Top 10 Favorite Acting Performances with a Short Amount of Actual Screen Time
I'm amazed by and drawn to great and iconic acting performances with little actual screen time. Cameos certainly count, in addition to shorter support roles. Here's some I thought of, please add any that come to mind for you. To require an actual notation of screen time seems a bit restrictive, so feel free to just add an actor and/or the role/film if you'd like.
Colonel Nathan R. Jessup. Probably not a huge surprise, Nicholson was only in three scenes in the film, but his dialogue and powerful acting will stick with many of us for a lifetime.
Blake. "Oh, have I got your attention now?" He completely takes over the screen. Not an easy accomplishment when Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey are also in the scene. It was probably a good idea to have Al Pacino miss this meeting, as that may have been too much screen presence to overcome.
X. Gives keen insight into JFK conspiracy theories. Powerful performance, albeit short.
Plays himself. I didn't see this guy showing up in the film. Such a great comedic actor that a little screen time goes a long way.
Mark Hanna. An abbreviated and hilarious performance. Gives bad life direction for a young Jordan Belfort, which he takes to a whole other level.
McConaughey, in those few short minutes, made DiCaprio a supporting actor in his own film!
We don't see a lot of Boba Fett, but what we do see sticks. One of my favorite original Star Wars villains.
Les Grossman. In a film with many over-the-top characters, this one takes the cake. Abrasive, yet hilarious.
Thunder. An accomplished martial artist, who, like his friend Bruce Lee, gave Hollywood a try. Great job.
The Cairo Swordsman. A very short, yet effective role. The swordsman is on screen for only ten seconds (alive or dead) in this iconic and hilarious scene.
His performance, for a Best Actor win, is pretty short, as he's only in the film for 17 minutes. His performance makes these 17 minutes the creepiest in the film, however.
Absolutely, and thank you for adding. Freeman and Pitt give fine efforts in this terrifying film, along with many others. Yet, when Spacey is on screen, his dialogue and acting completely take over.
For me, I think it's important to note that Pitt may give his finest performance. His subtle nuances are exceptional, and he has the audience rooting for him. Although his featured role here would disqualify that character for inclusion on this list.
Appeared in a creepy and mysterious short scene of the movie as Special Agent Phillip Jeffries.
The Joker. He is referred to often while off screen, and Ledger's performance resonated so profoundly that it seems like he was on screen more than the 33 minutes he actually was. For a two and a half hour movie, it works out to roughly 13 minutes per hour, not a lot.
