You don’t have to be the star of the show to win a movie. A true scene-stealer gets at the heart of what talented actors do best: step into the spotlight and shine, no matter how small the role. And this year was full of scene-stealers—from rambunctious comedians like Tiffany Haddish, who has too much spirit to be sidelined, to hard-eyed dramatists like Barry Keoghan, who possess a darkly curious allure. Here, in no particular order, are some of the actors who best held our gaze this year.
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:11 of 2017’s Greatest Scene-Stealers
Director Yorgos Lanthimos must have thanked his lucky stars when he cast Keoghan in this film as Martin, a chilling young man who casts a sort of curse on a family. Keoghan elevates Lanthimos’s preference for staccato acting, adding a layer of menace to his scenes that works its way to a grand, bloody payoff.Photo: By Jima (Atsushi Nishijima)/Courtesy of A24.
Timothée Chalamet — Lady Bird
Chalamet makes a pitch-perfect turn as Kyle, an angsty boy in a band who rolls his own cigarettes and lectures on the dangers of cell phones and capitalism. We all knew a Kyle, and Chalamet immaculately captured the apex version of that particular brand of high-school snob. And yes, we know his biggest role this year was in Call Me by Your Name, but there’s actually someone else from that film worth mentioning . . .Photo: By Merie Wallace/Courtesy of A24.
Michael Stuhlbarg — Call Me by Your Name
Playing a lovable father is easy enough, but Stuhlbarg imbues his role with such warmth and passion that you’ll leave the film wishing he had been given even more to do. There’s one monologue in particular (we shan’t spoil the particulars) that he delivers about life and love that’s so big and beautiful it’ll break your heart, pick up the pieces, and mend it all over again.Photo: By Luca Campri/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Domhnall Gleeson — Mother!
This demented, polarizing drama from Darren Aronofsky has a Lot! Going! On! But no matter what you think of it, you have to admit that Domhnall Gleeson makes a mesmerizing turn as a Cain-ish evil son who dashes into the mansion like a malevolent whirlwind. (Honorable mention: Kristen Wiig, who shows up toward the end of the film for a surprisingly violent and unintentionally hilarious twist.)Photo: By Samir Hussein/Getty Images.
Doug Jones — The Shape of Water
Guillermo del Toro’s sumptuous romance is basically engineered to make you fall in love with Jones, who is unrecognizable as a mysterious creature halfway between a fish and a man. The actor, who’s made a career out of playing a variety of otherwordly creatures, plays this role with a strange sort of innocence mixed with feral roughness—but doesn’t give too much away, always leaving us curious about the fish-man’s story.Photo: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Brooklynn Prince — The Florida Project
Prince is only 7 years old, and The Florida Project is only her second movie! Ever! In it, she plays a little girl named Moonee who lives in an Orlando motel with her mother. Not only does she have natural charisma, but she also easily holds her own with co-star Willem Dafoe, a sign that her nascent career is destined for so much more.Photo: Courtesy of A24.PreviousNext
Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.