Most artists rely on the modern acting style, making us believe that they are not acting. These are the chameleonic, ultra-realistic actors that give strength to the “Oscars are always given to actors who make biographies” argument. or psychological realism seems unnecessary. It’s just different from realistic performances, and this has nothing to do with being believable.
Peter Mullanis a Scottish actor with such a style, exemplified by an outstanding career. Mullan is almost always a supporting character, but his presence always elevates these characters to being as memorable as the main protagonists. He’s a character actor with a style so precise that he steals every scene he’s in.
Although best known in the UK, he has had many great roles that viewers around the world would recognize. Currently starring The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Powerand perhaps best known in the United States for it West world and Brave heartMullan is also a writer and director and won the Venice Film Festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, for his film The Magdalena sisters. Here are Peter Mullan’s best performances.
10/10 Shallow grave
Mullan’s appearance in Shallow grave is pretty short and underexposed, but it introduced him to director Danny Boyle, who would help put Mullan on the map in a big way with Trainspotting. He plays a thug hunting down a mysterious man, and his performance is secondary to say the least, but it never means it’s not important. He is nefarious and intimidating, but never crosses the line and vulgarizes the role.
9/10 Top of the lake
Mullan’s Matt Mitcham is a leader of sorts whose morals are twisted to his advantage in filmmaker Jane Campion’s stellar miniseries. The crime drama Top of the lake, starring Elisabeth Moss, is naturally intense and Mullan adds power to a role that is supposed to be mysterious. No one is better than him at achieving this, and his performance earned Mullan an Emmy nomination.
8/10 My name is Joe
Of My name is JoeMullan won the 1998 Cannes Award for Best Actor, seven years after starring in director Ken Loach’s earlier film, Rapalje. His Joe Kavanagh is a recovering alcoholic who falls in love while trying to deal with the remnants of his past. In the film, Mullan feels like a kindness-driven ticking time bomb slowly moving toward the inevitable.
7/10 War horse
Ted Narracott is a great father character in Steven Spielberg’s movie War horse, and Mullan embodies him perfectly. He plays the physically and emotionally scarred father of a young man who is becoming a burden. When a drunken Ted decides to buy a horse to plow a field, a beautiful story of bonding begins. The physicality in Mullan’s performance is stunning in this quiet, beautiful drama.
6/10 Session 9
Mullan’s character is caught up in a tale of insanity and horror in this creepy, underappreciated horror film from the 2000s. Session 9 is the closest horror to the actor and it’s so effective it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the part of a man who gets close to possession. Sure, the movie is wildly disturbing, but the ensemble cast takes the dramatic layers to the next level.
5/10 Children of men
In Children of men, Mullan has an extremely small role, but it is endlessly memorable, suspicious and perfectly executed. It feels strong enough to leave a mark on the viewer trying to understand the cynicism of a character who moves between tyranny and kindness in seconds. The scene where he tries to make the refugees make some faces as he gets off a bus is deeply haunting, brief as it is.
4/10 Trainspotting
Mullan plays a wayward drug dealer who decides to help a junkie at the most unlikely of times Trainspotting. The actor adds gravitas to a film not known for this. It’s one of his relatively unknown performances that accomplishes a lot with a few minutes of screen time, and leads to one of the most memorable scenes in the movie.
3/10 Ozark
Jacob Snell was a violent part of the dark Netflix series Ozark, and was played impressively by Mullan. His presence felt ominous and dangerous, even if he didn’t exactly represent an unreasonable man whose actions were random displays of anger. The physicality, the voice and the emotional charge he placed on everyone is felt in every episode he is in. He’s just one of them Ozarkbest characters.
2/10 run red
The epic crime trilogy run redconsidered The godfather of the UK, was unfortunately not seen by everyone, but has one of Mullan’s most important roles. Reverend Laws’ morals are twisted enough in the run red trilogy to give Mullan a chance to play good and bad. The dramatic depth of the character requires Mullan to put the volatility aside and just wait for the big punch.
1/10 Tyrannosaurus
Simply the best of the best. Mullan stars alongside a great Olivia Colman in the very dark film Tyrannosaurus, directed by Paddy Considine. It is a poignant film that depicts emotional and physical abuse, and the consequences of a man’s specific response to it. Joseph is a monster of a man; he kills his dog during a drunken rage, which begins the downward spiral of a man whose nature follows no pattern at all.
Colman plays a great role, but this is Mullan’s show from start to finish, as he explores a relationship with a woman trapped in a marriage that is sure to end in something terrible, but sees no way out. Joseph is her only choice, but it comes with a price of fighting fire with fire.