2. Freddie Quell - The Master
It's hard to really describe just how incredible Phoenix's performance is in director Paul Thomas Anderson's latest opus, in theaters now. It was his first feature film role since I'm Still Here, after a near four-year absence, and everyone was wondering what this new Phoenix would bring to the table. What he ended up delivering was a Kubrickian level of dedication and immersion to his performance unlike anything he had ever done before. Phoenix's physical transformation is one of the most striking elements of his performance as alcoholic drifter Freddie Quell: His back hunched, swinging his arms like an ape, his frame thin, his face twisted and distorted, mumbling and slurring his speech out of the corner of his mouth like he is just learning how to behave in society for the first time, and failing. Phoenix physical commitment to the performance doesnt stop there, either: he flings himself into scenes of raw violence that look and feel completely real. After I'm Still Here and in light of his recent anti-Oscar remarks, it is clear that Phoenix does and says whatever he pleases at this point. He has stripped himself of the expectations one has for an actor, and throws himself fully into a state of pure impulse and instinct. It is a crowning achievement in the art of acting and the Method, rivalling that of Daniel Day-Lewis's Oscar-winning turn in Andersons previous film, There Will Be Blood. If there is any justice, this performance will garner Phoenix an Oscar nomination - and a potential win - despite his recent remarks.