There’s a scene in May December, the new drama from Todd Haynes now streaming on Netflix, where Charles Melton breaks down sobbing in the arms of his teenage son. His character is 36 years old, he’s just smoked weed for the first time, and he’s facing the difficult realization that his childhood was stolen from him. It’s the kind of harrowing, heartbreaking performance that made me pause the film and pull up my IMDB app: Who is this guy?
Riverdale fans, of course, already know Melton as the second Reggie Mantle, replacing actor Ross Butler in Season 2. But for those of us not in the know when it comes to CW teen dramas, May December is a clear breakout role for Melton. Directed by Hayes, with a screenplay by Samy Burch, the movie stars Natalie Portman as a fictional actress named Elizabeth, who gets to know an older woman, Gracie (Julianne Moore). Elizabeth has been cast to play Gracie in a film about her scandalous past: Gracie was arrested when she was 36 years old, after she was caught having sex with her 13-year-old employee at a pet store, and became pregnant with his twins. Over 20 years later, that boy, Joe Yoo (Melton), is now the same age that Gracie was when they first got together. The couple insists it was always a loving, consensual relationship, and are still together. Their two children are about to graduate from high school. The ugly past has been buried—until Elizabeth decides to dig it up.
In a one-on-one conversation with Elizabeth, Joe insists he was never a victim. “We’ve been together almost 24 years now. Why would we do that if weren’t happy?” Melton infuses just a hint of uncertainty into his voice, making it clear to the audience that this is a mantra Joe has repeated to convince not just others, but himself, that everything is fine.
Soon, the cracks in his facade—that have clearly been there all along—begin to widen. One day, Joe comes home to an empty kitchen and immediately knows that means Gracie is having an emotional breakdown in their bedroom. The resignation in Melton’s face, the slow way he places the bag of take-out on the counter, and his whispered “Fuck,” are all subtle but brilliant acting choices from Melton. They speak volumes about the couple’s unequal and unhealthy relationship.
But it’s the scene on the roof with Joe’s teenage son that will be featured in Melton’s acting reel for years to come. (And maybe even his Best Supporting Actor reel for the Oscar!) A few days before graduation, Joe joins his son Charlie (played by Gabriel Chung) on the roof of their house. Charlie offers to share his joint with his father. Joe, who has never smoked in his life, accepts. It’s an unsettling role reversal that reminds the audience that Joe never experienced countless coming-of-age rites of passages, because Gracie prematurely yanked him into the world of adulthood. High for the first time, Joe—who has been a stoic, nearly inscrutable force up until this point—suddenly begins to cry.
“I feel like everything’s so fucked up,” he confesses to his son, his voice high and wavering with tears. He finally sounds like the child he never got to be. “I just want you to have a good life.” Melton lets all of Joe’s repressed pain flow out of him, and it absolutely cracked me in half. He falls forward into his son’s arms, as Charlie tries to soothe his father.
“Don’t worry about me,” Charlie says.
After a moment of silence, Joe responds, in a small, broken, voice, “It’s all I do.”
Oof. Isn’t that just a gut punch? Deep down, Joe knows he was a victim. He knows bad things can and do happen to young, vulnerable boys. He knows that because a bad thing happened to him. And Melton made sure we knew he knew.
It might be a long shot for an actor previously only known from Riverdale to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but Melton already has a Gotham Award and a New York Film Critics Award for his portrayal of Joe. This might just be his year. And honestly? He deserves it.