Presenting the Supporting Actresses of '85. It was all scandal all the time at this colorful party. There were three much gossiped about women (a mafia princess, a drunk promiscuous entertainer, and a delusional pregnant nun) and two stubborn women who were just NOT having either the gossip or the abusive and cheating men around them. It was the about appreciating the color purple (Oprah & Margaret), seeing red (Amy & Meg), and embracing jet black comedy (Anjelica).
THE NOMINEES
from left to right: Avery, Huston, Madigan, Tilly, and Winfrey
Oscar celebrated newcomers in 1985 with a shortlist composed entirely of first timers. All five actresses were relatively inexperienced (as Oscar lists go) having made less than ten films each so no overdue conversations were to be had. One of them (Oprah Winfrey) was even making her film debut though the eventual winner (Anjelica Huston) was already Hollywood royalty, being the daughter of the film titan directing her and the girlfriend of the superstar headlining her Best Picture nominated vehicle.
Notable women who Oscar didn't nominate were Globe nominees Kelly McGillis (Witness) and Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), BAFTA nominees Judi Dench (Wetherby) and Tracey Ullman (Plenty), and BAFTA winner Rosanna Arquette (Desperately Seeking Susan)... who was very much a leading lady but you know how awards season is! Other key supporting players that attracted critical attention and/or movie fans in 1985 were Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club), Demi Moore and Mare Winningham (St Elmo's Fire), Isabella Rossellini and Helen Mirren (White Nights), Madonna (Desperately Seeking Susan), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), Laura Dern (Mask), Ann Wedgeworth (Sweet Dreams), and Mieko Harada (Ran).
from left to right: Zehetner, Virtel, Nathaniel R, Nazemian, Morgan
Here to talk about these five nominated turns, in reverse alphabetical order: Actress Nora Zehetner (Creative Control, Brick), comedian/writer Louis Virtel (Billy on the Street, Throwing Shade), your host Nathaniel R (The Film Experience), novelist/producer Abdi Nazemian ("The Authentics" and Call Me By Your Name), and writer/director Michelle Morgan (It Happened in LA). And now it's time for the main event...
1985
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN
Margaret Avery as "Shug Avery" in The Color Purple
Synopsis: A boozy chanteuse stirs a (sexual?) awakening in her lover's meek wife, while attempting to reconcile with her preacher father
Stats: Then 41 yrs old, 8th film, 1st and only nomination. 36½ minutes of screen time (or 25% of running time).
Michelle Morgan: She is great. Like everyone else in the movie. She has a ton of range and charisma... but yeah, it's all about Oprah. ♥♥♥
Abdi Nazemian: I hadn’t seen this film since I was a kid, and given some of what I’ve read since then, I was expecting Margaret Avery’s Shug Avery - seriously, can we talk about how she and her character share a last name? - not to embody the complicated sexuality the character possesses in the book. I was happily surprised to find that while the movie may be somewhat tame in that department, it definitely explores Shug and Celie’s sexuality. The scene where Shug brings Celie out of her shell and kisses her is so beautiful. Avery perfectly embodies a woman with so much life force that she helps another woman find her own light. Her musical numbers are epic, her church scene is a total showstopper, and she helps bring vibrant new energy to the film when she enters. If she didn’t have to compete against the big O, she’d be the one for me. In the meantime, I’ll be quoting “See Daddy, sinners have souls too” whenever I can ♥♥♥♥
Louis Virtel: Margaret Avery plays brassy singer Shug Avery who, after introducing herself to Miss Celie with a cruel barb, helps her find herself. Shug's climactic number (famously dubbed by Tata Vega) is as rollicking as you expect, but I found that the character’s two defining personality traits — no-nonsense sass and tender affection — didn’t cohere as much as I wanted. Avery gives a spirited performance that is always interesting but never quite powerful. ♥♥♥
Nora Zehetner: I loved her. To me it should have been between her and Oprah for the win. I loved the scene with her and Whoopi in the bedroom kissing. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: When I first saw The Color Purple I vastly preferred her performance to Oprah Winfrey's though now I feel they're nearly equal. I propose that it's only her subsequent fade from fame that has allowed people to forget just how fine she is here. From her unforgettable mean-drunk intro ("You sure is ugly!") to the way she carefully delineates the rubbed raw spaces just between Shug's public pride and her private pain. It's a shame she didn't do her own singing and that the sexuality is vague, but everything else is admirable. Bless her for her beautiful underplaying in the scene that gives the movie its title; it's as if she knows that Spielberg and his crew are already doing so much that any more from her would be overkill. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "I thought she was the real bruised heart of the movie, and was surprised that I have never seen her since." - Rob (Reader average: ♥♥♥♥)
Actress earns 22 ❤s
Anjelica Huston as "Maerose Prizzi" in Prizzi's Honor
Synopsis: The disgraced granddaughter of a mafia don schemes her way back into the family when her ex-husband takes up with a mysterious woman
Stats: Then 34 yrs old, 9th official film, 1st of three nominations. 20½ minutes of screen time (or 16% of running time).
Michelle Morgan: Another one of my favorite actors. Anjelica is fantastic in everything, but this movie is just kinda schticky. And I really like John Huston as a filmmaker. But I just don't think this has aged very well. Across the board the accents feel clunky and forced. She is for sure the standout, though, even though it's not my favorite of hers. ♥♥♥
Abdi Nazemian: I am obsessed with Anjelica Huston as a person, and in The Grifters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Manhattan Murder Mystery, 50/50, Transparent, and so many other roles. She SO deserves to be an Oscar winner, but did it have to be for this movie? Eight Oscar nominations?! Maybe voters were in a prestige fog based on names like Huston, Nicholson and Turner, all of whom have made much better films than this without getting nominated (Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, anyone?) Anjelica is the best thing in it, but it’s hard not to feel that this performance should have been an introduction to her career, rather than the role that won her the gold. Her win is super fun for Oscar trivia nerds, though, not that I am one. It’s not like I get a tingle of excitement when I think about how she was the first person directed to an Oscar by her father, or that her win made the Hustons the first family with three generations of Oscar winners. Anyway, one of those fun facts would still remain true if she won for something else. And this spot desperately belongs to another Italian-American who routinely tested her father’s limits. ♥♥
Louis Virtel: Anjelica Huston gives a delicious and vulpine performance in “Prizzi’s Honor." You crave her humor and sexuality; her glances, outfits, and affection for sex on rugs are iconic. After the movie’s over, you question whether the part is too slight for an Oscar, but the memory of her cool factor stays with you. She’s the best version of Kim Basinger in “L.A. Confidential”: an enigmatic sexpot we reward for distracting us from the parade of hard-bitten white dudes. ♥♥♥♥
Nora Zehetner: I was able to watch her scenes but it is difficult to fully judge out of context [Editor's note: the movie itself is not available online]. But she looked amaaaaaazing accepting her Oscar. ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: From her very first scene, that unforgettable face and statuesque glamour framed exquisitely by that pink and black Donfeld costume, Anjelica is giving us Screen Presence for the Gods. No wonder she was the frontrunner months before her competitors showed up (summer release). Huston fuses the quasi-tragic rebellious pride of a "fallen" woman with slyly comic erotic vagrancy -- that scene "right here on the Oriental" is bliss. That said she isn't quite as brilliant as I'd remembered. Her move into vengeful plotter for the second half of her scenes isn't half as thrilling as what came before. I love that bit where Maerose admits to preferring color to shapes in her design work. Anjelica as an actress is like that, too. The shaping of this character isn't perfect but the volume and saturation of her coloring sure is. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "The most interesting part but Maerose’s character arc feels like it runs in reverse, at least to my taste" - Dave (Reader average: ♥♥♥)
Actress earns 19 ❤s
Amy Madigan as "Sunny" in Twice in a Lifetime
Synopsis: A financially struggling young wife becomes enraged when her parents split up
Stats: Then 35 yrs old, 6th film, 1st and only nomination. 25½ minutes of screen time (or 25% of running time).
Michelle Morgan: Gah. This film. It was such a downer and I felt like all Amy Madigan did was yell at everybody. She's a strong actress and she definitely has presence but why this film was the subject of any Academy appreciation is completely beyond me. Gene Hackman is one of my absolute favorite actors and it was hard to watch him play a character that I so despised. Sorry not sorry. ♥♥
Abdi Nazemian: I love me some Amy Madigan, and she has some nice moments here, but overall I found her performance a little overdone at times, and the movie very dated (this from someone who finds Jean Harlow films totally modern). I didn’t even think she was the best supporting actress in this movie – I’d give that honor to Ann-Margaret, who brings so much vulnerability to her role – let alone in this epic year of film, which included legendary supporting performances from Sonia Braga, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Madeline Kahn, and Madonna (yes, you read that right). Speaking of the young pop icon, my mind wandered during this film to Madonna watching Madigan’s performance and deciding she’d deal with her snub by borrowing this character’s haircut and Daddy issues for her Papa Don’t Preach video years later, which, you know, changed the world. ♥♥
Louis Virtel: With a constant sneer and deflated pompon hair (very “Papa Don’t Preach”), Amy Madigan plays a frustrated daughter who, more than any other character, prevents the wilting couple at the center of the film from moving on with their lives. Her histrionics are sometimes realistic and sometimes just grating, especially during a bar confrontation that verges on a total “Mean Streets” melee. Her attachment to her family unit is understandable and, at times, touching — but it’s Hackman, Burstyn, and Ann-Margret who seem most human in this well-observed dramedy. ♥♥♥
Nora Zehetner: I thought she was good in the role and there's nothing I really would have changed. But I wasn't sure that the role itself screamed Oscar nomination. She was wonderful, though. ♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: In the context of a better movie Madigan’s perpetually rankled Sunny (a brilliant name for a character who is closer to Thunder Clouds) might not have registered. But history is full of nominations for roles that shake up otherwise forgettable movies. Though she definitely sticks out, in an odd sort of way her performance is exactly like the movie itself: continually distracted, lurching from comic to dramatic moments without a firm game plan, and filled with bits of exciting spontaneity inbetwixt overacted moments. My favorite beat is a throwaway where her she's exuding hostility and shouting her head off in the local grocery store. The punchline is amazing: she goes blank / silent when she can't quite fathom how cheerful the checkout clerk is in her presence. ♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Angry, but tender, and spry in her reactions to the whole family" - Nicholas (Reader average: ♥♥)
Actress earns 14 ❤s
Meg Tilly as "Sister Agnes" in Agnes of God
Synopsis: A pregnant nun, with less than a full grasp on reality, struggles to remember how a dead baby ended up in the wastebasket of her room
Stats: Then 25 yrs old, 7th film, 1st and only nomination. 38 minutes of screen time (or 39% of running time).
Michelle Morgan: Throughout my life I have pretty much exclusively associated Meg Tilly with this performance. As a child, this film was very confusing. As an adult, this film is very confusing. But I'll save my film critiques for the podcast. Meg has some truly great moments here. And physically embodies the character in such a degree that it obviously stuck with me. I really wish that her performance was a tad more subtle, though. ♥♥♥
Abdi Nazemian: It takes a great actress to deliver lines like “I have to attractive to God,” “Suffering is beautiful and I want to be beautiful,” and “She says my whole body’s a mistake” without going too far. Tilly manages to stay grounded in a movie that often feels like it’s spinning in many different directions, and amidst performances that are much bigger than hers. After seeing the film, her performance, her essence, is what stays with me. I just wish the movie itself came together more successfully to help the performance land emotionally the way it should. I’m giving her an extra heart because she’s a novelist now, and I have an affinity for anyone who writes books, and because I’m obsessed with her sister, who I would do anything to see in this role. I mean, could you imagine what a sequel that would be? Agnes of Godder starring Jennifer Tilly! It’s never too late for a reboot ♥♥♥♥
Louis Virtel: Agnes of God sets itself up as an interesting mystery and then concludes with an eye-roll of a final act. Maybe it made more sense in the play version? I don’t know. Meg Tilly plays a novice nun who’s either crazy or actually possessed by God, and her combination of virginal sighs and weird intensity make her worthy of Jane Fonda’s intrigue. Though Tilly’s asthmatic moments earned her the nomination, the movie’s shortcomings prevent her character from ever being a believable, three-dimensional person. It’s a glorified (deified?) “Law & Order: SVU” witness role. ♥♥♥
Nora Zehetner: The first thing I wrote down in my notes in regards to her, and kept underlining as the movie went on, was luminous. She was the picture of innocence. There were some batshit scenes that would have been very complicated to pull off and I felt she nailed them. ♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: If Oscars were handed out for degree of difficulty, surely Meg would have taken this one. In fairness within the context of this particular film (don't know about its original incarnation on stage) this is an impossible role. She has to juggle deep repression, childwoman stunted intelligence and innocence, sexual shame, reluctant exposition, and religious extremism, all while keeping you guessing about how much she knows or remembers or understands because the screenplay favors mysterious motivations and clues above cohesive characterizations. Meg is memorable in some scenes but iffy in others. ♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "It’s a conundrum – is Sister Agnes’ youthful naivete on full display due to Tilly’s superior acting, or because Tilly gave a youthful, naïve performance? I opt for the latter." - James (Reader average: ♥♥½)
Actress earns 19½ ❤s
Oprah Winfrey as "Sofia" in The Color Purple
Synopsis: A large woman barrels through life with stubborn force until her husband and then society begin to beat her down
Stats: Then 31 yrs old, debut film, 1st and only acting nomination. 23 minutes of screen time (or 15% of running time).
Michelle Morgan: Spielberg has a way of directing actors that is unrivaled, in my opinion. The film in general is populated with so many brilliant performances that it's hard to pick the best. But she really shines here. Watching her onscreen is absolutely mesmerizing. Whether it's the scene in town where she's defending her children, or she's confronting Whoopi about telling Harpo to beat her...she's such an amazingly strong character. And you can feel Oprah, deeply, in those scenes. She really brought herself to some extremely vulnerable places and there isn't one false note. I personally love the end scene when she tells the old man to hush up. Sofia home now...things changing around here...Sofia home now. Fucking awesome. This performance gets all my love. ♥♥♥♥♥
Abdi Nazemian: I MEAN! The only good thing I can think of to say about Oprah not winning for this stunning performance is that, if she won, she may have decided to become a character actress instead of becoming OPRAH. Am I giving her five stars because I don’t dare give Oprah anything less than a perfect score, or because I want a free trip to Australia? No, I’m giving her five stars because she manages to make me laugh, make me cheer, make me cry, make me hope, and even make me forget I’m watching Oprah, all in one movie. Also, here’s something Oprah said after the movie’s release: “Whoopi Goldberg for the Oscar! Who's her competition? Meryl Streep? I don't care if Meryl break-dances on water, this year it's Whoopi.” I mean, could you love her more? And can you believe both Whoopi and Meryl lost? I’m in for Meryl’s take on Breakin’: Waterworld Boogaloo, in for Oprah the Oscar winner, and in for Oprah the POTUS. That’s happening, right? ♥♥♥♥♥
Louis Virtel: Of all the nominated performances, Winfrey gets the most dynamic arc and plays it to the hilt: Sophia goes from self-possessed and irascible to despondent and heartbreaking. Every step along the way is filled with color, grace, and humanity thanks to Winfrey, who never for a second feels like the superstar we know. This performance goes beyond charm finds vivacious humanity in Sophia's firm moral code. ♥♥♥♥♥
Nora Zehetner: OPRAH! God she was amazing. And what an arc! She was so sexy and self-confident in the beginning, which is what made it so difficult to watch her spirit broken. I was particularly aware of how well she used her body in the movie - really inhabiting the character. You can literally see the weight of the world on her shoulders after her time in jail. She was absolutely my vote for best supporting actress. ♥♥♥♥♥
Nathaniel R: I've always felt like such a curmudgeon about this performance. It's not that Oprah isn't, well, Oprah and thus fabulous on principle. It's just that the character arc doesn't quite work. Her visible inexperience is actually a gift in the early scenes where Spielberg has her working in a fairly broad style. She's an absolute blast marching down dirt roads with arms swinging, putting "Mister" in his place with smug pride, and generally forceful about getting what's hers (including Harpo). When things begin to sour she's thrillingly primal... at first. But in the back-half of the movie, where she becomes a shell of her former self, she's much duller. More psychological nuance would have made this an all-timer performance instead of just an exciting debut. ♥♥♥♥
Reader Write-Ins: "Oprah stole the show. Sophia's character arc strikes me as a bit unrealistic, but Oprah's gusto makes it the most satisfying." - Leon (Reader average: ♥♥♥♥)
Actress earns 28 ❤s
The Oscar Went To... Anjelica Huston
THE SMACKDOWN disagrees...
and hands the golden idol to Oprah Winfrey for that moment in time between her breakthrough (The Color Purple, December 18th 1985) and true superstardom ("The Oprah Winfrey Show", September 8th, 1986).
Would you have chosen similarly?
Want more? There's a companion podcast, too, where we discuss the films and more '85 pleasures in further detail
Thank you for attending!
Previous Smackdowns ICYMI: 1941, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1995, 2003 and 2016 (prior to those 30+ Smackdowns were hosted @ StinkyLulu's old site)
NEXT UP? We'll be talking the 1944 film year in October with the Smackdown on November 5th.