Film casts are made up of many different kinds of roles. Generally, there are some leading characters, those who headline the production, get most of the screen time, and take part in every press conference, as well as several characters built around these main characters, who contribute to the overall story. The actors who portray these supporting characters usually receive fewer lines and less screen time, so they have considerably less involvement in the production. Nevertheless, as Konstantin Stanislavski, the father of modern acting, rightly stated, "There are no small parts, only small actors". And although small parts, consisting mainly of two or three lines, do exist, the essence behind Stanislavski's words is that even the smallest of roles, well performed, can consecrate an actor and make him or her stand out in a movie in which other actors have greater prominence.
Throughout the history of cinema, there have been actors who proved that it is not the amount of screen time they are given that matters, but what they themselves can do with that time. As a matter of fact, it only took Robert Englund seven minutes of screen time in A Nightmare on Elm Street to turn Freddy Krueger into one of the best villains of the horror genre and lay the foundations for what would become a million-dollar franchise. Like Englund, there are many actors who know how to make the most of their short time on screen, garnering acclaim from the public and critics, nominations and even awards for their parts. In this article, we will go over eight movie performances that made a great impact in spite of their short screen time.
8 Allison Janney — 10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You is a movie that already features some really interesting personalities, several of whose stories can be followed throughout the course of the production. Yet, there is one of the supporting characters that, whenever she appears on-screen, completely steals the spotlight: Ms. Perky, the school's principal. This hilarious character was portrayed by Allison Janney, and used to spend most of her time teasing the naughty students of Padua High School and writing her secret erotic novel. Every single scene Janney took part in turned out to be some of the movie's gems, despite the fact that, per People, the actress over time forgot about her involvement in this teen movie.
7 Rebel Wilson — Bridesmaids
Over the years, Rebel Wilson became one of the best comedy actresses of our time, starring in many movies and even assuming roles as a writer and producer. Before she moved to the United States, the actress had already been working in the industry for a few years in Australian series, such as Pizza, The Wedge and Bogan Pride. However, her breakthrough role would not come until 2011, when she joined the cast of Bridesmaids. In this movie, Wilson appears as Brynn, a roommate of Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig), the main character of the story. Even though her character gets very little screen time, Wilson manages to charm the audience in each of her scenes, setting the stage for the successful path that would follow after that production.
6 Cillian Murphy — Batman Begins
In the opening film of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, Batman Begins, the main antagonist of the story is Ra's al Ghul, brilliantly portrayed by Liam Neeson. There is, however, another villain that arises in the background who is just as scary as the main one: Dr. Jonathan Crane, better known as The Scarecrow, who is played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy. Despite having a lesser role throughout the trilogy, Murphy pulled off a convincing and terrifying performance that transfixed the screen. One fun fact about his involvement in this 2005 film: the actor originally auditioned for the role of Batman and, in fact, was even able to do a tryout with the suit on. Even though he wasn't right for the part, Murphy managed to get Nolan's attention, who ultimately offered him the role of the Chief Administrator of Arkham Asylum.
5 Anne Hathaway — Les Misérables
Fantine's character in this 2012 epic period musical film is one of Anne Hathaway's most renowned performances. The cast of Les Misérables is known for featuring excellent actors, among them Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, and Helena Bonham Carter. However, with only 15 minutes of screen time at the beginning and end of the film as a struggling factory worker who must work as a sex worker to support her daughter, Hathaway managed to amaze critics and went on to win her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades.
4 Matthew McConaughey — The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 American biographical black comedy crime film that has to its credit many awards and nominations for its script, director, and the outstanding performances by the cast. One of the most beloved characters was Mark Hanna, CEO of the company where a young, up-and-coming Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) works. Mark was played by Matthew McConaughey, who does a terrific job turning a totally over-the-top and obnoxious character into a likable one. His meal with Belfort is still remembered to this day as one of the best scenes in the movie, and part of what makes this scene so peculiar is that it was somewhat improvised by the actors.
3 Judi Dench — Shakespeare in Love
This might be one of the most surprising entries on this list. By 1998, John Madden assembled a cast of all-star actors to bring his masterpiece, Shakespeare in Love, to life. Headlining the cast were Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow, though the movie also featured Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, and Imelda Staunton among others. One of the minor roles, yet significant to the plot, was given to Judi Dench, the part of Queen Elizabeth I. Due to her wonderful performance, Dench won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the astonishing thing is that she managed to do so while having less than five minutes of screen time.
2 Viola Davis — Doubt
It only took Viola Davis eight minutes to deliver a performance so brilliant that it earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. With an emotional monologue and starring in a major scene with Meryl Streep, Davis earned the recognition of critics and audiences alike as Mrs. Miller, mother of Donald Miller, the first Black student of a conservative Catholic elementary school. Davis' performance is especially striking considering the range of emotions the character goes through in such a short scene, a skill that, over the years, has become one of her best attributes.
1 Anthony Hopkins — The Silence of the Lambs
At the top of this list is one of the most acclaimed performances in the history of cinema: Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter. By the time he agreed to join the cast of Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins had already been working in film and television for nearly 25 years. Yet, it was his impersonation of this serial killer and cannibal that quickly made him a household name in the industry and worldwide, earning him his first Academy Award nomination and win for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Although Hopkins continued starring in the sequels of the saga, his involvement in the first movie was very minor: out of the almost two hours of the film, the actor only appears on-screen for 24 minutes.