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Best Actor Performances of 2020

2020 wasn’t the greatest year for movies for obvious reasons, but there were enough great acting performances to make this list. The women had a better year, but still the actors themselves that I chose for this list were all great in their respective roles. Here are five best actor performances and some honorable mentions that include supporting roles too.

5. Paul Bettany – Uncle Frank

Uncle Frank isn’t a great movie. It has its excellent moments, but overall it had a weaker ending and a problematic script. Still, the things that it got right, it really got them right with the acting being particularly strong. Paul Bettany surprised me with such a strong performance in the main role. He is believable throughout and he elevated what otherwise could have been a tedious role to greater heights.

4. Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

The best supporting actor performance of the year belongs to Paul Raci whose turn in Sound of Metal is just phenomenal. The film is just fantastic throughout, but the acting is definitely its strongest suit. Ahmed is amazing (more on that later), but Raci made all of his scenes count in what was an outstanding, very emotional performance as the most inspirational character in the entire movie.

3. Mads Mikkelsen – Another Round

Mads Mikkelsen is a fantastic actor and he’s excellent in every movie that he is in. Another Round was a film that to me still is rather overrated, especially coming from a director known for better filmmaking in the past, but the highlight of the movie is the main characters and Mikkelsen playing him. He is particularly memorable in the second half of the movie and in the scenes with his wife where he truly excelled.

2. Antonio de la Torre – The Endless Trench

Set in Spanish Civil War, The Endless Trench follows a man who lives in the hole in the wall for many years, too scared to ever leave. One of the best movies of the year and featuring one hell of a character arc in Higinio’s story, it was crucial for Antonio de la Torre to play him well, and he did just that. His performance is amazing as he effortlessly played all of the man’s conflicting emotions throughout the film’s runtime.

1. Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal is a beautiful, touching film about hearing loss and the deaf community, but the highlight of the movie is Riz Ahmed. I was taken aback by his acting as I hadn’t expected that he would be this terrific. He plays a restless young man who learns to appreciate the calmness in silence, and Ahmed is particularly incredible at portraying the protagonist’s inner emotions as you can see immense pain in his eyes alone. It’s by far the greatest actor performance of the entire year.

Honorable Mentions:

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Boseman tragically died in mid 2020, but he left his career-best performance in this stage adaptation where he was more memorable than Viola Davis herself.

Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods – Delroy Lindo plays the best character in this drama that has many interesting personalities, but his character is the most complex and most memorable of the bunch. He should have received more nominations by the main awards.

Pete Davidson – The King of Staten Island – One of the most underrated performances of the year comes from The King of Staten Island, which is also an underappreciated movie. Davidson basically plays himself here and his character and performance are both excellent.