Cecil Gaines (The Butler)
Following a bit of a career slump after the high of The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker took the lead role in Lee Daniels’ The Butler in 2013. Based loosely on a true story, it follows presidential butler Cecil Gaines, who rises from humble beginnings to a job at the White House. Through a 34 year tenure, Gaines serves eight different presidents, whilst living through the turmoil of racism in America.
Whitaker has almost a dual role here. Gaines is a calm, mannered man at work, whilst experiencing a tumultuous home life. The civil rights movement and the Vietnam war rage around him, whilst his wife struggles with addiction. Whitaker harnesses a quiet rage, in turn internalising his emotions, a watchful and invisible presence at work, and externalising his emotions during stressful moments with his family.
Whitaker’s role as Gaines was largely overlooked during the awards season. Although it picked up a couple of smaller awards, the part as written wasn’t nearly showy enough to catch the eye of Oscar voters. Nonetheless, it was another great role for a very talented, studious actor. It came at the right time for Whitaker, as his career had started to stall, and will hopefully lead to many more roles worthy of his talent.
