Ahead of the Oscars ceremony on April 25, we look back at the best of Close’s Oscar-nominated work.
- ‘The Wife’ (2018)
Best Actress nomination lost to Olivia Colman for “The Favourite.”
Another instance of more minor is more, Close shows remarkable restraint playing the long-suffering spouse and ghostwriter of a celebrated author (Jonathan Pryce). She achingly conveys the frustration and pain of a life’s work gone unnoticed, simmering with rage as she’s forced to silently stand by and watch her husband accept a Nobel Prize in Literature for words she wrote. The movie derails into histrionics in its overwrought climax, but Close nevertheless stuns.
- ‘The Big Chill’ (1983)
Best supporting actress nomination lost to Linda Hunt for “The Year of Living Dangerously.”
Where’s the best soundtrack Oscar when you need it? Lawrence Kasdan’s landmark hangout movie is perhaps best remembered for its nostalgia-inducing tunes and frank discussion of suicide, as a group of college friends reunite for a weekend of revelry after their classmate’s funeral. Close’s Sarah is the most reflective of the bunch: nostalgic for the youthful ideals they all once held and racked with guilt over an affair that affected her marriage. It’s a subtle performance, but Close’s tearful shower and dinner scenes are two of the film’s most potent.
- ‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987)
Best Actress nomination lost to Cher for “Moonstruck.”
Close hasn’t been shy about her issues with the ending of “Fatal Attraction,” Her character, Alex Forrest, is punished for her increasingly violent and obsessive behaviour after a one-night stand with the married Dan (Michael Douglas). It’s a testament to Close’s preternatural abilities and deep love for the character that we manage to sympathize with Alex, who desperately demands some respect from the guy who – lest we forget – cheated on his wife. “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan!” Alex says in a much-quoted scene. That the Oscars similarly shunned Close’s volcanic performance is a crime worse than boiling bunnies.
