Great Performances

A king and a terrorist. A tattooed hacker and a crazy mama. They may lose an arm or a spouse, become a billionaire or a vigilante, but the actors we celebrate here are sorcerers who, by pouring self into story, created indelible characters worth admiring or reviling — and always worth treasuring

Great Performances 2011

Tilda Swinton

By Richard Corliss and Mary PolsThursday, Feb. 10, 2011
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Peter Hapak for TIME

I Am Love

Possibly the supreme film actress of our time, with a 2008 Oscar for Michael Clayton, Swinton, 50, often plays wild or haughty women. In I Am Love, she went demure, glam and romantic as a timid wife liberated by adultery. Nurturing the project for 11 years meant "going across a very long tightrope, trying to make sure the balance is right," she says. "We were aiming for all-out operatic drama and fantasy. But when you get to the end of the tightrope, you're just glad to be able to kick the box."










See Tilda Swinton talk about her favorite performances:

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