4. Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
When I first saw Inglourious Basterds, I really enjoyed it, however, I couldn’t help but point out the giant elephant in the room: Who the hell was the actor that played Hans Landa?! Coming virtually out of nowhere, Christoph Waltz roared onto the screen. In the opening scene alone he’s the single most captivating player. Whipping out a Sherlock Holmes pipe, and sporting some Nazi duds, Waltz went on to perform one of the most intimidating performances I’ve ever seen.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a great film. However, without Leonardo DiCaprio’s all-too-realistic performance of a mentally challenged individual, the film would simply be mediocre. He steals every scene he’s in and more. Possibly playing our sympathetic strings, or maybe we’re just fascinated to see such an actor take on that kind of a role; either way, DiCaprio was definitely robbed of an Oscar!