<p>Yes, “forgetting” to thank your wife is probably significant. She deserves better. I imagine he isn’t an easy guy to be married to. </p>
<p>As for whose role was more challenging, that seems like an irrelevant measure of the quality of acting, but that does seem to be the academy’s measure, hence, it’s always the 'actor-ish" roles that get the prize. Not to take away from Sean Penn’s performance, but sometimes it’s the almost invisible (non-emotive) roles that are the most challenging. But that isn’t going to win at the Oscars.</p>