8 Recent Incredible Movie Performances That Nobody Expected
3. Maria Bakalova - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
It was all fun and games joking about the second Borat film until suddenly Maria Bakalova was nominated for an Academy Award for her role. I’m not saying it wasn’t absolutely deserved but seriously, who could’ve seen that coming?
In what was one of the most stunning nominations in recent years (aside from Hillbilly Elegy being nominated for...literally anything), Bakalova had thousands of people rooting for her to win Best Supporting Actress in 2021’s awards. She didn’t end up winning, of course, but it’s not like she didn’t stand a chance.
Playing Borat’s maladjusted daughter, Tutar, Bakalova dived head-first into a role made so challenging by its own outlandishness. Her performance was equally bizarre as it was endearing, as she somehow managed to make audiences care for her despite the overt humour of her character.
Had Tutar been performed by someone less capable, she could’ve turned into one big joke that lost all meaning. With Bakalova though, the girl was able to help hammer home some serious points about sensitive topics without it all being overshadowed by stupidity. It’s a fine line to toe and nobody was expecting her to pull it off, but we were happily surprised when she did.