Christopher Plummer Wins Best Supporting Actor (2011)
When Beginners came out and quickly left theaters in the busy summer of 2011, those who saw Mike Mills’ romantic drama probably thought of a few things. First and foremost was how Christopher Plummer’s joyous and poignant turn, both sentimental and unsentimental depending on the moment, was a crowning achievement and something that should not be forgotten come Oscar time.
Well, considering the love bestowed on Plummer for his performance as Hal Fields, a man who comes out of the closet in the twilight of his life, it was hard for many to forget the indie drama. Typically, a film with such a low box office gross that only earns one Academy Award nomination is often lucky to even secure a spot in the category. Beginners only brought in $5.8 million at the box office without ever jumping into more than 200 auditoriums. Nevertheless, it bucked the typical awards season trend: a largely unshowy performance of grace from a film opening in the summer that almost nobody saw in theaters was the instant frontrunner in the category.
The honor was especially deserved, given how Plummer had spent many years earning acclaim (if not much in the way of accolades) for dozens of strong performances on the stage and screen. (His snub from the Best Supporting Actor category in 2000 for his blistering turn as Mike Wallace in The Insider still stings.) So, at 82 years old, it was quite a sight to see a man only a couple of years younger than the award he held getting his time in the spotlight.