It's something akin to an unwritten law that, coming out of the theatre, movie-goers focus all their attention on the "one performance" that stood out. Of course, when a performance manages to mesmerise audiences in their masses - to the point that they can't think about anything else that happened in the movie - it's obviously worthy of the acclaim. But it also sometimes means that other great performances get lost in the wake and don't necessarily get the praise they deserve. That's to say, a great acting performance has the potential to overshadow other great acting performances if they happen to be a little louder, outrageous, or are given more screen time. That's not to suggest that actors purposely dominate movies and overshadow their fellow actors - it's just that certain movies have come to be so associated with certain performances, that all the other great performances in said movie might not have been met with the appropriate acclaim. So join us as we take a look through 10 great performances that were overshadowed by other great performances - in all of the cases assembled here, both were great, but one got way more attention than the other, and maybe didn't find itself met with the accolade that was warranted...
Overshadowed By: Matthew McConaughey This performance doesn't get a place on the main list for two reasons. Firstly, it's a TV show and the main list is strictly film-based. Secondly, the series isn't finished yet, so we can't judge it properly. So HBO's latest show - which has been hailed a masterpiece by many - follows two troubled detectives as they try and solve a series of serial murders over the course of 17 years in backwater Louisiana. It's dark, complex, narratively innovative, and addictive as hell. The detectives, Martin Hart and Rustin Cohle, are played by Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, respectively... and though they're both putting in some of the best acting of their careers, it's McConaughey's complicated, troubled and existential Cohle who is getting all the attention, presumably because... well, who knew that McConaughey had it in him to act like that? Still, all the focus on McConaughey has taken a lot of attention off of Harrelson's equally brilliant performance. And in a lot of ways, he has a much harder role as the semi-straight man.
