{"id":396181,"date":"2026-01-09T00:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T00:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/396181\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T00:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T00:05:09","slug":"how-actors-from-jay-kelly-sinners-and-train-dreams-stand-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/396181\/","title":{"rendered":"How Actors From ‘Jay Kelly,’ ‘Sinners’ and ‘Train Dreams’ Stand Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cThere are no small parts, only small actors\u201d is a phrase often attributed to Konstantin Stanislavski, meant to emphasize how much every role matters. But William H. Macy<\/a> says there is a follow-up to that rule. \u201cThere are no small roles. There are, however, larger roles,\u201d Macy suggests. He\u2019s joking, of course, as few actors are better at leaving a lasting impression onscreen than the Emmy winner and Oscar nominee. \u201cSmall roles define my career. I would rather do a small role in a successful film than the lead in something that\u2019s not going to work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlisa Gao for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tEvery character is important, as anyone who has ever been distracted by a bad background player knows to be true. And this year has seen a wide variety of actors taking characters with brief screen time on a whole journey in just a few scenes. Several films, such as \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d feature a plethora of shorter but pivotal performances, from revolutionaries to members of the Christmas Adventurer\u2019s Club to the nurse who helps Leonardo DiCaprio\u2019s character escape by hinting he should claim to be diabetic. The pinnacle of \u201cHamnet\u201d involves the reveal of Noah Jupe as an actor playing a character meant to represent Shakespeare\u2019s late son in \u201cHamlet.\u201d It\u2019s made even more impactful by the fact that Jacobi Jupe, Noah\u2019s younger brother, plays the tragic Hamnet.<\/p>\n

\n\tVariety spoke to a trio of actors \u2014 whose combined screen time totals less than 30 minutes \u2014 about their standout scenes.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0\u2018Dream\u2019 Role<\/p>\n

\n\tDenis Johnson\u2019s 2011 novella \u201cTrain Dreams\u201d moves through the life of an ordinary man named Robert Grainier and is peppered with brief but memorable encounters with others. Director Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar penned a loyal screenplay adaptation that allows every actor a moment to shine. One memorable character is Arn Peeples, described as \u201ca gadabout of unknown origin\u201d played by Macy. In approximately 12 minutes, Arn is established as a logger and explosives expert who likes to talk more than actually work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tPart of Arn\u2019s purpose is comedic \u2014 his skill with explosives is unreliable and the way he avoids work is relatable. He also indicates the unpredictably of life; after being hit by a falling branch, Arn takes days to die as the others look after him. But he also speaks to the themes of the film and the idea that every person affects one another. \u201cThis world is intricately stitched together, boys,\u201d he says at one point. \u201cEvery thread we pull, we know not how it affects the design of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMacy says he tore through the script in one sitting. \u201cI saw Arn Peeples in my head, clear as a bell,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI heard his olive oil Southern accent immediately and could picture this man with his beautiful speeches. I called immediately and said, \u2018I\u2019m in.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Macy doesn\u2019t go into a role trying to draw attention. \u201cIf a scene-stealing role is written that way, I\u2019ll fight for it,\u201d he says. \u201cBut the pitfall of this is reading a small part and thinking, \u2018I can really do something with this.\u2019 It\u2019s the kiss of death because if you\u2019re trying to do something with it, you\u2019re not doing what the writer wanted you to do. It\u2019s the writer\u2019s job to do something with the character, not the actors. Our job is to do it simply and directly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMacy mentions how his household is a theatrical one. \u201cBoth my wife, Felicity Huffman and daughter Sophia are also in the business. When we watch TV and we see a waiter come up and ask, \u2018Would you like another cup of coffee?\u2019 and it\u2019s loaded with attitude, we notice,\u201d\u00a0 he says. \u201cBut when we see someone do a line like that clearly and truthfully, we have a tendency to go, \u2018Oh, that was good. I like that guy.\u2019 When we see someone trying to make something of the role, we go, \u2018Oh Lord, protect us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThough he only shot for a few days, Macy says he prepared for the role as seriously as any other, particularly as he wanted to have Arn\u2019s lengthy speeches memorized. \u201cWhen you get beautiful writing, it\u2019s not unlike a song, in that it has meter and rhythm and it literally feels good to say those lines,\u201d he says. And though he lasts only minutes on screen, the character stayed with him. \u201cI\u2019ll remember Arn Peeples for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0\u2018Kelly\u2019 Green Envy<\/p>\n

\n\tNoah Baumbach\u2019s latest film stars George Clooney as the titular \u201cJay Kelly,\u201d a beloved movie star who is starting to realize the personal sacrifices he made for his career. But the film also offers a powerful look at the flip side of that life \u2014 in a character played by Emmy and Tony winner Billy Crudup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tCrudup appears as Timothy, a former actor who started out with Jay and feels the latter stole his life after accompanying his friend to an audition. Now a child therapist, Timothy approaches Jay at a funeral and they go out for a drink. What occurs in the next 10 minutes is a roller coaster of emotions. What begins as friendly banter turns into passive-aggressive jabs, before Timothy politely admits his resentment: \u201cI\u2019m going to be honest with you; I can\u2019t stand you.\u201d Timothy goes from gentle to manic to violent, leading to a lawsuit that hangs over Jay the rest of the film, even though Timothy is never seen again on screen.<\/p>\n

\n\tCrudup says Baumbach was upfront about the size of the role when they met for coffee. But reading the script by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, he immediately saw the importance of it. \u201cMy first response was it\u2019s a hard thing to pull off,\u201d he admits. \u201cThe whole movie is kind of predicated on that \u2014 it\u2019s dramaturgically the point of no return for Jay Kelly so you have to execute it just right.\u201d But his second thought was: \u201cI really wish there was a couple more scenes because this film is so lovely, and I would love to be a part of it more.\u201d (In fact, he inquired about the role of Jay\u2019s manager, but learned it was being played by Adam Sandler, to which he responded, \u201cFair enough.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Crudup also recognized that the script was packed with meaningful roles. \u201cMany times, supporting characters are just there to promote the protagonist,\u201d he states. \u201cBut that\u2019s not how Noah works at all. He wants to flesh out and investigate each and every role and give them their own real, fully drawn-out life. Otherwise, he doesn\u2019t put them in the movie.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tEven a scene in which Timothy tears up as he \u201cperforms\u201d the menu at Jay\u2019s request is revealing \u2014 only Crudup could imbue the words \u201ca wedge of iceberg lettuce and shrimp cocktail\u201d with so much emotion. \u201cI spent an inordinate amount of time with that monologue,\u201d he admits. Part of that was because as an actor, Crudup works very differently from the character of Timothy, who relies on sense memory to get emotional. \u201cI\u2019m not a result-oriented actor, I just try to play the event of the scene,\u201d Crudup reveals. \u201cThe idea of crying on cue is anathema to the way I think \u2014 and this scene is specifically designed to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo Crudup found himself researching the kind of acting Baumbach wanted Timothy to display. He wasn\u2019t sure how it would go. \u201cI said, \u2018Guys, I have no idea if this is going to work or not.\u2019 But once we were rolling and I was thinking of traumatic things and the tears started rolling, that river did not stop flowing.\u201d Crudup admits he even went home after to his wife (actress Naomi Watts) and announced: \u201cHoney, I can cry about anything!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCrudup took the scene so seriously that he almost passed on shooting it. At the time, he was performing the one-man show \u201cHarry Clark\u201d \u2014 a bravura turn that has him playing 19 different characters. \u201cWhen I\u2019m doing that play, I\u2019m a shell of a man,\u201d he admits. \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly rewarding but pushes me to the creative limits.\u201d When he learned Baumbach wanted to shoot his scene primarily in one day, he felt he couldn\u2019t do the role and then do \u201cHarry Clark\u201d that night. \u201cNetflix, who is incredibly supportive of Noah, said, \u2018OK, we\u2019ll buy out the house that night.\u2019 At which point I had to answer, \u2018I guess I\u2019ll see you Tuesday.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0\u2018Sinners\u2019 Standout<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not just familiar faces that make an impression. Aadyn Encalarde<\/a> had just turned 13 when she shot her scene in Ryan Coogler\u2019s vampire hit \u201cSinners.\u201d With about two minutes of screen time playing a character known only as \u201cTeenager,\u201d the young performer found herself standing out among an impressive cast as a young girl who guards the truck of Michael B. Jordan\u2019s gangster Smoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tEncalarde made such an impact even her co-stars took notice. In an interview with Variety, Wunmi Mosaku, who plays Hoodoo practitioner Annie, called it her favorite character. \u201cYou have a full journey from this little girl pulling petals who doesn\u2019t know how to barter to someone who stands up to a criminal and says, \u2018Bullshit.\u2019 In two minutes, she\u2019s grown more than most characters in an entire movie and that\u2019s the kind of clarity and specificity Ryan fills the characters with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEncalarde lives in New Orleans where \u201cSinners\u201d was filmed and where she has also shot roles in the series \u201cClaws\u201d and the film \u201cGirls Trip.\u201d For her audition, she was given her character\u2019s entire scene. For her callback, she performed it a few different ways: \u201cI did one that was shier and more built up to her being courageous and one where she started out confident and courageous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut mostly,\u00a0 she talked about volleyball with producer Zinzi Coogler, Ryan\u2019s wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the time, Encalarde had no idea what happened in the rest of the script \u2014 her best guess was that it was about the mafia. \u201cI didn\u2019t find out it was a vampire movie until after I filmed. I think I saw an advertisement talking about Ryan Coogler\u2019s new vampire movie and I had no idea.\u201d But Encalarde was overjoyed: \u201cI love \u2018The Vampire Diaries,\u2019 and I love \u2018Twilight,\u2019 so I was excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThough she was only on set three days, Encalarde says, \u201cThis is the longest amount of time I\u2019ve been on a set for a role this small.\u201d She adored the experience, and in addition to working with Jordan, was excited to learn her on-set teacher was the mother of Oscar nominee Quvenzhan\u00e9 Wallis, who also began her career at a young age.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSinners\u201d has proven to be a box office and cultural phenomenon and Encalarde says she noticed the response pretty quickly as people began posting congratulations on her Facebook page. She\u2019s also been recognized outside her local Starbucks, \u201cwhich was new and exciting and unexpected,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut perhaps the biggest thrill thus far came from Encalarde being singled out by Mosaku. Though the two have never met, Encalarde hopes they can someday. And she says Mosaku\u2019s comments surprised her. \u201cThat\u2019s crazy, because her character was my favorite character!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThere are no small parts, only small actors\u201d is a phrase often attributed to Konstantin Stanislavski, meant to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[191558,191559,88,206,124991],"class_list":{"0":"post-396181","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-aadyn-encalarde","9":"tag-billly-crudup","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-movies","12":"tag-william-h-macy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}