supporting actress
Not the lead
A supporting actress is a female performer in a secondary role, distinguished from the lead.
The term appears most often in award categories: She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
The line between lead and supporting can blur—billing, screen time, and narrative importance all factor in, sometimes controversially.
Academy's golden award
- nominationFormal candidate selection
- Academy AwardTop Hollywood honor
- Golden GlobeFilm and television prize
- BAFTAUK film awards organisation
SAG Award · co-star · casting · audition · breakout · scene-stealer · character · chemistry
Backup actor, ready nightly
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- stageRaised performance platform
- castPerformers, throw, or splint
- playwrightAuthor of stage dramas
monologue · dialogue · costume · backstage · blocking · cue · spotlight · dramaturgy
Subordinate adventure partner
- confidanteTrusted female friend
- companionOne who keeps company
- foilDefeat a plan
- love interestRomantic focus of a story
antagonist · mentor · best friend · mother · sister · villain · comic relief · backstory
Depiction of someone
- deliveryConveyance of goods
- timingArt of choosing moments
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
- rangeExtent of variation
emotional depth · accent · transformation · chemistry · presence · versatility · subtlety · gravitas
Oscar
Academy's golden award
- nominationFormal candidate selection
- Academy AwardTop Hollywood honor
- Golden GlobeFilm and television prize
BAFTA · SAG Award · co-star · casting · audition · breakout · scene-stealer · character · chemistry · screenplay
understudy
Backup actor, ready nightly
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- stageRaised performance platform
- castPerformers, throw, or splint
playwright · monologue · dialogue · costume · backstage · blocking · cue · spotlight · dramaturgy · proscenium
sidekick
Subordinate adventure partner
- confidanteTrusted female friend
- companionOne who keeps company
- foilDefeat a plan
love interest · antagonist · mentor · best friend · mother · sister · villain · comic relief · backstory · arc
portrayal
Depiction of someone
range · emotional depth · accent · transformation · chemistry · presence · versatility · subtlety · gravitas · vulnerability
- Acting AwardsOscar, Emmy, Tony, Golden Globe, BAFTA
- Women in Filmfilm star, movie star, leading lady, screenwriter, director
- Drama CompetitionsTony Awards, Tonys, Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Fringe
supporting actressleading actress
lead actress · leading lady · female lead · star · headliner
supporting actressdirector
One who leads
producer · screenwriter · cinematographer · behind-the-scenes
support, actress, supporter, supported, supporting, supportive, supports, supporters, unsupported