Interestingly, our top choices in this category are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Two are the biggest antagonists in film this year, while the other three are supporting partners that we all wish we had in our lives.

Here are our picks for the Best Supporting Performances in a Drama Movie in 2023.

5. John Magaro – Past Lives

In any other film, John Magaro’s role as the husband would have either been written as abusive to justify why she would leave Arthur for Hae Sung or as an ultra-jealous type unable to understand why Nora would want to reconnect with Hae Sung. But it’s not that sort of film, and John Magaro instead portrays a loving partner who is trying his best to understand Nora, support her and get through what is ultimately a weird situation for anyone to be in. 

– Dylan

4. Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon

The legendary pairing of Martin Scorcese and Robert De Niro strikes again with De Niro delivering another stellar performance in a legendary career. De Niro gives one of his most villainous turns as William Hale, the man behind the conspiracy to steal the wealth of the Osage nation. Proof that even at age 80, Robert De Niro is a force to be reckoned with.

– Ashley

3. Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

There’s such warmth to the performance of Rachael McAdams in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. As Barbara Simon settles into her new life, one in which her husband’s job means she doesn’t have to work, she attempts to film her free time with as many extra activities at school as she can. Of course, it’s what all the other mothers are doing, but it’s different from what Simon is prepared for. McAdams is splendid in this role and gives one of her all-time best performances.

– Dylan

2. Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer

Easily one of Robert Downey Jr’s best performances as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer. The film focuses on Oppenehimer, but Strauss’ vindictive involvement in the downfall of Oppenheimer following the war is the film’s backbone and what the final hour focuses on. In particular, it’s the court case in which Stauss is embarrassingly thrown under the magnifying glass for his involvement in Oppenheimer’s life, where Downey Jr gives a new kind of performance with a stern and powerful tone. 

– Dylan

1. Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon

As the first Indigenous woman to win an acting Golden Globe, among the other awards Lily Gladstone has been nominated for and may win, she’s already cemented herself in history. In Killers of the Flower Moon, Gladstone portrays Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman who becomes entangled in one of the darkest secrets of American history. A plot to marry into riches and slowly divert that money to white men, led by William King Hale. Lily Gladstone portrays the role, which is a challenging one, with incredible passion. Although the Osage people are more significant than any one person, it is Gladstone as Kyle, who becomes the central figure and representation of what people like Hale did to the Indigenous people of America. She’s lied to, led to believe she is being looked after, and slowly and nearly poisoned. Lily Gladstone is phenomenal, and I hope we can see more from her now that the film has spotlighted her. 

– Dylan