By the time “Bridge of Spies” opened in October 2015, Mark Rylance was already a three-time Tony Award winner. But Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama would take Rylance’s career to a new level — from the theatre to the movie theater.
He earned the BAFTA and Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Rudolf Abel, thanking Spielberg and co-star Tom Hanks in his Academy Awards acceptance speech. Rylance re-teamed with Spielberg for “The BFG” (released less than a year after “Spies”).
Next, Rylance worked with another prolific director, Christopher Nolan, for 2017’s “Dunkirk”, before joining Spielberg once again for a key role in 2018’s dazzling “Ready Player One”.
Rylance was nominated for the SAG for “Spies” but did not win from that awards group until the Ensemble honor for 2020’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (directed by Aaron Sorkin). He was nominated again in that category this past awards season as part of the cast of Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” — the one Rylance character in recent years I’d like to forget.
Earlier this year, he led dramatic thriller “The Outfit”, from Oscar-winning “The Imitation Game” writer Graham Moore. It was a solid performance in a film that works in parts but gets a little too cute for its own good, with an ending with a sour aftertaste.
Rylance’s performance as real-life amateur professional golfer (yes, you read that right) Maurice Flitcroft in “The Phantom of the Open” is his best since “Spies”. He stars opposite Sally Hawkins, who also gives an emotionally powerful performance in a truly fun, sweet movie. “Phantom”, directed by Craig Roberts (of 2020’s bold, brave “Eternal Beauty”, starring Hawkins), opens in select theaters June 3rd, with a gradual nationwide expansion throughout the month of June.
Next up for Rylance: roles in films from heavyweights Terence Malick (“The Way of the Wind”) and Luca Guadagnino (“Bones & All”). Why is it that all these directors want to work with Rylance? It’s because, as he also said in his Oscar speech, “I’ve always adored stories — hearing them, seeing them, being in them. It’s a wonderful time to be an actor, and I’m proud to be of it.”