Today’s question is one that was originally split but is one that I’m bringing together with a couple of variables in how it can be answered. With gender being a focal point of discussion, we don’t want to get too bogged down in what some may consider semantics, so we’re going to have it so that you can answer with multiple choices to cover a range of actors (male, female, non-binary, trans) or just one if you want to do a particular focus. There are so many amazing performances out there over the years and within different periods and styles of acting that it’s really had to come down to a true favorite without if often being part of a bigger work that you enjoy.

One of the more influential films for me was Ex Machina with how, through Film Crit Hulk’s essay, it helped to reshape how I view film. A lot of it is through the screenplay itself and what was done there, but I absolutely adored what Alicia Vikander did here and made me really engaged with all the little details of her performance and the long game of it all. It’s a fantastic work that really holds my attention each time I revisit it.

The other one for me that’ll stick for a long, long, time is that of Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln. I can’t revisit this one too often for a few reasons, but whenever I do I really know that I’m getting something exceptional here. Almost every film he’s in is made better because of his presence and when he’s in the leading role it’s just powerful. This one spoke to me a great deal because of my interest in politics and history and I was thrilled to be able to see this on th big screen, and his final performance in Phantom Thread.

Whare your picks?