In the first major upset of the 88th Academy Awards, Mark Rylance won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role as a Russian spy in “Bridge of Spies.”
Rylance topped a powerful field with Sylvester Stallone widely expected to take trophy for portraying Rocky Balboa in “Creed.” Rylance also topped Christian Bale in “The Big Short,” Tom Hardy in “The Revenant” and Mark Ruffalo in “Spotlight.”
A deeply moved Rylance credited Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in his acceptance.
“I’ve always just adored stories — hearing them, seeing them, being in them,” he said. “For me, to have a chance to work with one, of the greatest storytellers of all time — Steven Spielberg — that’s such a great honor. He leads with such love that he’s surrounded by masters in every craft in his film. I’m so pleased that our film has been nominated so many times.”
He then lavished praise on Hanks, who portrays lawyer James B. Donovan, who negotiated the release of U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers in exchange for Rudolf Abel, a captive Soviet KGB spy held under the custody of the United States.
“If you ever learned about acting with Tom Hanks, would it help? The answer is clearly yes,” Rylance added. “I don’t know how they separated the five of us from all the other supporting actors that are making films at the moment. It’s a wonderful time to be an actor.”
