's timelines and a great deal of its final act unravel a politician, rather than a scientist, taking center stage.
Sure, this final trio isn't getting anywhere near the Oscar ballot. However, discussing their categorization could reveal exciting things about their films or, alternatively, how audiences perceive them. We have a spectacular action movie, a sex comedy, and an apocalyptic horror - a thief, an awkward teen, and a prophet.
Beyond the yet unreleased films, is someone missing from these polls. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Reader Comments (12)
I primarily get aggravated at the blatant fraud (like Kaluuya/Stanfield a few years back), and get heartwarmed by those who don't engage when they could (like Michelle Williams last year, or Lily Gladstone this year.)
To help put some objectivity to the debate, I've started to rely on ScreemTimeCentral to set my mind at ease. So far the only movie they've tracked for 2023 is Barbie, but it paints a picture of Gosling as supporting. Half the screentime of Robbie, slightly more screentime than Ferrerra - plus when you remember back, Barbie is often the star of scenes she shares with Ken - he has some setpieces, but it's Barbie's world.
I think it's personal choice who goes into which category though I do tend to follow Oscars lead.
Maybe if studios stopped campaigning someone in a specific category and just promoted the individual for Best Acting thus letting the voter decide which category they should be put into.
The Kaluuya/Stanfield nod is totally perplexing see also 2015's Mara/Vikander situation,the list goes on.
So interesting to see Gosling's screen time in Barbie is only ~25%, he feels like a much larger presence (obviously) but I would NEVER consider Ferrera lead and she is not far behind him in screen time. I think it's safe/fair to place him in supporting.
Gosling is obviously Supporting. Him getting a big solo number and also being RYAN GOSLING might confuse some people but BARBIE has one lead and that is Robbie.
VERY interesting results so far for Ben Whishaw though. Nearly split evenly! Personally I think Rogowski is the undeniable lead and his two put-upon paramours support him.
Screen time, as we all know (thanks Anthony Hopkins), has only a little to do with category placement. The fact is that Ken has his own growth arc right alongside Barbie and the film ends up being so much about his own journey in parallel with Barbie. A supporting placement is not egregious, but it's very borderline!
Some of these are harder than others. For example, with ScarJo, it's easy to see her being classified as supporting or lead. She gets a pretty significant scene outside of the play that most others don't get. Still, I think Schwatzman is the true lead and she might not have enough to do on her own.
Conversely, I think it's clear that Gosling is supporting. He gets some big moments and an arc, but sometimes supporting players do. Barbie is more of an ensemble picture than it first seems to be, especially among a core group of characters (Robbie, Gosling, Ferrera, Liu, and Greenblatt). But, the film is about Barbie. He does, however, give such a lively performance and is so great everytime he's on screen that he feels like a lead.
In general, when it's borderline, I like the old school "if you're a star, your go lead" rule. Sure, that got retired in the 60s/70s, but I think it gives smaller performances a chance to get spotlighted throughout the season. I'd be fine seeing both DiCaprio and DeNiro in lead.
Really surprised at how many people voted Robert DeNiro as supporting in Killers of the Flower Moon. I wonder how many of them have actually seen it? If they think that DeNiro is supporting but Lily Gladstone is lead…maybe they should take 10 seconds to think about that?? They are both clearly leads in my opinion, but in what would could Gladstone be Lead but DeNiro supporting? Think about how he has so much more of the storyline, how he has so much more dialogue, how it is his character orchestrating everything in the film!! That film has 3 leads.
^typo. “…in what WORLD…”
Gosling and DeNiro are clearly co-leads. Your minds are colonized by Hollywood strategists.
I don't fucking care about running times. Don't even come to me with that card in your hand,
Also, Ben and Adéle may be supporting characters in Franz's ego trip but they're not supporting.
I have to say, I'm surprised at some of these results. For one, I expected Gosling's placement to be much more divisive than it seems to be, and the fact Howerton is categorized as supporting in the vote is even more flummoxing.
So far, this has been a fascinating exercise, and I've really enjoyed reading all the comments, their arguments for lead or supporting in a variety of cases.
Just saw the movie and... Gladstone AND De Niro are co-leads along with DiCaprio.
It's all different for each film, but I do think in this case Gosling is supporting.