# Absolutely exceptional Very Short supporting roles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118 "2006-02-05T18:07:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/21 "2006-02-06T06:21:53Z")
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Kevin Spacey in **Seven** but perhaps his role isn’t short enough. In any case, his performance pretty much dominates the last reel. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/22 "2006-02-06T08:13:01Z")
Steven Segal in Airforce 1 (I think it was airforce 1) the movie where he gets sucked out the air lock in the first few minutes of the flick…oh wait you wanted good acting not great comedy. Big Dan Taylor in Oh Brother Whereart Thou? played by Jon Goodman, he was friggin Great for those few minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/23 "2006-02-06T08:19:44Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > Big Dan Taylor in Oh Brother Whereart Thou? played by Jon Goodman, he was friggin Great for those few minutes. [Nitpick] Big Dan **Teague**. [/Nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/24 "2006-02-06T09:24:10Z")
**Toni Collette** in _[The Hours](http://imdb.com/title/tt0274558/)_, one of my favorite performances by anyone ever- I really wanted to see her get a nomination. Her reaction to the kiss was brilliant. I haven’t seen the film (and hadn’t planned to), but the **young female hotel desk clerk** that is featured in the trailer for the new Queen Latifah movie _[The Last Holiday](http://imdb.com/title/tt0408985/)_ just kills me!!! The one who explains the pronounciation of the Hotel name (Poop -sp?) I’m not even joking about this one- in her face you can see so many vivid thoughts going through her head- what she’d like to say vs. how she must act while in a service position, how many times she’s been asked that question, how long a day she’s had, where she’d rather be, etc.- I really think she’s great. Anybody seen the movie? Know anything about the actress? I might actually go see the movie just for this actress. ---
**Author:** ![Revedge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@Revedge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revedge)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/25 "2006-02-06T09:31:38Z")
Ned Beatty in “Network” as the VP (or maybe the network president). He is on screen for just a few minutes. Got nominated for best supporting actor. Dean Stockwell as Howard Hughes in “Tucker.” In just a few minutes captured the eccentric paranoia. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/26 "2006-02-06T14:09:19Z")
> [@mamboman](#): > > How long was Anthony Hopkins on screen for in “Silence of the Lambs”? It’s remarkable, on seeing the film again, how little time he actually gets, and yet he won the “big” Oscar! In a similar vein, William Macy was nominated (and lost) for Best Supporting Actor in _Fargo_, while Frances McDormand was nominated for Best Actress for the same film. Macy actually had about one minute more of screen time than McDormand. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/27 "2006-02-06T14:36:08Z")
How about the scene in **Wayne’s World 2** where Mike Myers stops the movie to replace the bad actor in the minor role of Gas Station Attendant with Charlton Heston? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/28 "2006-02-06T15:04:42Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > It occurred to me that there’s another category of these roles: the ones played well by actors who had yet to become big stars. > > A trivial example would be Bill Paxton as one of the punks in _The Terminator_ who winds up giving Ahnold clothing. I suspect Paxton was happy for that role at the time. > > Another would be Jeff Goldblum’s punk in _Death Wish_. > > These could be argued against as being nothing special. > > But I suggest that James Gandolfini’s contribution in _True Romance_ may have been a factor in how he became Tony Soprano later. > > It’s fun looking through IMDB for early roles by now-established people. Fran Drescher as Travolta’s Dance Partner in “Saturday Night Fever.” ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/29 "2006-02-06T16:33:11Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > It occurred to me that there’s another category of these roles: the ones played well by actors who had yet to become big stars. > > A trivial example would be Bill Paxton as one of the punks in _The Terminator_ who winds up giving Ahnold clothing. I suspect Paxton was happy for that role at the time. > > Another would be Jeff Goldblum’s punk in _Death Wish_. > > These could be argued against as being nothing special. > > But I suggest that James Gandolfini’s contribution in _True Romance_ may have been a factor in how he became Tony Soprano later. > > It’s fun looking through IMDB for early roles by now-established people. That reminds me of the story Harrison Ford tells of his film debut, a one line role as a bellhop in the movie **Dead Heat on a Merry Go Round**. He tells how a studio executive said he didn’t have the makings of a big star, because when Tony Curtis had a similar small role as a grociery clerk you knew he was a movie star. To which Ford says he replied, “I thought the point was you were supposed to think he was a grocery clerk.” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/30 "2006-02-06T16:38:27Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Fran Drescher as Travolta’s Dance Partner in “Saturday Night Fever.” Fran Drescher in _Spinal Tap._ Hell, Anjelica Huston in \*Spinal Tap. \*Paul Schaffer, Bruno Kirby, Billy Crystal, Fred Willard–just not Dana Carvey. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/31 "2006-02-06T16:51:43Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I haven’t seen the film (and hadn’t planned to), but the **young female hotel desk clerk** that is featured in the trailer for the new Queen Latifah movie _[The Last Holiday](http://imdb.com/title/tt0408985/)_ just kills me!!! The one who explains the pronounciation of the Hotel name (Poop -sp?) > I’m not even joking about this one- in her face you can see so many vivid thoughts going through her head- what she’d like to say vs. how she must act while in a service position, how many times she’s been asked that question, how long a day she’s had, where she’d rather be, etc.- I really think she’s great. > Anybody seen the movie? > Know anything about the actress? > I might actually go see the movie just for this actress. I’m stuck in Nowheresville and about the only interesting thing to do is go to the movies, and I’ve seen everything I’ve wanted to see, so I went to see this just because it was the only thing TO see, and I enjoyed it. It’s predictable and forgettable, but it’s also cute, sweet, and mildly funny. The name of the hotel is the **Grandhotel Pupp** , outside of Prague. I feared I might have to hear variations on the “Poop” joke throughout the movie, but that scene with the clerk is the only time it’s used, thank goodness. That actress is great. She has a couple of other short, cute scenes. I’m not sure who it is, since she hadn’t ponied up the lousy $35.00 to put her damn picture on IMDB. I think it might be Jane Adams. If you go see the movie just for her, you’ll won’t cringe through the rest of it. There are worse ways to spend a bit of time and money. The other reason to see it is that most of it was filmed in New Orleans, maybe the last movie to film there before the flood. It was almost bittersweet to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Marathon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Marathon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marathon)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/32 "2006-02-06T17:04:38Z")
> [@Revedge](#): > > Ned Beatty in “Network” as the VP (or maybe the network president). He is on screen for just a few minutes. Got nominated for best supporting actor. I opened this thread to mention Beatrice Straight from the same movie, as Max Schumacher’s wife. I agree on Beatty as well. ---
**Author:** ![Daft\_Willie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Daft\_Willie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daft_Willie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/33 "2006-02-06T17:12:18Z")
Patrick Stewart as Sterling in “Jeffrey” I do not know how long he was on-screen but each time was wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/34 "2006-02-06T17:24:24Z")
Anthony Hopkins in Mission Impossible 2. He has a small role as Tom Cruise’s boss, and his dialogue if played seriously would have been okay, but he plays it mischievously and lights up the screen. Christopher Walken in Abel Ferrera’s The Addiction. He shows up for five minutes as an older vampire and that’s the best five minutes of the film. That’s faint praise however, because the other eighty-five minutes are bor-ing. But he still did a top notch job. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/35 "2006-02-06T19:00:57Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Fran Drescher as Travolta’s Dance Partner in “Saturday Night Fever.” She was also great in her two minute walk-on (which may have been non-speaking as well) as Tateh (Mandy Patinkin)'s disgraced wife in **Ragtime**. Jimmy Cagney was also great in that movie in what was just slightly too long to be called a cameo. ---
**Author:** ![Grossbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@Grossbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grossbottom)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/36 "2006-02-06T19:10:13Z")
Brad Pitt as Floyd, in _True Romance_. For an early appearance, check out Jack Black as the airplane pilot in _Waterworld_. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/37 "2006-02-06T19:28:09Z")
> [@Grossbottom](#): > > Brad Pitt as Floyd, in _True Romance_. > For an early appearance, check out Jack Black as the airplane pilot in _Waterworld_. Or **Jack Black** as the obsessed young fan in _Bob Roberts_ . **Vincent D’Onofrio** ’s portrayal of Orson Welles in _Ed Wood_. I would also count **Bugs Bunny** and **Mickey Mouse** onscreen together in _Who Framed Roger Rabbit?_ – the flagship characters of the two greatest animation studios appearing together for the first and only time should count for _something_ ! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/38 "2006-02-06T19:51:06Z")
Geneviève Bujold as Annie Crook in _Murder by Decree_ Bryan Cox as Hannibal Lechtor in _Manhunter_ – a _much_ creepier and convincing Lechtor than Anthony Hopkins, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/39 "2006-02-06T20:27:22Z")
Steve Martin in **Little Shop of Horrors**. Or if that’s too long, Bill Murray in the same movie. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/40 "2006-02-06T20:44:02Z")
DeNiro’s intermittent appearances in _“Angel Heart”._ Immediately after the movie was over, I went back and fast-forwarded to his parts to watch them again. Even creepier… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118.md?page=3)