Oscars in this category have been awarded for performances running the gamut from glorified cameos (Beatrice Straight’s five minutes and 40 seconds in Network) to de facto leads (Tatum O’Neal surely carried Paper Moon). The amount of screen time put in by this year’s crop of nominees is just as varied. So maybe the answer to the question of what, exactly, makes a performance a supporting one is as simple as this: It’s what gives you the best shot to win.
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Total running time (minutes): 129
Screen time (minutes): 32:55
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 25.5%
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Total running time (minutes): 122
Screen time (minutes): 35:55
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 29.4%
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Total running time (minutes): 119
Screen time (minutes): 73:27
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 61.7%
Rooney Mara, Carol
Total running time (minutes): 118
Screen time (minutes): 80:08
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 67.9%
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Total running time (minutes): 187
Screen time (minutes): 86:01
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 45.9%
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Total running time (minutes): 130
Screen time (minutes): 25:30
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 19.6%
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Total running time (minutes): 141
Screen time (minutes): 28:13
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 20.0%
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Total running time (minutes): 156
Screen time (minutes): 41:38
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 26.7%
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Total running time (minutes): 129
Screen time (minutes): 49:49
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 38.6%
Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Total running time (minutes): 133
Screen time (minutes): 65:14
Percentage of screen time to movie length: 49.0%
*This article appears in the February 8, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.