When your very first role is Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it's almost inevitable that it's going to be the peak of your career. The film was a critical darling, winning the five main Oscar categories (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Writing) and earning Dourif a nomination for his work. Billy Bibbit was a cripplingly shy patient with a stutter and severe bouts of anxiety and depression. He'd attempted to kill himself more than once, and lived in abject fear of his overbearing mother, a fear which Nurse Ratched uses against him. Dourif plays the character as a man with an incredibly delicate emotional state, but one that wants desperately to be normal. He is the one who is most drawn to Nicholson's McMurphy, who attempts to draw him out of his shell. He even helps Billy secure a fleeting romantic encounter with a girl, although it heads south the next morning when Nurse Ratched finds out. Dourif's portrayal of Billy's newfound confidence, and its swift disappearance upon the mere mention of his mother, is heartbreaking to watch and without a doubt an Oscar-worthy performance. Like this article? Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments section below.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
