Michael Shannon is a two-time Academy Award nominee and one of the most reliable actors working today when it comes to delivering solid, confident performances. His latest is as George Westinghouse in the drama “The Current War”. Shannon is a critical and cinephile darling who, I think, hasn’t gotten as much appreciation by the masses as he deserves.
His first Oscar nom was for 2008’s “Revolutionary Road”, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. A few years later, Shannon earned rave reviews for his work in the indie “Take Shelter”. He moved onto roles in the more commercial “Premium Rush” and “Man of Steel” before getting gritty again.
Shannon’s performance in little-seen “99 Homes” was universally praised. He received Golden Globe, Critics Choice, SAG and Independent Spirit Awards nominations but was one of the year’s major Oscar snubs. I met Shannon at Critics Choice in January ’16 when he was up for “99”. He was kind and definitely down to earth, very appreciative of the awards season recognition.
That year proved to be another big one for him: “Midnight Special”, “Loving”, “Elvis & Nixon” (he was GREAT as the King of Rock ’N Roll) and “Nocturnal Animals”. Shannon co-starred in fashion designer Tom Ford’s drama, joining Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and GG winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson. That film had MANY problems, but Shannon was not one of them, earning his second Oscar nomination. [Still, none of those movies were box office hits AT ALL.]
In 2017, Shannon was among the ensemble of Best Picture Academy Award winner “The Shape of Water”. And he’s part of another grand cast next month, joining Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out”.
Shannon has carved-out a distinct group of roles and films. I look forward to seeing what he’ll do next.