10 Incredible Movie Performances NOBODY Expected To Be Good
6. Mariah Carey - Precious
Though we have to rightly give Mo'Nique her flowers for delivering an unexpectedly masterful, Oscar-winning performance in Precious, even more surprising than this is Mariah Carey's genuinely fantastic work as social worker Ms. Weiss.
On paper, the singer's role in the film seemed like pure stunt casting - a cynical attempt to get more eyes on the movie even though Carey, who could only barely be called an actress at the time, was surely not the performer best-suited for the part.
That may still be true, but Carey nevertheless earned her place in the movie with a physically and emotionally unvarnished performance, stripping away her characteristic glamour for a more grounded feat of acting than just about anyone believed her capable of.
It would've been so easy for Carey to stick out like a sore thumb in such a gritty, slice-of-life project, but she ultimately feels of a piece with everything else, while holding her own with her talented co-stars.