There were a number of actors who had banner years in 2019, starring in some of the biggest movies and most talked-about TV series – and in some cases, both. For our first-ever Fan Favorite Actor Golden Tomato Award, we narrowed the field down to 25, ranging from Robert Downey Jr. and Mahershala Ali to Keanu Reeves and Bill Hader, but the final tally ended in a near tie for the winner. Adam Driver not only saved the galaxy in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but he also flexed his acting muscle in Certified Fresh dramas The Report and Marriage Story, the latter of which scored him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and he earned 23% of the votes cast. But it was his fellow Best Actor nominee – and eventual winner – Joaquin Phoenix who ultimately took the crown by just 75 votes. Phoenix absolutely killed it as the Clown Prince of Crime in Todd Phillips’ Joker and became the Oscar favorite almost immediately after the film released. More than 32,000 votes were cast in this category; Driver and Phoenix together racked up almost half of them, and no one else even came close.
The order below reflects the number of total votes cast for each TV show by users in a poll that ran on RT from January 9 to February 16.
Joaquin Phoenix
Given an almost impossible task – follow in the foot steps of Heath Ledger – Phoenix delivered, and then some, blowing minds with a unique take on the Joker that would earn him the Best Actor Oscar. Joker
