This Is The Oscar-Worthy Performance By A Woman This Year You Probably Missed

In this September's Stronger, Tatiana Maslany impressed audiences with her powerful performance as a real-life woman dealing with her on-again, off-again boyfriend's injuries from the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. Maslany also left her costar, Jake Gyllenhaal, in awe over her work, as shown by this exclusive clip from Stronger. In the video, Gyllenhaal not only speaks highly of Maslany's acting chops but also of the character she portrays, and it's no surprise; the film, available on Digital on Dec. 5 and on Blu-ray and DVD on Dec. 19, is worth watching for a lot of reasons, but Maslany's dazzling part for it is a major one. So if you missed seeing the film in theaters, do it now before awards season truly gets underway.

In Stronger, Maslany plays Erin Hurley — the love interest of Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal), who tragically lost both his legs in the terrorist bombing. In an interview with Bustle after the movie's release last fall, Maslany said, "I don’t think I’ll ever let go of this film." After seeing the movie, it likely won't be easy for anyone else to let go of the emotional real-life story, either. Not only are Bauman's trials and triumphs impactful to watch in the movie, but the way Hurley helps him during his recovery after the terrorist attack will make even the most stoic of people break down, and Maslany's performance adds to the impact.

In the exclusive clip above, Gyllenhaal explains that Maslany's work in a scene that takes place in the hospital affected him the most, and it is not hard to see why. In the scene, Erin cries at Jeff's bedside and tells him she's sorry. It's powerful and heartbreaking, and Gyllenhaal agrees. "The love story for me really resonated," he says in the clip. "To know that these are two people found themselves in a situation that I don't think either of them would have ever fathomed or expected, and [they] got each other through it..."

Maslaney undoubtedly deserves awards attention for her role, and her character equivalently deserves great praise for her role in aiding Bauman's recovery. As Gyllenhaal explains, "What Erin... did for Jeff, was everything. I don't think he would have been able to get through it without her." The actor feels strongly about his co-star as well, as he adds, "What [Tatiana] does in this film... and I would say the same thing about Tatiana's performance in this movie," before calling both Tatiana and her characters "un-sung heroes."

The feeling is mutual, as Maslany feels similarly impressed by Gyllenhaal's performance. In her interview with Bustle, she praised her co-star, saying, "That commitment to one character, and so completely believing that that’s him... amazing." Clearly, both Gyllenhaal and Maslany poured their hearts into their roles, but while Gyllenhaal is already receiving many critics' praise, his co-star isn't getting as much of the same. Yet those who see Stronger know it's just as deserved. In recounting the hospital scene with Maslany, Gyllenhaal explains how poignant his co-star's performance was during filming. "I love seeing when Tatiana she says she's sorry to [Bauman]," he says. "I remember her work on that night and you know, you're with someone whose heart's open, who's ready to go, and to watch another actor... take that on, to watch it in the movie and to watch her work, I think it's one of my favorite scenes."

Just by watching that scene alone, you get a sense of what Gyllenhaal meant when he praised Maslany's work. Both the actor and the character she portrays in Stronger deserve all the praise they can get, so if you haven't seen the inspiring movie yet, get going ASAP.