4. Joaquin Phoenix
Say what you will about Joaquin Phoenix; he may be slightly off kilter and may not hold the Oscars in high regard, but the man can act and his performance in The Master as drifter, Freddie Quell, is arguably his best. He's simply one of the most interesting characters to have donned the silver screen and while Phoenix deserves the acting accolades he gets, it was Paul Thomas Anderson who trusted Phoenix to bring Freddie to life. Critics and fans look forward to Paul Thomas Anderson's movies not only because of his directing and attention to detail, but because we can expect some of the best performances that we'll ever see out of the lead actors... Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress for their performances in Boogie Nights; Tom Cruise received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Magnolia; Adam Sandler got nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Punch-Drunk Love (yes,
Adam Sandler); Daniel Day-Lewis won an Oscar for Best Actor for There Will Be Blood, and all three lead actors have been nominated this year for Best Acting awards for The Master. Yes, just because the actors of a film got nominated for Oscars doesn't automatically qualify the director/writer for a nomination, I agree. However, I don't believe any other director could've gotten these performances out of the actors the way PTA did. Of course every director is different and each has his or her own style, and that is my point. History has shown that Paul Thomas Anderson brings the best out of his actors because of his faith in them and because he writes for his actors:
When I wrote Magnolia, I was writing for the actors, so I could hear it my head how they might do it, and I was writing it with that advantage."
A great director not only directs the camera or spends months in the editing room, but he directs his actors because they are one of the primary elements in making a great film. In this case, PTA brought out the best in a trio of actors who have already been nominated for Oscars, demonstrating his incredible knowledge and skill in utilizing his actors to their full potential.