While Casey Affleck and Kenneth Lonergan have received much of the awards buzz for “Manchester by the Sea,” 20-year-old Lucas Hedges took many by surprise with his Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor, making him this year’s youngest nominee for the award.
Hedges spoke with TheWrap on Tuesday shortly after learning of the major acting recognition — his career first Oscar nomination. He didn’t have enough kind words for his co-star Affleck, who is nominated in the Best Actor category.
“What I think I learned from Casey is how to truly dedicate yourself to the role, to be there for every single second of the movie being made,” Hedges said. “Ask every question you can possibly ask about every moment.”
Hedges plays Patrick Chandler, a hockey-playing teen who fights to cope with the death of his father as he is taken care of by his uncle Lee (Affleck), who is dealing with trauma of his own.
Already, Hedges has worked with plenty of acclaimed filmmakers, such as Wes Anderson in “Moonrise Kingdom,” Jason Reitman in “Labor Day,” and Terry Gilliam in “The Zero Theorem.” But, he said, his work with the “Manchester By The Sea” team was a particularly special learning experience.
Much of Hedges’ scenes are one-on-one dialogues with Affleck, as Patrick and Lee each deal with the struggles of losing loved ones in their own way and disagree over how they are going to move forward together. Ultimately, the paths that both characters settle on by the end of the film are largely defined by those interactions and what Patrick and Lee learn from each other. Hedges credits Lonergan’s guidances as a director for helping him understand the importance of this relationship.
“Acting is not about showing what you’re feeling. It’s about doing something. It’s about what you’re doing for the other person,” Hedges explained. “Anything other than ‘doing’ is not grounded in the truth. That’s what I learned from Kenny — focus not on how I’m doing but what I’m doing.”
That advice has paid off. “Manchester by the Sea” has critics hailing it as a tender yet unflinchingly honest look at how difficult it can be to cope with losing a loved one, especially when one blames oneself for the tragedy. Hedges says that he has met moviegoers who saw themselves and those they love in Patrick Chandler.
“I met a guy recently whose brother committed suicide,” he said. “And he said his brother looked and acted just like me when he was my age. He also said that his brother was struggling with some of the things that Lee was dealing with in the movie. So it’s really good that a lot of things in the film are connecting on those kinds of wavelengths.”
16 Biggest Oscar Snubs and Surprises, From Ruth Negga to Amy Adams (Photos)
This year's Oscars field is out, and its one of the strongest -- and most diverse -- that we've seen in years. But as always, there are nominations that surprised us and absences that left some grumbling. Here's a short list of those.
SURPRISE: Ruth Negga nominated for "Loving"
Emma Stone, Natalie Portman and Amy Adams were early and clear frontrunners in this category, so while Negga’s performance in “Loving” was lauded by critics, it was surprising to see her replace Amy Adams in the final ballot.
SNUB: Annette Bening for "20th Century Women"
The actress was nominated for her role for the Golden Globes (but didn’t win) and was completely overlooked by the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Turns out, Bening’s role as the mother of a male teenager coming of age in “20th Century Women” didn’t impress the Academy enough to score a nomination.
SURPRISE: Victory for "Hidden Figures
The feel-good drama about a group of African-American female NASA scientists topped the box office for two consecutive weeks and has now piloted itself to a Best Picture nomination. Awards favorite Octavia Spencer landed an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actress
SNUB: Amy Adams for "Arrival"
Amy Adams had been a clear frontrunner for her leading role in “Arrival,” especially after having been nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award in the same category. But the Academy left out the actress.
SURPRISE: Lucas Hedges for "Manchester By The Sea"
Odds-on Best Actor favorite Casey Affleck has dominated the coverage of Kenneth Lonergan's beautiful and tragic drama, but Hedges' breakout performance as 16-year-old Patrick Chandler added an element of levity and innocence to the film. While he didn't manage to get a Golden Globes nomination, the Academy took note of Hedges' performance.
SNUB: "Birth of a Nation" strikes out
Consider this one an expected snub. After its mammoth success at Sundance, "Birth of a Nation" was seen as the film that was going to carry the Academy out of its #OscarsSoWhite debacle. Instead, its wide release brought weak box office returns, historical accuracy criticism, and bad publicity after rape allegations surrounding director Nate Parker resurfaced. Instead, "Moonlight," "Fences," "Hidden Figures' and "Lion" are the movies that are bringing diversity to the Oscar race.
SURPRISE: Mel Gibson for "Hacksaw Ridge"
It seems that Hollywood is finally ready to take Gibson back. After getting a standing ovation at an Academy screening last fall, Mel Gibson has landed a Best Director nomination for "Hacksaw Ridge" in a competitive field that includes Damien Chazelle and Barry Jenkins
SNUB: "Silence"
Despite its enormous critical acclaim, "Silence" will be only the second Scorsese film in the last 15 years to not get a Best Picture nomination. Weak box office numbers and late screening releases hampered the film's campaign, and it will have to settle for just a Best Cinematography nomination
SURPRISE: Isabelle Huppert for "Elle"
The French actress was a surprise winner for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her star turn in "Elle," after most people assumed the ceremony would be another coronation for "Jackie" headliner Natalie Portman. And she continues to defy predictions, landing an Oscar nomination as well.
SURPRISE: Viggo Mortensen for "Captain Fantastic"
Mortensen continues his surprise run for his work in the hidden Sundance gem "Captain Fantastic," adding to his Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA nods.
SNUB: Tom Ford for Adapted Screenplay
It probably wasn't easy for the famous designer to take Austin Wright's novel "Tony & Susan" and adapt it for the big screen. The film was lauded by critics and Ford was nominated for two Golden Globes for writing and directing the film -- yet the Academy left him off the list.
Getty Images
SURPRISE: "Passengers" nominated for Original Score
The film score nomination went to "Passengers" starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, shutting out other contenders like "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
Sony
SNUB: Best Director for "Hell or High Water"
David Mackenzie didn't receive a nomination for directing "Hell or High Water," one of the most critically successful films of 2016. Instead, Mel Gibson snagged a nomination for "Hacksaw Ridge."
CBS Films
SNUB: "Gleason"
Amazon's heart-wrenching and inspiring documentary about former National Football League player Steve Gleason, who is paralyzed from the neck down due to complications from ALS, scored big with audiences -- including Best Supporting Actor nominee Michael Shannon -- but failed to pick up an Oscar nomination in one of the deepest documentary fields in years.
SNUB: "Deadpool" gets zilch
Sorry, comic book fans. The Merc's run ends here. Surprising nominations at the Golden Globes and the Producers' Guild Awards couldn't be converted into Oscar nominations, and we sadly won't see Ryan Reynolds in full Deadpool uniform goofing around on the red carpet. Unless, you know, he decides to show up anyway and demand an explanation for why he wasn't nominated.
Fox
SNUB: Taraji P. Henson
The "Hidden Figures" star may have gotten a Golden Globes nomination, but she fell short with the Academy.
1 of 17
”Hidden Figures“ and Ruth Negga are pleasant surprises while Annette Bening and Martin Scorsese are left out in the cold
This year's Oscars field is out, and its one of the strongest -- and most diverse -- that we've seen in years. But as always, there are nominations that surprised us and absences that left some grumbling. Here's a short list of those.
