In Character: Tom Wilkinson

The funny thing about Tom Wilkinson is that he’s been around a lot longer than I always remember. Although he became widely known in the early 2000s, I often forget that his career started much earlier. He popped up occasionally as crooked lawyers, thieving businessmen, noble royalty, bloodthirsty generals, and so on. But then he got that one role. That one role that put him over the edge, and made him a household name. Now he’s a go-to… for anything. Any character, any accent, any motivation – Tom Wilkinson is a go-to actor to make any character shine. That brilliant, haunting, perfect role that launched his career is listed below, along with five others that prove his continual worth.

Five Essential Roles

The Full Monty (1997)

Gerald

After a failed steel mill puts most of a town out of work, a merry band of male misfits decide to earn money by stripping at Chippendale’s. But first, they need direction. They need a routine. After Gaz (Robert Carlyle) assembles his crew, they spot their old boss, Gerald, waltzing with his wife at a dance class. Man’s got moves, so they offer to bring him on. But Gerald’s not having it. He’s too proud. Too dignified. Too manly. There’s a great scene midway through the film that encapsulates Gerald’s emasculation. After Gerald physically battles some of the men, he admits through tears that he can’t tell his wife he’s out of work. He breaks down, and the others listen. Then they offer to help. And help do they ever.

Normal (2003)

Roy Applewood

On the surface, Roy Applewood is a happily married man living the All-American dream: steady job at the factory, proud wife, smart kids, and so on. But underneath, he’s a deeply troubled individual who believes he was born into the wrong body. Everything about Wilkinson’s work here bleeds struggle. Roy is a person constantly fighting an uphill battle, with no real support in sight. But he stays. He goes to work, he goes to church. He endures. He explains. He perseveres. He perseveres until he is no longer he, and it is simply beautiful to watch.

Separate Lies (2005)

James Manning

When I covered Emily Watson in this column, I made mention of how taken I was with the apathetic nature of Separate Lies. None of the characters involved harp on the circumstances plaguing them. Until they’re forced to.

In one scene, Wilkinson’s James Manning receives several verbal blows within seconds when he discovers that his wife is not only a killer, but an adulterer as well. And watching this sequence, I’m reminded of how perfect Wilkinson listens. Rarely is it so fascinating to watch an actor simply receive information. But it’s written all over Wilkinson’s face. Everything we need to know about him is displayed convincingly on his weathered, furrowed brow. A great example of not needing words to communicate your point.

Cassandra’s Dream (2007)

Uncle Howard

Wilkinson’s role Woody Allen’s criminal ignored thriller, Cassandra’s Dream is evidence of a great actor doing so much with so little. We hear about Uncle Howard plenty before we actually meet him. We hear that he’s a rich businessman who always puts family first. When he arranges to have lunch with his family, brothers Terry (Colin Farrell) and Ian (Ewan McGregor) see it as an opportune time to ask their uncle for separate loans. Howard hears them out says that yes, they can have the money. They just have to do him one small favor.

The favor, it turns out, is not so little. Terry and Ian are to murder a former business partner of Howard’s. Why? Doesn’t matter. How much money will they gain? Plenty. In one electrifying monologue of shame, power, greed and acceptance, Howard spells out the offer to his nephews with candid indifference. It’s as if he’s asking them to watch his dog for a week, not murder a man who could put him in prison. Wilkinson pops up a few more times throughout the film, but his monologue detailing the offer is the highlight of a rather great film.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Arthur Edens

I swear, if the only thing Wilkinson did in this movie was deliver the extended, off screen rant that opens the film, he still would’ve been nominated for an Oscar. But he does more. So much more. Through episodes of his untreated manic-depressive disorder, Wilkinson enrages his character with vehement opposition. He fights his own team and speaks his mind. It’s maddening, often nonsensical, and consistently gripping.

In fact, Arthur may be the most incensed character Wilkinson has ever played. During the scene between he and George Clooney in an interrogation room, the power of Wilkinson’s craft is evident in Clooney’s reaction. Sure, Michael Clayton, the character, is supposed to look confused and furious, but I like to think there’s some of Clooney poking through there. There’s a part of George Clooney, the actor, being completely enchanted by the performer in front of him. Or maybe I’m assuming too much. Either way, there’s no denying the command that Wilkinson has of Arthur Edens. It’s nearly the best thing he’s ever done.

The Best of the Best

In the Bedroom (2001)

Matt Fowler

The power of Todd Fields’ In The Bedroom is in its silence. Fields knows when to let his characters be still and when to think; he knows how to make room for time. For example, few things resonate more than watching Matt Fowler standing stoically in a high school hallway, bracing himself to speak words he never thought he’d have to speak. Or the way in which Matt slowly disassembles a small swing set with such precise devastation. Or the way he lays in bed, starring at the ceiling, thinking.

But that’s just one side to Wilkinson’s magnificent work here. The other, of course, is when his confidence fails, and he’s forced to confront his problems head on. While I remain wholly taken with the stillness of Wilkinson’s work in this film, the best thing he’s ever done as an actor is dive into an extended argument with Sissy Spacek. They move through the house, breaking dishes, slamming doors, screaming. They talk of fault, of guilt, of remorse. They insult, they berate, they accept. It’s as honest and gut wrenching a domestic argument as I’ve ever seen on film. Wilkinson goes through a character arc in that scene that changes the entire course of the movie. And, as usual, it’s written all over Wilkinson’s face. He doesn’t have to say a word.

Other Notable Roles

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Prime Suspect (1991)

In the Name of the Father (1993)

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Rush Hour (1998)

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

Ride with the Devil (1999)

The Patriot (2000)

The Gathering Storm (2002)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Ripley Under Ground (2005)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Batman Begins (2005)

The Last Kiss (2006)

Dedication (2007)

Recount (2008)

RocknRolla (2008)

John Adams (2008)

Duplicity (2009)

The Ghost Writer (2010)

The Conspirator (2011)

The Kennedys (2011)

The Debt (2011)

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)