Thumbs Up! Michael Shannon Reveals His Sensitive Side in Grace…and We Love It

Michael Shannon isn’t the cuddly type. In fact, after seeing his Oscar-nominated performance as schizophrenic son John Givings in Revolutionary Road and his steely turn as Nelson Van Alden in Boardwalk Empire, we'd give him an award for Most Likely to Scare the Crap Out of Us. He's also known for creeptastic stage performances in off-Broadway's Bug and Killer Joe, but Shannon's role in the Broadway premiere of Grace is different. In Craig Wright’s dark comedy, he plays Sam, a bitter and reclusive scientist who survived a terrible car accident. When Sam meets a lonely Christian housewife named Sara (played by the actor’s real-life partner, Kate Arrington), the unlikely pair become close friends, even though Sam doesn’t believe in God. As Sam tries, painstakingly, to open his heart to Sara, Shannon slowly reveals a deeply wounded core in a performance so delicate and sensitive, it almost hurts to watch. This added dimension of pain and fragility catapults the always excellent actor into a new stratosphere. After seeing his performance in Grace, we’ll gladly give Shannon our vote for Most Likely to Earn a 2013 Tony Nomination.