Editing James Woods (section)

===1990–1999: Established actor ===
Woods was offered a leading role in [[Quentin Tarantino]]'s directorial debut, the [[low-budget film]] ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'' (1992), but his agent rejected the script without showing it to the actor. When Woods learned of this some time later, he fired his agents ([[Creative Artists Agency|CAA]]), replacing them with [[ICM Partners|ICM]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0j_AORLLiBUC&pg=PA157 Hollywood's new radicalism: war, globalisation and the movies from Reagan to George W. Bush], by Ben Dickenson, 2006, page 157</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TIj12IGUmkYC&pg=PA244 Film voices: Interviews From Post Script], by Gerald Duchovnay, 2004, pages 244–245</ref> That year, he did portray [[Roy Cohn]] in the [[HBO]] television film ''[[Citizen Cohn]]'' (1992) directed by [[Frank Pierson]] and featuring performances by [[Lee Grant]], [[Frederic Forrest]] and [[Pat Hingle]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/|title= Citizen Cohn (TV film)|website= [[IMDB]]|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> Tony Scott of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' praised the film and Woods writing, "It's Cohn's show and James Woods, in imaginative casting, is unnerving, ranging from the confused hospital-ridden patient to the smartly paced, homophobic gay prosecutor who knows every vicious trick to nail opponents. Woods's interp, chock-full of nuances, is masterful."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/1992/tv/reviews/hbo-pictures-citizen-cohn-1200430494/|title= Hbo Pictures Citizen Cohn|website= Variety|date= August 21, 1992|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref>
For his performance he received nominations for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe Award]] and the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1993/outstanding-lead-actor-in-a-miniseries-or-a-movie|title= 1993 – 45th Emmy Awards|website= Emmy Awards|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> He also took a supporting role as attorney [[Joseph Scott (attorney)|Joseph Scott]] in the [[Richard Attenborough]] directed biographical epic film ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'' (1992) starring [[Robert Downey Jr.]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tvguide.com/movies/chaplin/cast/2000124416/|title= Chaplin Cast and Crew|website= TV Guide|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref> 

Woods played a supporting role of a hustler, Lester Diamond, in [[Martin Scorsese]]'s ''[[Casino (1995 film)|Casino]]'' (1995), alongside [[Robert De Niro]], [[Sharon Stone]] and [[Joe Pesci]]. When Woods had heard that Scorsese was interested in working with him, he called Scorsese's office and left the following message: "Any time, any place, any part, any fee."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/15-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-casino/88894|title=15 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Casino|date=July 22, 2014|website=ShortList}}</ref> The film was well received by critics, earning a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus reading, "Impressive ambition and bravura performances from an outstanding cast help ''Casino'' pay off in spite of a familiar narrative that may strike some viewers as a safe bet for director Martin Scorsese."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1067987_casino|title=Casino (1995)|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}</ref> Also in 1995, he starred as [[H.R. Haldeman]] in Oliver Stone's ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]'', opposite [[Anthony Hopkins]] as [[Richard Nixon]]. Woods received a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]] nomination along with the rest of the cast for its [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|ensemble]] work. That same year he acted in the [[HBO]] television film ''[[Indictment: The McMartin Trial]]'' acting opposite [[Mercedes Ruehl]] earning nominations for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe Award]] and the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1995/outstanding-lead-actor-in-a-miniseries-or-a-movie|title= 1995 – 47th Emmy Awards|website= Emmy Awards|accessdate= March 15, 2024}}</ref>  

[[File:James Woods (210411648).jpg|thumb|right|Woods at an [[AIDS Project Los Angeles]] benefit in September 1990]]
In [[Rob Reiner]]'s film ''[[Ghosts of Mississippi]]'' (1996), Woods appeared alongside [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Whoopi Goldberg]]. He portrayed [[Byron De La Beckwith]], a [[white supremacist]] who assassinated civil rights leader [[Medgar Evers]] in 1963. The film was not a box-office success and received mixed reviews, earning a critics' review of 43% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. However, some critics praised Woods' performance. [[Janet Maslin]], in her ''[[New York Times]]'' review, states, "Woods's performance as the hateful old reprobate Beckwith is the film's chief sign of life".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/20/movies/for-a-true-story-dipping-into-the-classics.html|title=For a True Story, Dipping Into the Classics|first=Janet|last=Maslin|newspaper=The New York Times |author-link=Janet Maslin|date=December 20, 1996}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' published an article titled "James Woods is So Good at Being Bad". In the articles it describes Woods having aggressively lobbied director Rob Reiner for the role, which Reiner originally intended for an actor in his 70s, like [[Paul Newman]].<ref name="latimes.com">{{cite news|first=Matthew|last=Gilbert|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-01-01-ca-14352-story.html|title=James Woods Is So Good at Being Bad|date=January 1, 1997|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>
"Beckwith's Mississippi accent, which Woods perfected by watching tapes and working with an accent coach, helped him distance himself from the character. 'I imagined I was speaking a foreign language'."<ref name="latimes.com"/> Woods earned a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe nomination]]{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} as well as his second Oscar nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997|title= The 69th academy awards – 1997|date= October 5, 2014|publisher= oscars.org |access-date= May 12, 2020}}</ref> 

Woods would later voice [[Hades (Disney)|Hades]] in the [[Disney animated feature|Disney Animated film]], ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'' (1997), where he received critical praise.<ref>New York Magazine, July 7, 1997, page 54</ref> Critic [[Roger Ebert]] described Woods' performance as full of "diabolical glee" and compared his performance of "verbal inventiveness" to that of [[Robin Williams]] in ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hercules-1997|title=Hercules Movie Review & Film Summary (1997) – Roger Ebert|first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=www.rogerebert.com}}</ref> Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' also praised Woods' performance remarking "Woods shows off the full verve of an edgy Scarfe villain".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/13/movies/oh-heavens-what-a-hero.html|title=Oh, Heavens! What a Hero!|first=Janet|last=Maslin|author-link=Janet Maslin|date=June 13, 1997|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> He reprised the role of Hades again in the [[Hercules (1998 TV series)|television series of the same name]] (where he won a [[Daytime Emmy Award]] in 2000 for his work in season 2), as well as in ''[[House of Mouse]]'' (2001–2003), the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' video game series, ''[[Disney Speedstorm]]'' (2023), and ''[[Once Upon a Studio]]'' (2023). Woods appeared in [[Sofia Coppola]]'s directorial debut ''[[The Virgin Suicides (film)|The Virgin Suicides]]'' (1999) alongside [[Kirsten Dunst]], [[Josh Hartnett]] and [[Kathleen Turner]]. The film premiered at the [[1999 Cannes Film Festival]] to a largely positive critical reception.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/virgin_suicides|title=The Virgin Suicides (2000)|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}</ref>