Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1950: Nancy Olson in Sunset Boulevard

Nancy Olson received her only Oscar nomination to date for her performance as Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard. 

Sunset Boulevard is a brilliant movie about an aspiring screenwriter who writes a screenplay for a faded silent-film star, developing a strange and self-destructive relationship with her. It is often regarded as a masterpiece and this is really one of those movies that live up to its hype - it's a fantastic picture that is pretty much perfect. Billy Wilder easily should have won the Oscar for Best Director (in my opinion All About Eve was the right choice for Best Picture but its Best Director win is not all that deserved), the screenplay is excellent and the amazing cinematography is perfectly fitting for the dark and grotesque tone of the movie. 

The first time I saw the movie I was rather unimpressed by Nancy Olson's performance. I didn't think she was bad at all but, while fairly charming, I never felt that her performance ever became anything more than serviceable. I was actually tempted not to rewatch the movie as I didn't think that my thoughts on her performance were subject to change, but thankfully I did: I still don't think her performance is a masterpiece of acting, but I've come to truly appreciate the breath of fresh air she brings to the movie and now I actually think that her charming, genuine performance is essential to the success of it. The entrance of the character is actually rather unlikeable, as we see Betty harshly criticizing the script wrote by the leading character Joe (William Holden): Olson though prevents Betty from becoming an obnoxious character since she doesn't put a trace of arrogance in her portrayal - she's actually quite luminous in her first scene and her winning presence not only radiates charm but also a lot of intelligence. After this scene she doesn't appear for a while but her first few minutes she still manages to leave quite an impact.

Olson appears again in halfway through the movie, when Betty and Joe meet again at a party at her boyfriend's house. When I first saw the movie I actually didn't find the chemistry between Olson and Holden to be anything that special but this time around I thought it was actually rather sweet: it's very effective as both actors manage to make their romance work in a sincere and genuine way creating a striking contrast between Betty and Joe's tender relationship and Norma and Joe's oppressive one. Olson's Betty is a perfect counterpart to Swanson's Norma: whereas Norma is self-centered and emotional needy, Betty is nice and pleasant and Nancy Olson is fantastic in being the bright, luminous spot in the dark world of the movie. I actually think that without her the movie could have been overly grotesque but her lovely portrayal of an "ordinary" woman perfectly balances the movie preventing it from going too far. Also I really appreciate the aforementioned intelligence of her portrayal which makes Betty a rather interesting character instead of a bland, passive love interest. 

Her more emotional scenes are towards the end of the movie and Olson handles them very well. As I mentioned before, Holden and Olson make their romance work wonderfully even if there isn't that much screen-time devoted to it: the scene in which Betty reveals that she has deeply fallen in love with Joe and wants to break off her engagement could have felt unrealistic or too sudden but Nancy Olson makes it a touching, sweet moment that feels well-earned. Her best scene though is the one in which she finds out about Joe's double-life: I particularly love that scene because, while it could have overdramatic, Nancy Olson decides to underplay it and she is incredibly moving as Betty tries not to face the truth, blinded by her affection towards Joe. Her line-delivery of "I can't look at you anymore, Joe" is surprisingly heartbreaking and her last moments in which she tries to hold back the tears and then leaves crying are extremely poignant in their subtlety. 

Betty Schaefer isn't a particularly great role: it's not particularly complex and it doesn't have much screen-time, but Nancy Olson delivers a charming, lively and, finally, moving performance that perfectly acts as the ray of light in Sunset Boulevard's grotesque world. It's a very good performance that really benefits a lot from a rewatch and she is part of what makes Sunset Boulevard such a great movie. 

4/5