Great piece. I didn't watch the show, but the next day this is all I heard about: Strong's reaction when Culkin won. Like you said, it's unfortunate that we love to dump on people who seem to really want it while praising those who make it look like they don't care and are just, like, "Whatever, ok." It's what teenagers do -- how they assess your "cool" factor. There's no place for that kind of eyeroll cynicism in discourse about art, or really, any kind of discipline.
Thank you so much for this – I completely missed the Oscars too, but the memes about Strong's reaction landed in my mentions before coffee the next morning. The way it flared up online was so immediate and weirdly vicious.
You nailed it with the teenage social dynamics comparison. The "cool table" mentality has somehow infected our entire adult culture. We're applying high school popularity metrics to assess Oscar-nominated acting performances, which is genuinely insane when you stop to think about it.
What gets me is how this teen-level judgment system extends way beyond Hollywood. I keep noticing it in literature, journalism, tech, even academia – everywhere there's this bizarre pressure to downplay how much you care. Make it look easy or risk being labeled a try-hard.
Between you and me, I'm hoping for some cultural exhaustion with cynicism soon. Maybe the pendulum swings back to sincerity eventually? Until then, at least we have Jeremy Strong refusing to play along.
There was a lot of talk a few years ago about "postmodernism" vs. "post-post modernism", how things seemed to be getting away in the later 2000's from automatic cynicism and thinking of everything as a power move. David Foster Wallace talked a lot about it and then there were shows like "The Office" and "Parks and Rec" that were all about sincerity and working hard despite a world that doesn't value those things. But I think we've definitely regressed -- possibly because we've seen adults no longer acting like adults, our leaders failing to lead, etc. Words and attitude have become way more important than action.
Yeah, it's a lot to think about, and hopefully, like you said, it's cyclical.
I’m no Jeremy Strong in any industry, but I know how it feels like to get mocked for caring. I’ve attended speaking engagements where people have openly laughed in my face for saying that I deeply care about and love every chance to work in film education and criticism.
It’s either not worth it, or it’s too childish, but there’s just this reaction to any kind of passion or showing a vulnerability to the work. I don’t get it. Partially cause I’m autistic, but also because it doesn’t make sense.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Joonatan – it's exactly that real-world mockery of enthusiasm that got me writing this piece in the first place.
There's this bizarre social contract where we're all supposed to act like we don't actually give a shit about the things we've devoted our lives to. I've sat through countless film festival Q&As watching audience members squirm when filmmakers speak earnestly about their work.
The autism perspective you bring cuts right through it all – why wouldn't we care deeply about things that matter to us? The performance of casual detachment is such a waste of energy. Every time someone rolls their eyes at passion, I think they're really just protecting themselves from the vulnerability of caring that openly. Easier to mock than risk showing that same enthusiasm and getting shot down. Thanks for reading and connecting with this. Makes writing it worthwhile!
The criticism of people who care reminds me of the people at school who used to describe things (films, books, music) they didn't understand as "pretentious" – which is literally missing the point of the word, i.e. that it involves pretense. What's so refreshing about Jeremy Strong is that he's actually therefore one of the least pretentious people in film today, because his devotion to his craft is earnest to the point of oddness. He's not pretending to love acting, to be driven, to care deeply about the quality of the films he is in.
To me, that's very cool. But it's also so unusual nowadays that people don't know how to react to him, and so they inevitably alight on their default response: slightly defensive piss-taking...
Incidentally, I think it's kinda fascinating that the two characters these two play in Succession have their respective approaches *to their father's business*. Both want to inherit it or at least play an important role within it – they both aspire to traditional success and recognition – but Kendall takes it deadly, humourlessly seriously, while Roman exploits the born-to-rule ease he's afforded in a boardroom context to hide his real insecurities. Great casting, in other words.
This is SUCH a sharp observation about the misuse of "pretentious" – you've absolutely nailed it. What we're really seeing with Strong is the complete absence of pretense, which makes people deeply uncomfortable.
I'm actually obsessed with your Succession character parallel too. It's perfect casting precisely because Roman and Kendall represent these two approaches to inherited privilege – one who wields it with calculated casualness to mask deep insecurity (Roman/Culkin), and one who takes it so seriously that he's almost crushed by its weight (Kendall/Strong). Even their failures mirror this dynamic: Roman fails spectacularly through cavalier disregard, Kendall through trying too hard.
welp, Soph thanks, you did it again. your writing is effortlessly evocative. my eyes were watering the whole time if only simply from the connection I feel to Jeremy's pursuit of excellence. Thank you for this.
Loved this, on multiple levels. I fully agree about the class stuff and elite spaces. I also wonder if part of this is related to the general devaluation of creative labor - and a resistance these days to recognizing that art is work and often TAKES work, as in A LOT OF work, to do well. I am also thinking of writing here. Brandon Taylor wrote a craft essay for his substack in which he talks about the ways he sees this is manifesting among students in writing programs and the resistance to studying craft and technique, and instead relying on “vibes.” Maybe I’m making that connection because I also read his essay today: https://blgtylr.substack.com/p/story-basics-1-openings
The Brandon Taylor essay connection is spot on. That "vibes only" approach to creative work is such a convenient myth that primarily benefits people with existing privilege. When you don't have to worry about rent, you can romanticize struggle.
Makes me think of how certain writers hide their revision process to seem naturally gifted while those who discuss writing as practice get dismissed as mechanical. Such a strange cultural trap we've built.
Oh yes. And when you don't have to worry about rent, the stakes of success or failure are radically different. Attaching financial imperatives to artistic pursuit really changes the psychology of that pursuit - you have to develop a real skillset in order to earn your shot (let alone be given additional shots), but it can also make it difficult to rationalize and be patient with that work, since most of the *very time-consuming* labor that goes into developing craft is unpaid. Just ~vibing~ is never really an option.
I have actually been thinking about this a lot recently in the trajectory of my own adult life; it's what my own last newsletter was about. So all these observations are very well timed! Thank you again for this thoughtful essay.
Sophie, the awareness for you to not only point this out but articulate it in such a beautiful way is genuinely remarkable.
I think that anyone (myself included) who has watched these two go from battling Emmy’s to battling for Oscars has thought something along the lines of what you said, but I would have never thought to articulate it in that way. You hit the nail on the head.
The tough thing is that like your instinctual response at laughing at that guy’s description of Tar, I too have been guilty at laughing at someone who is dedicated & committed to the craft, like Strong. No idea why it is our default to laugh instead of defend in instances like that, but here is to your piece giving us the courage to embrace it!
This is such a thoughtful response, thank you! I think we've all been part of that nervous laughter when someone cares "too much".
It's weirdly comforting to know I'm not alone in that regret. There's this collective social pressure to maintain distance from anything we love, as if passion might somehow contaminate our cool. I keep wondering when this shifted - when earnestness became something to be embarrassed about rather than celebrated?
What fascinates me most about the Strong/Culkin dynamic is how clearly it reveals our own insecurities. We mock Strong's intensity because it reminds us of our own unrealized potential - if success requires that level of commitment, what does that say about us?
I'm really hoping for a cultural swing back to valuing visible effort. Not just in film but everywhere. Imagine how much more interesting everything would be if we all stopped pretending not to care so damn much.
Just found you via this essay and am so glad! You hit the nail on the head with this one… I also think this could tie in with the trend of anti-intellectualism, almost like at some point people thought it was too try hard to care enough about media/books to read between the lines, believe people were trying to “say”more than what they were literally saying. In some ways, Jeremy Strong believing his acting is important infers that he believes the works he is helping to create are important too, and nowadays the concept seems to make people feel uncomfortable; maybe because it implies that what they watch, read and “consume” matters too.
OMG. This is "THE big post" - I need to find time in my schedule to watch the remaining films (wasn't psyched about this year) and comment on all sorts of things here. Jeremy Strong gave one of the greatest supporting performances I have ever seen. That would complete the four biggies.
"Prestige is fleeting; significance is ever lasting."
Few actors are engaging with works so significant as Jeremy. I do wish him well though and I hope he makes wise (I.e. safe) choices.
Maybe we can even argue! 😆 The Academy IS having movies sweep; remember how 3 Oscars - even 2 - was common for Best Pic wins in the 2010s? I think Anora should have 3 - it's an awful nominations pool we had this year . . . Film Editing just baffled me this year. Director was odd with so many newcomers . . .
Love the work you do, Sophie. You unite the film community 👏
Are you compiling your Substack/IG data on your followers picks?
Need to see I'm Still Here. Buzz around that's just rising and rising.
Great article. I never understood the Strong backlash, and weirdly enough people had backlash to his Dunkin’ Donuts commercial too. It’s odd because Daniel Day-Lewis never receives that kind of disdain.
Also LOL @ KC using the same joke twice — maintaining his image, inviting the world into his martial dynamics, and making the award matter more than the actual acting — while simultaneously showing he cares just as much as Strong; his care is towards his public persona instead of public service. Really enjoyed reading this.
Great piece. I didn't watch the show, but the next day this is all I heard about: Strong's reaction when Culkin won. Like you said, it's unfortunate that we love to dump on people who seem to really want it while praising those who make it look like they don't care and are just, like, "Whatever, ok." It's what teenagers do -- how they assess your "cool" factor. There's no place for that kind of eyeroll cynicism in discourse about art, or really, any kind of discipline.
Thank you so much for this – I completely missed the Oscars too, but the memes about Strong's reaction landed in my mentions before coffee the next morning. The way it flared up online was so immediate and weirdly vicious.
You nailed it with the teenage social dynamics comparison. The "cool table" mentality has somehow infected our entire adult culture. We're applying high school popularity metrics to assess Oscar-nominated acting performances, which is genuinely insane when you stop to think about it.
What gets me is how this teen-level judgment system extends way beyond Hollywood. I keep noticing it in literature, journalism, tech, even academia – everywhere there's this bizarre pressure to downplay how much you care. Make it look easy or risk being labeled a try-hard.
Between you and me, I'm hoping for some cultural exhaustion with cynicism soon. Maybe the pendulum swings back to sincerity eventually? Until then, at least we have Jeremy Strong refusing to play along.
There was a lot of talk a few years ago about "postmodernism" vs. "post-post modernism", how things seemed to be getting away in the later 2000's from automatic cynicism and thinking of everything as a power move. David Foster Wallace talked a lot about it and then there were shows like "The Office" and "Parks and Rec" that were all about sincerity and working hard despite a world that doesn't value those things. But I think we've definitely regressed -- possibly because we've seen adults no longer acting like adults, our leaders failing to lead, etc. Words and attitude have become way more important than action.
Yeah, it's a lot to think about, and hopefully, like you said, it's cyclical.
I’m no Jeremy Strong in any industry, but I know how it feels like to get mocked for caring. I’ve attended speaking engagements where people have openly laughed in my face for saying that I deeply care about and love every chance to work in film education and criticism.
It’s either not worth it, or it’s too childish, but there’s just this reaction to any kind of passion or showing a vulnerability to the work. I don’t get it. Partially cause I’m autistic, but also because it doesn’t make sense.
I loved this essay.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Joonatan – it's exactly that real-world mockery of enthusiasm that got me writing this piece in the first place.
There's this bizarre social contract where we're all supposed to act like we don't actually give a shit about the things we've devoted our lives to. I've sat through countless film festival Q&As watching audience members squirm when filmmakers speak earnestly about their work.
The autism perspective you bring cuts right through it all – why wouldn't we care deeply about things that matter to us? The performance of casual detachment is such a waste of energy. Every time someone rolls their eyes at passion, I think they're really just protecting themselves from the vulnerability of caring that openly. Easier to mock than risk showing that same enthusiasm and getting shot down. Thanks for reading and connecting with this. Makes writing it worthwhile!
The criticism of people who care reminds me of the people at school who used to describe things (films, books, music) they didn't understand as "pretentious" – which is literally missing the point of the word, i.e. that it involves pretense. What's so refreshing about Jeremy Strong is that he's actually therefore one of the least pretentious people in film today, because his devotion to his craft is earnest to the point of oddness. He's not pretending to love acting, to be driven, to care deeply about the quality of the films he is in.
To me, that's very cool. But it's also so unusual nowadays that people don't know how to react to him, and so they inevitably alight on their default response: slightly defensive piss-taking...
Incidentally, I think it's kinda fascinating that the two characters these two play in Succession have their respective approaches *to their father's business*. Both want to inherit it or at least play an important role within it – they both aspire to traditional success and recognition – but Kendall takes it deadly, humourlessly seriously, while Roman exploits the born-to-rule ease he's afforded in a boardroom context to hide his real insecurities. Great casting, in other words.
This is SUCH a sharp observation about the misuse of "pretentious" – you've absolutely nailed it. What we're really seeing with Strong is the complete absence of pretense, which makes people deeply uncomfortable.
I'm actually obsessed with your Succession character parallel too. It's perfect casting precisely because Roman and Kendall represent these two approaches to inherited privilege – one who wields it with calculated casualness to mask deep insecurity (Roman/Culkin), and one who takes it so seriously that he's almost crushed by its weight (Kendall/Strong). Even their failures mirror this dynamic: Roman fails spectacularly through cavalier disregard, Kendall through trying too hard.
Thank you for this comment!!
"why do we mock people who care too much?"
I feel this so much, Sophie.
you 🤝 me 🤝 jeremy 🤝 caring too deeply
welp, Soph thanks, you did it again. your writing is effortlessly evocative. my eyes were watering the whole time if only simply from the connection I feel to Jeremy's pursuit of excellence. Thank you for this.
I definitely cried writing this too!! 🥺
man, it really hit home. thank you - seriously.
Also apologies if you don’t like being called Soph- it just felt right in the moment 😂
Everyone has their own technique.
Loved this, on multiple levels. I fully agree about the class stuff and elite spaces. I also wonder if part of this is related to the general devaluation of creative labor - and a resistance these days to recognizing that art is work and often TAKES work, as in A LOT OF work, to do well. I am also thinking of writing here. Brandon Taylor wrote a craft essay for his substack in which he talks about the ways he sees this is manifesting among students in writing programs and the resistance to studying craft and technique, and instead relying on “vibes.” Maybe I’m making that connection because I also read his essay today: https://blgtylr.substack.com/p/story-basics-1-openings
The Brandon Taylor essay connection is spot on. That "vibes only" approach to creative work is such a convenient myth that primarily benefits people with existing privilege. When you don't have to worry about rent, you can romanticize struggle.
Makes me think of how certain writers hide their revision process to seem naturally gifted while those who discuss writing as practice get dismissed as mechanical. Such a strange cultural trap we've built.
Oh yes. And when you don't have to worry about rent, the stakes of success or failure are radically different. Attaching financial imperatives to artistic pursuit really changes the psychology of that pursuit - you have to develop a real skillset in order to earn your shot (let alone be given additional shots), but it can also make it difficult to rationalize and be patient with that work, since most of the *very time-consuming* labor that goes into developing craft is unpaid. Just ~vibing~ is never really an option.
I have actually been thinking about this a lot recently in the trajectory of my own adult life; it's what my own last newsletter was about. So all these observations are very well timed! Thank you again for this thoughtful essay.
Sophie, the awareness for you to not only point this out but articulate it in such a beautiful way is genuinely remarkable.
I think that anyone (myself included) who has watched these two go from battling Emmy’s to battling for Oscars has thought something along the lines of what you said, but I would have never thought to articulate it in that way. You hit the nail on the head.
The tough thing is that like your instinctual response at laughing at that guy’s description of Tar, I too have been guilty at laughing at someone who is dedicated & committed to the craft, like Strong. No idea why it is our default to laugh instead of defend in instances like that, but here is to your piece giving us the courage to embrace it!
This is such a thoughtful response, thank you! I think we've all been part of that nervous laughter when someone cares "too much".
It's weirdly comforting to know I'm not alone in that regret. There's this collective social pressure to maintain distance from anything we love, as if passion might somehow contaminate our cool. I keep wondering when this shifted - when earnestness became something to be embarrassed about rather than celebrated?
What fascinates me most about the Strong/Culkin dynamic is how clearly it reveals our own insecurities. We mock Strong's intensity because it reminds us of our own unrealized potential - if success requires that level of commitment, what does that say about us?
I'm really hoping for a cultural swing back to valuing visible effort. Not just in film but everywhere. Imagine how much more interesting everything would be if we all stopped pretending not to care so damn much.
This is excellent, and I agree with it.
Thank you so much, Brendan!!
Just found you via this essay and am so glad! You hit the nail on the head with this one… I also think this could tie in with the trend of anti-intellectualism, almost like at some point people thought it was too try hard to care enough about media/books to read between the lines, believe people were trying to “say”more than what they were literally saying. In some ways, Jeremy Strong believing his acting is important infers that he believes the works he is helping to create are important too, and nowadays the concept seems to make people feel uncomfortable; maybe because it implies that what they watch, read and “consume” matters too.
OMG. This is "THE big post" - I need to find time in my schedule to watch the remaining films (wasn't psyched about this year) and comment on all sorts of things here. Jeremy Strong gave one of the greatest supporting performances I have ever seen. That would complete the four biggies.
"Prestige is fleeting; significance is ever lasting."
Few actors are engaging with works so significant as Jeremy. I do wish him well though and I hope he makes wise (I.e. safe) choices.
Maybe we can even argue! 😆 The Academy IS having movies sweep; remember how 3 Oscars - even 2 - was common for Best Pic wins in the 2010s? I think Anora should have 3 - it's an awful nominations pool we had this year . . . Film Editing just baffled me this year. Director was odd with so many newcomers . . .
Love the work you do, Sophie. You unite the film community 👏
Are you compiling your Substack/IG data on your followers picks?
Need to see I'm Still Here. Buzz around that's just rising and rising.
What is this thing with Wave? (I don't watch cartoons lol).
Great article. I never understood the Strong backlash, and weirdly enough people had backlash to his Dunkin’ Donuts commercial too. It’s odd because Daniel Day-Lewis never receives that kind of disdain.
Also LOL @ KC using the same joke twice — maintaining his image, inviting the world into his martial dynamics, and making the award matter more than the actual acting — while simultaneously showing he cares just as much as Strong; his care is towards his public persona instead of public service. Really enjoyed reading this.