The Strangelove (Best Actor in Movie)

Previous Winners:  James McAvoy (Split), Denzel Washington (Fences), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Ryan Gosling (Drive), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick…Boom), Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

For our final acting award before we head to the Best and Worst Movie Lists, we have the Strangelove, named in honor of EYG Hall of Famer Peter Sellers and his work in the iconic Dr. Strangelove film from the 1960s. 

There are a couple of films with great performances that I have not see yet so someone like Jeffrey Wright from American Fiction, Andrew Scott for All of Us Strangers or Colman Domingo for Rustin are not going to be here. Sorry, their films just have not opened in my area yet.

We have the top 13 actors for this award.

#13. Tom Cruise (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1)

#12. Keanu Reeves (John Wick 4)

#11. Matt Damon (Air)

#10. Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario)

#9. Michael Fassbender (The Killer)

#8. Denzel Washington (The Equalizer 3)

#7. Kenneth Branagh (A Haunting in Venice)

#6. Jay Baruchel (BlackBerry)

#5. Bradley Cooper (Maestro)

#4. Barry Keoghan (Saltburn)

#3. Zac Efron (The Iron Claw)

#2. Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

and the winner is….

#1. Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

This is one of the best performances of Paul Giamatti’s career. His work is both subtle and realistic as a teacher whose connection with his students was frayed and who winds up over Christmas break with a student he has to chaperone. Giamatti brings a lot of suppressed emotion as he deals with his own struggles while trying to do his best.