10 Actors Who Gave The Best Performance Of Their Careers In 2020
Even a crappy 2020 couldn't stop these actors from giving the performances of their careers.
It's been a rough year for the film industry. The pandemic has led to cinemas around the world shutting their doors, with some even being forced to close for good. Most of the major film companies have chosen to delay their big releases until next year, leaving 2020 with almost no franchise features to speak of.
But that doesn't mean that the movie landscape has been totally barren. While there was a distinct lack of blockbusters this year, a valiant effort from Christopher Nolan notwithstanding, medium-budget films have been performing better than ever. Thanks to the rise of streaming services, incredible stories from world-class directors that might not do very well at the box office have been pushed to the front and provided a welcome distraction for us all.
In fact, some of the performances in these movies are truly some of the best ever brought to the big or small screen. Pandemic or no pandemic, these actors have been putting the work in and they deserve to be recognised for their immense talent.
Let's take a look at some of the performers who delivered us career highlights in this crazy year.
10. Jessie Buckley - I'm Thinking Of Ending Things
Jessie Buckley’s meteoric rise has truly been incredible to witness.
Since making her feature film debut in the psychological thriller Beast in 2017, her resume has already become chock full of incredible roles in outstanding productions. A special mention must go to her turn as the wife of a firefighter suffering from radiation sickness in the smash-hit Chernobyl miniseries.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things offers a similar sense of tension to Chernobyl but ratchets up the underlying terror and surreal nature of the goings on to a deeply uncomfortable degree.
The movie comes from the mind of noted auteur Charlie Kaufman and follows Buckley and her boyfriend, played by Jesse Plemons, as she drives to meet his parents for the first time. Buckley’s character is never even officially named, listed in the credits as simply ‘Young Woman’, and yet her nuanced performance ensures that the audience still connects with her as she navigates the terrifying world she finds herself in.
There are not too many actresses who can pull off playing a character this hard to dig in to, but Buckley proves once again that she has the skill required to deliver a masterclass performance every time.