The main character of every movie or TV show is supposed to be the star of the show. They’re the main attractions for a movie, and that’s what the majority of cinephiles expect. But every once in a while, a supporting character pops up and steals every scene they’re in, leaving the main character with the feeling that he or she is a guest star in their own film.
There’s nothing personal about it; it’s just how the cookie crumbles. These 5 supporting performances span different genres and timelines, but they all managed to pull off the same rare feat of outshining the lead performer in a movie. Let’s get into it.
5. Marisa Tomei as Mona Lisa Vito – My Cousin Vinny (1992)
For most of My Cousin Vinny, all Marisa Tomei’s Mona Lisa Vito did was crack jokes and bust Vinny’s (Joe Pesci) chops while he stumbled and fumbled his way through a murder trial he had no business embarking on. She was basically there to provide comic relief, and no one took her seriously. All of that changed when she eventually took the stand. In about five minutes, she transformed into this automotive genius who knows more about cars than anyone in that courtroom. Her testimony essentially won Vinny his first case.
There’s no disputing the fact that Pesci did an incredible job as Vinny, but people mainly remember how Tomei knocked it out of the park with her “two utes” bit. And that’s who they quote. Tomei won an Oscar for her performance, a fact that surprised many at the time (not as much these days). That surprise kick-started a nasty rumor about how presenter Jack Palance had read the wrong name and that the Academy let it stand to avoid embarrassment. It’s been debunked repeatedly by the Academy, but it stung Tomei, who felt people couldn’t accept a comedic performance being that good. She called them “classists,” and honestly, she’s not wrong.
4. Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss – Oppenheimer (2023)
Cillian Murphy carried this movie on his back, appearing in almost every scene. But Robert Downey Jr.‘s Lewis Strauss is the guy most people almost forget was there. That is, until the third act, when Christopher Nolan pulls back the curtain, and people realize that Strauss has been playing the long game the whole time. Petty, vindictive, and totally obsessed with taking Oppenheimer down.
What makes the performance so good is Downey’s view and interpretation of the character. Long before the movie happened, he’d been deep into the historical era, and he saw Strauss as a genuine patriot who thought he was doing the right thing. That mindset was reflected in an incredible performance that won RDJ his first competitive Oscar. It’s the kind of role that gets better when viewers watch it the second time with the knowledge of what Strauss is doing in every earlier scene.
3. Ryan Gosling as Ken – Barbie (2023)
Ken (Ryan Gosling) literally starts the movie as an accessory. Like, his whole identity was “Barbie’s boyfriend.” That’s it. By the time he discovers horses and the concept of patriarchy, he’s running his own subplot, and audiences just couldn’t get enough. “I’m just Ken” became a massive cultural moment that included a Grammy nomination and a whole “Kenergy” thing that Gosling leaned into hard during the press tour.
Gosling’s absolute commitment to the role is why it works so well. He’s ridiculous, but also heartbreaking. Margot Robbie is fantastic as Barbie, but Ken is the one fans still talk about. Gosling was right to heed that sign from the universe after he found a Ken doll lying facedown in the mud next to a squished lemon in his backyard, right after reading the script.
2. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh – No Country For Old Men (2007)
Llewelyn Moss is the one running with the money in No Country for Old Men, and Josh Brolin drops an incredible performance that showcases the desperation in his character. But Anton Chigurh is the reason most people still bring up the movie. Javier Bardem plays him like he’s barely human with this calm, almost bored presence that’s scarier than any amount of yelling could ever be. The gas station coin toss alone has become legendary, and it’s the one that usually comes to mind when people reference the movie. Bardem won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and Chigurh has become the gold standard for scary movie villains without trying too hard.
1. Heath Ledger as The Joker – The Dark Knight (2008)
Many Batman fans will die on the hill of Christian Bale being the best actor to portray the character. And that’s not surprising because Bale gave the character everything he got. But in The Dark Knight, he’s not the name everyone remembers. That honor belongs to the late Heath Ledger. With the performance as Joker, he created something so unhinged and unpredictable that it completely took over the film. He died before the movie came out, and the posthumous Oscar he won just cemented what everyone already knew. Years later, every comic book villain still tries to match up to the legend that is Ledger’s Joker. Well, they should try locking themselves in a hotel room for six weeks, like Ledger did, just to build the character from scratch.
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