 Hoffman 's second role of the year came opposite Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in John Patrick Shanley 's Doubt , where he played Father Brendan Flynn – a priest accused of sexually abusing a 12 @-@ year @-@ old African @-@ American student in the 1960s . Hoffman was already familiar with the play and appreciated the opportunity to bring it to the screen ; in preparing for the role , he talked extensively to a priest who lived through the era . The film had a mixed reception , with some critics such as Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian suspicious of it as Oscar bait , but Hoffman gained second consecutive Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Oscars , BAFTAs and Golden Globes , and was also nominated by the Screen Actors Guild . 
