Supporting actor

In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give separate awards to the best supporting actors and actresses.

These range from minor roles to principal players and are often pivotal or vital to the story as in a best friend, love interest, sidekick (such as Robin in the Batman series), or antagonist (such as the villain).

[citation needed] In television, the term day player is used to refer to most performers with supporting speaking roles hired daily without long-term contracts.

There is currently no specific criteria for the difference between nominations for supporting or lead actor/actress roles, so long as the actor's dialogue has not been dubbed.

[1] Critics have pointed out that the leading/supporting roles have "no set rules, no general rational, just vibes" that may stem from racial, social, or gender identity bias.