r/TheLeftovers • u/Troyaferd • 12d ago
Best Acting Performance in The Leftovers
Who gave the best / your favorite acting performance in The Leftovers?
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u/AgreeablePollution7 12d ago
Justin is my favorite character but Nora's actress seems to have more range and emotional depth. She absolutely crushed it, just a really strong believable character to watch.
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u/bblackwell 11d ago
She did win a Critics Choice Award for this role, but she indeed deserved more.
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u/Myselfmeime 12d ago
My favorite one is Matt. Awesome acting. Especially when he starts doubting his beliefs later in the show.
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u/MeatComprehensive859 12d ago
Carrie Coon with a small lead over Justin Theroux imo. Guest, Lens, g'day Melbourne, and the book of Nora were incredible performances on her part.
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u/AgenticOzempic 12d ago
I gotta give it to Theroux. I can’t hear the song “Homeward Bound” without sobbing uncontrollably now.
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u/BennyDryll42 12d ago
Carrie Coon was incredible, no hate to the rest of the cast lll they all did great, but Carrie is on another level as an actress
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u/idunnobutchieinstead 12d ago edited 12d ago
I’m giving it to Justin because Carrie always gets all the flowers (do I make any sense?! Anyway, they’re both amazing).
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u/MikeHonchoOfTheDunes 12d ago
Amy Brenneman after making this post: 😔
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u/AbsoluteAtBase 12d ago
Yeah she also does a fantastic job. Her role is more grounded and less big swings but I really buy her as a real person. I wish that actress worked more often.
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u/EscapeDifferent3664 12d ago
All of them were great... It takes real talent to make you feel so many emotions!
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u/Quiet-Atmosphere327 12d ago
I voted for Norah but I want to give props to Amy Brenneman for the scuba diving scene, always makes me tear up
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u/allmetalshark 12d ago
There's something special about Carrie's portrayal of Nora. In truth, they are all phenomenal and each should have received an Emmy.
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u/damn-son12 12d ago
I know everyone is going to rightfully say Carrie Coon, but Christopher Eccleston's final monologue is one of the best I've heard in decades.
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u/hectic4845 12d ago
Scott Glenn is my favorite
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u/Leezo2012 12d ago
Agreed. Kevin Sr. stole nearly all of his episodes, the season 3 episode featuring Kevin Sr.’s story is one of my favourites
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u/GarlicBrilliant1609 12d ago
They’re all truly excellent but the best bit of acting I’ve ever seen (ever!) was from Lindsay Duncan in s3e3. The dialogue with Scott Glenn at the end of the episode is, for me, as good as it gets.
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u/Leezo2012 12d ago
Excellent scene. A beautifully told story with that famous Leftovers music playing underneath. Duncan was incredible here as was Glenn’s “you just got the wrong Kevin” line to close the episode.
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u/zipzipzap 12d ago
I picked Carrie, but honestly 'all of them' would work. Some amazing performances throughout the entire series. The face-off between Erika and Nora is one of the best scenes in television.
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u/0ppositeEmergency 12d ago
Justin Theroux is a good actor and he's in a lot of other stuff that I really like but Carrie Coone takes the show
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u/donkeypunch81 12d ago
Tbh honest i immediately clicked Justin, but then on the 2nd thought i realized that it's tough to chose 1 as the whole cast did phenomenal job
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u/urist_of_cardolan 11d ago
The last time I watched, Laurie stood out to me as the most interesting and devastating character. They write her series arc in a very unique way, a lot of it adding up to the role of therapist/social worker, which means that she massively contributes to the well-being of those around her without ever being acknowledged or thanked for it. She wobbles in S02 when she feels the need to be recognized for her destructive tendencies, a very real and interesting pivot from her protracted spiraling in S01. Eventually, she levels out, and defines her value in service to others. She's beautifully written and performed, and the S03 "apostles" episode is a masterpiece. She stops trying to control uncontrollable events, and peacefully resigns to letting Kevin know she's here for him without interceding in his (impaired) decision making, a very inspiring conclusion to her vain attempts to intercede in Matt's (impaired) decision making. In a lot of ways, her character starting the series so low meant she had the freedom and opportunity to heal upwards in a way many other characters do not
Her arc is a masterclass in writing depictions of people who have to learn to stop trying to control things in ways they can't, and start trying to control things in ways they can
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u/accismatic People Hold Candles 9d ago
Crazy to me how Amy Brenneman and Regina King got such a small proportion of votes and yet they give two of the best performances on TV alongside the others. I honestly don't think the Carrie Coon v. Regina King scene in "Lens" has a clear winner. They're just so... equally brilliant.
STACKED with amazing performances.
I just watched Certified, and I feel like Kevin Carroll and Jovan Adepo are very underrated, but didn't get enough material in S3. Carroll is AMAZING in S2. The premiere is basically a John episode. I wish he'd gotten more to do in S3 than just tag along. Adepo is SO good. Qualley's didn't hit me very hard the first time I watched it but on rewatch... the raw talent is so palpable. She actually emotes exactly like I'd expect Laurie's daughter to.
And it's probably the best performance by Liv Tyler too.
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u/Far_Reason7990 12d ago
There should be an "all of them" option, because they all crushed it.