Amy Ryan
Age:
39
Role:
Helene McCready in Gone Baby Gone
Synopsis:
Set in Boston in a neighbourhood of Dorchester four year old Amanda McCready has disappeared without a trace. The child's aunt and uncle plead with local private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Genano (Michelle Monaghan) to take on the case. The pair, who know the city well, dig into the child's pat discovering a drug-addicted mother, ex-cons, child abuse and drug dealers but this brings them no nearer to finding Amanda.
They join forces with detective Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and police captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) and together they discover the sad truth of Amanda's fate.
But Patrick can't walk away from the case and goes back over the clues finding himself being driven into a web of lies and violence which leaves him facing a moral dilemma.
Previous Oscar Wins:
None
Previous Oscar Nominations:
None
Awards/Nominations for Role:
She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and National Society of Film Critics.
As well as winning several awards for her role including Boston Society of Film Critics, Broadcast Film Critics Association, and the Satellite Awards.
Critics:
"Ryan leads with her jaw, and she gives her foul-mouthed lines rhythm and bite... She's viciously alive, and her wayward mother is a fresh, unprecedented creation on the screen." (The New Yorker)
The best performances come from (not unexpectedly) Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, and (perhaps unexpectedly) Amy Ryan. All three get maximum value out of their screen time. Ryan, playing Amanda's mother, is especially noteworthy. She humanizes a vile person, showing vulnerability alongside a startling streak of neglect and self-centeredness. (reelviews.net)
Deploying her broad Boston accent like a weapon, she whines and retreats, testing Patrick’s sympathy with each one of her pathetic excuses. It’s a gutsy, sensational performance that adds layers to an already spiky, provocative creation. (New York Times)
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Other Best Supporting Actress Nominations