WARNING: There are some spoilers for Jay Kelly in this article.
2025’s Jay Kelly starring George Clooney as…well… George Clooney, features some amazing performances all around (including from the star). The film, which you can check out with a Netflix subscription, has a full complement of great supporting roles from Laura Dern, Emily Mortimer, and Adam Sandler, among many others. Sandler, especially, has been recognized for his wonderful turn as Jay Kelly’s manager, Ron. However, I think the actor who has sadly been lost in the shuffle for some reason is Billy Crudup. In a film full of great performances, I honestly believe Crudup’s might be the best.
It’s Such An Important Character
If you don’t remember, Crudup plays Tim Galligan, one of Jay Kelly’s classmates from acting school. Unlike Kelly, who is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Galligan’s career never took off. After they run into each other at a funeral, they grab some drinks together. At this point, Galligan and Kelly seem happy to have run into each other after many years.
That’s when things get dark. It turns out that everyone in their acting class thought Galligan was the cream of the crop, but after he flubs an audition, Kelly tries out for the same part and wins the role, launching his incredibly successful career. Galligan has been bitter about it ever since. They end up physically fighting in the parking lot of the bar, and Kelly walks away worse for wear.
Crudup’s part is only on screen for a few minutes, and after the fight, we never see him again, but the confrontation follows Kelly throughout the rest of the film, including through the threat of a lawsuit. It’s a tribute to Crudup that we feel the reverberations until the end. He leaves a hell of a long tail, proving there are no small roles.
Crudup Should Be Up For Awards!
Don’t get me wrong, I love that Sandler is getting so many award nominations (and Clooney as well), and I hope he finally gets an Oscar nom (after he was denied for Uncut Gems), but I don’t get how Crudup isn’t getting more attention from the awards for the same category as Sandler (Best Supporting Actor). Yet, he doesn’t seem to have even been in the discussion among many Awards-watchers.
Weirdly, he’s not being talked about more. Billy Crudup’s career has been packed with awards. He’s won multiple Emmys for The Morning Show, and he’s got a Tony on his shelf, too (I was lucky enough to see him on stage in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui in 2002). Yet, he’s never even been nominated for an Oscar. This role in Jay Kelly is worthy of that first nomination, and yet, it’s obvious that he’s a huge long shot at this point.
So, let’s celebrate all the actors in Jay Kelly, and that includes Billy Crudup!
