Every Actor Robert Downey Jr. Beat for Historic SAG Awards Win
Oppenheimer has been lucky for Robert Downey Jr. Looking at his remarkable filmography, the Marvel actor’s versatility needs no introduction in Hollywood. Robert Downey Jr. was critically praised for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s biographical drama. From his comedic acceptance speech to the list of nominations, he has been making headlines this award season.
Robert Downey Jr. won the SAG Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for Oppenheimer. Here is a list of talented actors who were left behind by Robert Downey Jr. in the SAG Awards.
Read Also: Robert Downey Jr. Was Fired From Multiple Jobs in 2 Weeks Before His Hollywood Stardom
Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction)
American actor Sterling K. Brown played the character of Clifford Ellison in the critically acclaimed project American Fiction. The Jeffrey Wright led-drama is based on the 2001 released novel Erasure authored by Percival Everett. During an interview with Variety, Sterling K. Brown spoke about what attracted him to American Fiction. He said-
“I laughed, I cried, I got a chance to see a world populated with people that looked like me in a story that we don’t typically get to occupy. I wouldn’t want to do three movies in a row with the same kind of role. The industry wants to say what a Sterling K. Brown type is but when they think they’ve got it locked down I like to mess with that.”
The This Is Us actor was nominated for the SAG Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his great performance in American Fiction. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Sterling K. Brown clearly mentioned that Robert Downey Jr. would be winning an Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer. He revealed that he had no chance with Robert Downey Jr. in the race. The actor said-
“Robert Downey Jr. is going to win, and he’s incredibly deserving. He’s an incredible actor. You should give him love. And the fact that I get a chance to be nominated along with him and Mr. [Robert] De Niro and Ryan Gosling and [Mark] Ruffalo, I’m just happy to be in the room.”
American Fiction centers around the character of Jeffrey Wright Monk, a University professor by profession but a novelist by passion. He is forced to write a novel that deals with the negative stereotypes of the African-American communities.
Willem Dafoe (Poor Things)
Willem Dafoe was nominated for the best supporting actor for the Emma Stone-led project Poor Things. He plays the character of a mad scientist Godwin Baxter who ends up bringing his daughter Bella back to life.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Spider-Man actor spoke about one of the best things about Poor Things. He said-
“The best part was the world, the design of the place. The best part was working with Yorgos. He’s a beautiful director. The best part is working with Tony McNamara’s script. The best part is having the scenes with Emma.”
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things is based on 1992 released Alasdair Gray’s novel of the same name. According to the filmmaker, he read the book 12 years back but struggled to find the perfect cast. The movie revolves around the life of Bella Baxter played by Emma Stone, a young childlike woman who discovers the joy of freedom after fleeing with the lawyer Duncan Wedderburn played by Mark Ruffalo. Emma Stone was critically praised for her performance in Poor Things.
Ryan Gosling (Barbie)
Ryan Gosling played the character of Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Despite being one of the most loved actors in Hollywood, Gosling could not secure the SAG Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. During an interview with W Magazine, the actor spoke about his first impression of reading Ken’s part in the script. He said-
It was the title page of the script, which said “Barbie and Ken,” but “and Ken” was scratched out. And the next impression was, this is the hardest part I’ll ever play. How do you approach playing a 70-year-old crotchless doll? There’s no research you can do for that. There’s no one you can shadow, no documentaries you can watch, no books written about Ken. You’re on your own.”
Gosling earned a Golden Globe, SAG Award, BAFTA, and an Oscar nomination in the best supporting actor category for Barbie. He was also awarded the Critics’ Choice Award for singing I’m Just Ken written and composed by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt.
Robert De Niro (Killers Of the Flower Moon)
The partnership of Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese has given us critically acclaimed movies like Taxi Driver, The Irishmen, and Goodfellas. The phenomenal actor-director duo collaborated for Killers Of The Flower Moon. Robert De Niro was nominated for the SAG awards in the Best Supporting Actor category. During an interview with People, Lily Gladstone mentioned that De Niro was so engrossed in the character of William Hale, that he used to speak Osage in his sleep.
Robert De Niro played the character of William Hale, whose greed led him to manipulate and kill the Osage Native Americans for their land. With an IMDb rating of 7.7 out of 10, Killers Of The Flower Moon can be streamed on Apple TV.
