I am honored to be participating in this blogathon (Small Roles … Big Performances), created by blogger Ruth at Flixchatter. Be sure to visit her site to check out her post as well as the postings of the other participants.
When I first approached this topic, one performance came to mind – Chiwetel Ejiofor in the dystopian Children of Men (2006). That is quite a feat – in a film where there are so many impactful supporting performances (Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Pam Ferris to name a few), I selected Ejiofor’s because of all the roles I have seen him in over the years (not enough for my liking), this is the the most deviant and surprising one.
As always, I strongly encourage you to check out this film for yourself and decide for yourself – way back in 2007, I dedicated a blog post to this film.
If you are so inclined, check out this video (WARNING: It does contain some integral plot elements, either that or you will just be a tad confused about all the talk about “The Human Project”).
But wait – there’s (one) more …
As I was making my shortlist for this post, my mind was flooded with actors and performances from yesterday and today that deserved some notice. So, as I conclude my post, I would like to mention the performance of a personal favorite of mine, Thelma Ritter; watch this clip of her memorable performance in Pickup on South Street to see what I mean:
Jack Deth says
October 1, 2012 at 11:58 amHi, iluv and company:
Excellent choices for small roles, big performances!
Chiwetel Ejiofor seems to have made a career out of small roles. He was great in ‘Children of Men’. Also delivered as the Operative in ‘Serenity’ and in odd little gem titled ‘Kinky Boots’.
Thelma Ritter in ‘Pickup on South Street’?… Say no more! She owns that scene and her character of Moe. Who knows all, sees all, but says very little.
iluvcinema says
October 1, 2012 at 4:48 pmI really could have picked any performance by Thelma Ritter!
ruth says
October 1, 2012 at 4:57 pmI absolutely concur! I LOVE Chiwetel as you perhaps already know and his role in this film is definitely memorable. Plus he’s gorgeous too! 😉 Great pick, Iba, thanks for taking part.
ruth recently posted..Presenting the Small Roles… Big Performances Blogathon!
Dan says
October 2, 2012 at 8:04 amReally good pick… Chiwetel Ejiofor is a terrific actor and his performance in Children of Men is definitely worthy of note.
Lights Camera Reaction says
October 3, 2012 at 7:17 pmLove love love Children of Men. Great pick.
Lights Camera Reaction recently posted..Small Roles, Big Performances.
iluvcinema says
October 5, 2012 at 12:20 pmThanks. I like to mention it at every opportunity 🙂
Ja says
October 8, 2012 at 11:52 amIheartchildrenofmen..simple brilliance.
Ja recently posted..Who Has Been The Biggest Surprise In Fantasy Football So Far?
Stephanie says
October 9, 2012 at 12:20 pmHow is it that I haven’t seen Children of Men? I’m adding it to my list. I did enjoy this actor’s performances in Kinky Boots and Serenity and his small role in Love Actually.