Posted: 5/9/16 at 4:01pm
My last post got me thinking - producer petitioning aside, what is the true distinction between a "leading role" and a supporting/featured role? Every Tony and Oscar season I feel like I see supporting actors being nominated in the leading category and leading actors being nominated in the supporting category.
For me, there are usually between one and three lead actors in any play. For example, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche, Stanley, and Stella could all be considered leading, because it is the story of the three of them. Mitch and everyone else is there to help tell their story. However, in Les Miserables, there is only one lead, and it's Jean Valjean. Everyone else - Javert, Fantine, etc. are all there to support the telling of his story, even though they do have stories of their own that are explored.
Anyone else have any thoughts on how to make the distinction?
