Oscars 2015: ‘Boyhood’-ing the Acting Nominees

Time Keeps on Slipping…

2002. America began healing from 9/11. We tried escape. At the movies, we flocked to sequels: Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, Star Wars and too many more. Eminem and Nickelback and Nelly ruled the rock and pop charts. In the sports world, fans of the Lakers, Patriots, Red Wings and Angels all celebrated championships. And down in Texas, Richard Linklater started shooting Boyhood. Twelve years later, the movie's two child actors are now teenagers and stars Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke are supporting actor Oscar nominees. So, we know what they were doing in 2002. But it raised a question: What about the other 18 acting nominees? What were they doing in 2002? Look for yourself …
Eddie Redmayne

Eddie Redmayne's talent for disappearing into any role was apparent quite early. Back in 2002, the man considered by most Oscar pundits as the favorite to win best actor for his transformative portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything was just getting started … in drag. Yes, that year marked the 20-year-old's stage debut. He played a woman (Viola) in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre production of Twelfth Night. Look at those locks! When he wasn't cross-dressing for the Bard, he was modeling sweaters for knitting company Rowan Yarns. Hey, we all have things from our 20s we want to forget…
Benedict Cumberbatch

Before beginning: Look at those photos. The man doesn't age. Curse you, Cumberbatch! What can't you do?! OK. So, in 2002, the 26-year-old Benedict Cumberbatch was just getting started. Like Redmayne, he was basically onstage at that point doing Shakespeare (but not, as far as we can find, in drag). He did make his British TV debut that year in a film called Fields of Gold … and shortly thereafter played Stephen Hawking in a made-for-TV film. But stardom and hundreds of dreamy Cumberbabe websites were still a few years away.
Michael Keaton

You can see from the peacock logo at the bottom of the right side of the screen that Michael Keaton's career was well past its box-office prime. Like his professionally struggling character in Birdman, the 51-year-old actor was 10 years removed from his Batman blockbuster success and struggling to find consistent work. He didn't appear in any movies in 2002. Hence, that's Keaton, doing a guest spot on Frasier in 2002 (he also played a CNN on-location producer in the Gulf War in the HBO movie Live From Baghdad, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination).
Steve Carell

Back in 2002, Steve Carell was superstar … if you were a fan of the The Daily Show. At that point, the 40-year-old comedian, who is now Oscar nominated for Foxcatcher, was trading jokes with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and playing broad, often-hilarious roles like “Produce Pete.” The man would do anything for a laugh. Carell sharpened his skills there from 1999-2005. But he also tried the occasional acting role and landed a spot on the short-lived Julia Louis-Dreyfus' sitcom, Watching Ellie (pictured here). If you don't remember it, you aren't alone. The Office and The 40-Year-Old Virgin launched Carell into the mainstream in 2005, and paved the way for subsequent Daily Show alums.
Bradley Cooper

It's amazing what 12 years can do to a beard and a reputation. In 2002, 27-year-old Bradley Cooper wasn't even into the pure comedy phase of his career that defined him after The Hangover and until he showed surprising range in Silver Linings Playbook (which earned him the first of three of his Oscar nominations in the past four years; the other two are for American Hustle and, now, American Sniper). In fact, he was the definition of struggling actor, taking any role he could get. He got the Kevin Costner/Big Chill cutting-room floor treatment in 2002's Ben Affleck–Samuel L. Jackson thriller Changing Lanes. He did appear, however, in Bending All the Rules (pictured here). With that beard.
Julianne Moore

There isn't much difference between Julianne Moore in 2002 and 2014: She's still one of America's finest actresses, a classy professional without any of off-set scandals that keeps TMZ in business. And she's still criminally Oscar-less, something that is very, very likely to change this year following her acclaimed turn in Still Alice. In 2002, the 42-year-old had perhaps her finest year. She became the ninth performer to earn two Oscar nominations in the same year. She was nominated for supporting actress for The Hours and best actress for Far From Heaven, a role that many consider her finest.
Marion Cotillard

In 2002, Marion Cotillard was in transition. The 27-year-old actress has already had a busy career in France. She'd appeared in over a dozen films — including A Private Affair (pictured here). She decided to make the jump to Hollywood, which led to mixed results (as it often does). Ultimately, her international breakthrough came five years later, back in France when she won the best actress Oscar for playing Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose in 2007. Her nomination for Two Days, One Night is her second.
Reese Witherspoon

In 2002, Reese Witherspoon was a legally blonde superstar. The 26-year-old actress had been a critical darling throughout the 1990s (as early as her debut in The Man in the Moon, through Freeway and Election). In 2001, America caught up. Legally Blonde made her a box-office force. She followed it up in 2002 with her biggest success to date, Sweet Home Alabama, which grossed $127 million in the U.S. Twelve years later, Witherspoon's critical success for Wild is considered a comeback after a spotty five-year period. Why it may not be a box-office smash, it reminded critics of the fearless actress they loved the in the '90s.
Rosamund Pike

From Bond girl to Oscar nominee — now that is a 12-year journey. In 2002, 23-year-old Rosamund Pike debuted as a Bond girl opposite Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day. The English actress made a handful of critically acclaimed movies (Pride & Prejudice, An Education) that proved she wasn't just eye-candy. But it's her icy, Oscar-nominated turn in Gone Girl that represents a breakthrough.
Felicity Jones

Back in 2002, the best actress nominee for The Theory of Everything was just getting her feet wet. The 19-year-old English actress played a cruel bully in the British TV series Weirdsister College (a sequel to a popular children's show, The Worst Witch) while also continuing school. It'd be nine more years before American audiences would discover Felicity Jones in the critically acclaimed Sundance romance Like Crazy.
Edward Norton

Trust us, that's Edward Norton in the suit. In 2002, the 33-year-old was one of America's most sought-after actors (following acting showcases like Primal Fear, Fight Club and American History X), and he worked a lot that year: Frida, Red Dragon, Spike Lee's 25th Hour and … Danny DeVito black comedy Death to Smoochy. Somehow, it feels like his Birdman character, Mike Shiner, would be totally game for the Smoochy rhino suit.
J.K. Simmons

J.K. Simmons has been the "Hey, I know that guy!"-type of character actor since he started working in 1986. In fact, if the frontrunner for best supporting actor wins for Whiplash, it's a solid bet that a lot of Oscar viewers will respond with a "Wait, is that the Farmers Insurance guy?!" Back in 2002, he nabbed the role of J. Jonah Jameson in the year's biggest box-office success, Spider-Man. But for viewers of cutting-edge TV, he was probably best known as Vernon Schillinger, the sadistic neo-Nazi on HBO's gruesome prison drama Oz. That man makes the Whiplash music teacher look like a saint.
Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo, the master of facial hair, then and now ("Sweet 'stache, bro," as his character in Safe Men would say). In 2002, the 35-year-old nominee for Foxcatcher had been working for a decade, and was coming off his best year. His turn as a directionless brother in the critically adored You Can Count on Me upped his profile and he began getting steady work and larger roles. He's pictured here in the romantic drama XX/XY. It'd be another nine years before the Academy noticed him for the first time, in The Kids Are All Right.
Robert Duvall

You might have heard of him. Twelve years ago, 72-year-old Robert Duvall was doing what he's been doing since 1962, when he made his film debut as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird: Owning the screen. In 2002, he wrote, directed and starred in Assassination Tango (pictured here). And the hairline is the same there as in his Oscar-nominated turn in The Judge. Impressive.
Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke was riding high when he headed down to Houston to start Boyhood in 2002 (his fourth collaboration with writer-director Richard Linklater). The 32-year-old was coming off his first Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor opposite best actor winner Denzel Washington in Training Day. Twelve years later, and he's got his second acting nomination.
Patricia Arquette

Ethan Hawke's Boyhood co-star was in a tougher spot, professionally, in 2002. Patricia Arquette wasn't working much. The 34-year-old actress was nominated for a Razzie for worst actress in Adam Sandler's Little Nicky in 2000 and outside of starting Boyhood, she only appeared in the unknown thriller The Badge in 2002 (pictured here). It'd be three more years before the TV show Medium rekindled her career — and made filming Boyhood a lot tougher.
Laura Dern

For over three decades, Laura Dern has been a constant in American cinema. The critical darling was head down, just working 12 years ago. In 2001, she made six films. In 2002, the 36-year-old made two more, plus did a stint on The West Wing (pictured here). Her Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in Wild is her second. She was nominated for best actress for Rambling Rose in 1992.
Keira Knightley

What were you doing at 17? If your answer is, "I was making five movies," then you share something in common with Keira Knightley, the best supporting actress nominee for The Imitation Game. The 17-year-old English actress had an agent by the time she was 6 and in 2002, she finally had her breakthrough in soccer drama Bend It Like Beckham, which was a hit both in England and America. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise followed, and the rest, as they say …
Meryl Streep

This may come as a surprise but Meryl Streep was also nominated for an Oscar back in 2002. Shocking! In fact, the 53-year-old actress had a fantastic year, which is saying a lot considering her career. She received an Oscar nomination (her 13th) for Adaptation (one of her finest, kookiest performances), and also played one of the leads in The Hours. She likely also had a lot less time in the makeup chair than she did for Into the Woods.
Emma Stone

Sorry, but 2006 was as early as we could go without raiding Emma Stone's yearbook. We don't have those rights. Emma, if you are reading this, we'd love something from 2002. Suffice to say, at that time, Ms. Stone was where most 14-year-olds should be: In school. Nobody was shooting a movie called Girlhood in Scottsdale. She didn't move to Hollywood to begin acting until two years later, after she convinced her parents with a PowerPoint presentation set to Madonna's "Hollywood." Cute move. Smart decision. Her supporting actress nomination for Birdman is her first, but probably not her last.

Time Keeps on Slipping…

Eddie Redmayne

Benedict Cumberbatch

Michael Keaton

Steve Carell

Bradley Cooper

Julianne Moore

Marion Cotillard

Reese Witherspoon

Rosamund Pike

Felicity Jones

Edward Norton

J.K. Simmons

Mark Ruffalo

Robert Duvall

Ethan Hawke

Patricia Arquette

Laura Dern

Keira Knightley

Meryl Streep

Emma Stone