I Was Robbed: Maria Bello and Viggo Mortensen
By Anthony Daquano
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Considering that Bello appeared in small thankless roles in movies like Coyote Ugly, Payback and even a quick stint on ER, one can’t really make the argument that she hadn’t paid her dues. Her performance in A History of Violence was well-regarded enough to be recognized by critics groups from Chicago, Kansas City and New York. Even the Golden Globes, who like to shun lesser known actors and actresses, found her performance to be one of the year’s five best. Maybe it was the fierce protectiveness of a mother, the unflinching loyalty of a wife, or the realization of a woman that the world she knows is built upon a hidden secret that caused the Academy to decide Bello wasn’t worthy enough of a nomination. After all, Frances McDormand had a role in an Oscar bait film, and as we all know if Frances McDormand is an movie she must be good enough for a nomination.
A History of Violence is a simple enough movie, but without the right actors in the roles, it wouldn’t hold together well. The performances, particularly those of Bello and Mortensen, elevate the movie. Both actors must navigate scenes that juxtapose each other. Both actors sell an intimate and flirtatious love scene, while later in the movie sharing a much more brutal scene not of love, but of a much deeper catharsis. Bello may not comfortable with the realization of her husband’s past and as angry as she is, to be taken much more forcefully by this violent man is tough for her to resist. When she defends her husband in a diner it comes out of a need to protect the man she loves. When she defends her husband against the sheriff and a similar allegation, she defends him out of a need to protect her children. Through these similar but vastly different scenes, both actors maintain a strong sense of the original character while exploring new depths.
Bello’s best scene of the movie comes from her realization that her husband has a darker past than she could have ever expected. Bello performs the scene so naturally that you can’t help but sympathize with her situation. Bello portrays utter disgust, but also has to play a woman quickly realizing that the last 20 years of her life may only be a fabrication. Something as simple as her name quickly has no meaning, and she accurately displays a sense of disorientation with her world. Yet, never once does it seem as if she loses that love and passion for the man she married, though the reality of his alternate personality is too much to comprehend.
Mortensen, on the other hand, plays his character as clearly one man, a man who has buried his past. He atoned for his sins and was born again, and found new life with his wife and children. Mortensen performs terrifically as a man hiding a dark secret, without ever hinting towards his past. He perfectly hides his recognition of past demons when they come back to haunt him. He’s perfectly adept at being a committed father, and it’s only in those times where he is absent from his family that we do get a glimpse of the violent man he used to be. His confession comes not from a need to be released, but rather simply for the fact he can no longer hide it. Yet, he believes his wife and children can still accept he is the same man they have always known. Even so, he doesn’t know how to comprehend his new reality. Finally, in order to protect his family, he has no choice but to succumb to his former self. His seamless switch or personalities only confirms his wife's suspicions that his former self never died.
Mortensen saves his best scene for the final act, where he confronts his past and finally “kills” his former self. If you’ve seen the movie, you know how terrific William Hurt is in this climatic scene, displaying a jealous, violent man, but one is far less capable of protecting himself than his younger brother. Perhaps this comes from a lack of anything real to protect and kill for. Either way, Mortensen represents a direct contrast of character. Even now as his former persona, his duty to protect not only himself but also his wife and kids come through. He may not have put his previous nature to rest, but his love of family and sense of duty are very real. As his former personality Joey, he can admit that settling down is far better than the life he left behind, a fact his brother can’t accept. It is this realization though that drives Mortensen to start anew once more.
Mortensen would be recognized for his equally impressive work in Cronenberg’s next film, Eastern Promises. Bello would appear in the third Mummy movie. Mortensen would be snubbed again for his performance in The Road, while Bello was recently seen playing Kevin James’ wife in Grown Ups. Obviously, it would be an understatement to say their careers have taken different paths and shows how much a difficult snub can alter an actor’s career. Instead of at least enjoying one Oscar nomination, Bello still has to settle for her Blockbuster Award.