It may take as little as five minutes to demonstrate that an actor's performance deserves an Academy Award, regardless of how little screen time the actor has to work with. To summarize, during the process of the creation of a narrative, there are specific moments and people that can define everything. If an actor or actress performs to the fullest potential of their part, they can create captivating situations that fully steal the show.
This article provides you with a list of ten actors who participated in only a few scenes of a film but won an Academy Award statuette for their outstanding artistic ability.
1. Anne Hathaway In Les Misérables (2012)
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Anne Hathaway is one of the actors who have demonstrated that it is possible to win over a large audience quickly. She had a 15-minute role in the musical drama Les Misérables, and a scene that lasted only 3.5 minutes is credited with earning her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. But it wasn't simple, as she also had to overcome her fear of public speaking and shed some pounds before the performance.
2. Anthony Hopkins In The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
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Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins catapulted his career with his portrayal of the deadly and smart criminal Hannibal Lecter in the film The Silence of the Lambs. The entire time the actor was on screen was a mere 17 minutes.
3. Nicole Kidman In The Hours (2002)
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With the help of co-stars Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman brought Virginia Woolf to life on-screen in the 2002 film, The Hours. Her brief role as a woman struggling with mental illness earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.
4. Jared Leto In Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
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Rayon, played by Jared Leto, is a transgender woman who appears in Dallas Buyers Club for roughly a quarter of the running time. The actor went above and beyond simply changing his appearance for the role by conducting extensive research on the subject matter, adopting the character's mannerisms, and refusing to play any other role while filming. He won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role.
5. Mahershala Ali In Moonlight (2016)
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The existence of a fatherless African-American boy is depicted in the film Moonlight at three different ages: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The first features Mahershala Ali, who plays Juan, a father figure to the protagonist. His work earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
6. Beatrice Straight In Network (1976)
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Beatrice Straight's turn in the role is a historic and groundbreaking achievement in acting. Best Supporting Actress for her brief appearance in barely three scenes as Holden's on-screen wife in Network (1976).
7. Heath Ledger In Batman: The Dark Knight (2008)
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Heath Ledger's family accepted the Best Supporting Actor Oscar he won for his role in Batman: The Dark Knight. Only 33 minutes of screen time were allotted to his portrayal of Batman's archenemy, the Joker.