Now that awards season has begun again, it is time for the Academy of Kirk Rudell Arts & Not-Very-Good-At-Sciences to recognize and honor his finest work from the previous year. And last year was one of exceptional performances by Kirk Rudell. The range of his acting in various social situations was so broad, yet so packed with nuance, that it is difficult to choose just one stand-out. For the Academy’s consideration, then, are five finalists for Performance of the Year, Kirk Rudell:
The Rainbow Loom
When his daughter shows him a bracelet of colored rubber bands and asks what he thinks of the “pattern” she has “invented,” a father must reach deep into his soul – or risk breaking her heart. While Rudell shows us that he sees the rainbow loom bracelet for what it is – a simple, somewhat half-assed pattern that is clearly not as good as the one Clementine gave her dad, which has FOUR starburst clusters woven into it – he gives his daughter the unearned validation she has come to crave and expect when he manages to say, with utter conviction, “Wow. That’s...that’s really good.”
Pipe Dream
A homeowner (Rudell), and a plumber (played by either “Roger” or “Raja,” it was hard to understand him), stand over a clogged toilet – two men from very different worlds who have come together to bear witness to a tragedy. And Rudell, better known throughout his career for being able to convey a reasonable level of intelligence, convincingly acts like a complete fucking idiot as he insists that he has no idea how the toilet got clogged with flushable baby wipes and cat litter.
Grease Monkeys!
A vulnerable Everyman’s car won’t start, and he is thrown into a roiling cauldron of self-doubt and also missing a morning of work to deal with it. While the entire performance garnered raves, the scene in which Rudell confronts the repair estimate is a tour de force. The auto mechanic (“Melky,” or possibly “Mikey”) has offered a number that Rudell assumes is high, just because. The tension is palpable, and Rudell lets it build before he looks down at the engine of his car, understanding absolutely nothing about how it works, and adopts the vaguely-Southern accent that is his default when dealing with people who can build and fix things. “Ah’m not en- TIRE-ly sure ‘bout the plugs, m’self,” he says. And suddenly the tension is shifted onto Melky/Mikey, who, confused now about what sort of a man Rudell is – handy? Southern-ish? alarmingly insecure? – knocks $35 off the bill.
When his daughter shows him a bracelet of colored rubber bands and asks what he thinks of the “pattern” she has “invented,” a father must reach deep into his soul – or risk breaking her heart. While Rudell shows us that he sees the rainbow loom bracelet for what it is – a simple, somewhat half-assed pattern that is clearly not as good as the one Clementine gave her dad, which has FOUR starburst clusters woven into it – he gives his daughter the unearned validation she has come to crave and expect when he manages to say, with utter conviction, “Wow. That’s...that’s really good.”
Pipe Dream
A homeowner (Rudell), and a plumber (played by either “Roger” or “Raja,” it was hard to understand him), stand over a clogged toilet – two men from very different worlds who have come together to bear witness to a tragedy. And Rudell, better known throughout his career for being able to convey a reasonable level of intelligence, convincingly acts like a complete fucking idiot as he insists that he has no idea how the toilet got clogged with flushable baby wipes and cat litter.
Grease Monkeys!
A vulnerable Everyman’s car won’t start, and he is thrown into a roiling cauldron of self-doubt and also missing a morning of work to deal with it. While the entire performance garnered raves, the scene in which Rudell confronts the repair estimate is a tour de force. The auto mechanic (“Melky,” or possibly “Mikey”) has offered a number that Rudell assumes is high, just because. The tension is palpable, and Rudell lets it build before he looks down at the engine of his car, understanding absolutely nothing about how it works, and adopts the vaguely-Southern accent that is his default when dealing with people who can build and fix things. “Ah’m not en- TIRE-ly sure ‘bout the plugs, m’self,” he says. And suddenly the tension is shifted onto Melky/Mikey, who, confused now about what sort of a man Rudell is – handy? Southern-ish? alarmingly insecure? – knocks $35 off the bill.
The Second Most Dangerous Game
A man (Rudell) spends an excruciatingly long drive upstate trying to convince his girlfriend that he didn’t mean to imply that he finds Lindsay Lohan still a little bit hot, in an I-mean-obviously-she’s-broken-but-still-kind-of-what’s-the-word-not- intriguing-but-look-it’s-not-like-I’d-want-to-have-dinner-with-her-or-anything- because-what-would-we-talk-about-certainly-not-all-the-things-you-and-I-can-talk- about-I’m-just-saying-objectively-there-are-things-about-her-that-are-sexy-insofar- as-our-culture-defines-that-word-plus-sometimes-the-drama-is-exciting-even-if- you-know-it’s-totally-unhealthy-I-love-you. A tragic, heartbreaking character who Rudell seems to be asking us to pity as well as despise.
Garbo Walks
A man, traveling alone, lands at LAX and approaches a mob of paparazzi... who are not waiting for him, because he is not famous. A lesser actor, a healthier human being, would have just walked past the photographers, but Rudell made the fascinating choice to stop, to pull on a baseball hat, and then to affect an air of “Uch, not this again” while refusing to make eye contact with the paparazzi. “You may not recognize me,” he indicated with every annoyed step, “but now you’re thinking that maybe you should.” His complete immersion in the role was all the more stunning for the fact that it was a performance for no one. Not one of the paparazzi was fooled. But genius demands no audience. That’s an expression, right?
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