No matter how good a screenplay is, or how brilliant the filmmaker, eventually it comes down to the actors pulling it all together.
With an eclectic group of powerhouse performances, two of the strongest categories this year are Best Actress and Best Actor, with veteran actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Naomi Watts battling it out with Oscar-less actors like Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain. Here’s a look at the frontrunners for the major acting categories this year.
Best Actor:
Favorites – Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln” and Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master.”
Much like the situation in the Best Director category, the Academy will have to decide whether or not to give a screen legend yet another Academy Award. For his memorable transformation as Abraham Lincoln, it’s hard to argue that Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t deserve it, as he was the centerpiece of one of the most liked and respected films of the year. But after winning for “There Will Be Blood” not that long ago, the Academy may wish to go with someone else.
If that ends up happening, Joaquin Phoenix seems like the obvious choice for his explosive work in Paul Thomas Anderson’s poorly understood “The Master.” As everyone knows, Hollywood loves a comeback story, and Phoenix is back in the spotlight after a much publicized downturn just a few years ago.
While Anderson’s films have been too dark and enigmatic to win Best Picture or Best Director, his films have consistently helped actors at least get nominations, leading to Day-Lewis’ Best Actor win for “There Will Be Blood.”
Phoenix also previously lost out winning Best Actor for his role as Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line” and was passed over for Supporting Actor for “Gladiator” as well, increasing his chances this time around.
Dark Horses – Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables” and Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Hugh Jackman won the Golden Globe for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy), though that’s not likely to help him upset either Day-Lewis or Phoenix. Bradley Cooper also takes a big step just by getting nominated, but it’s hard to imagine him taking home the gold statuette despite his strong work as a man struggling with bipolar disorder in “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Also Nominated – Denzel Washington, “Flight.”
Denzel Washington gave another riveting performance as an alcoholic pilot in “Flight,” but he doesn’t have much of a chance to pull down his second win for Best Actor.
Best Actress:
Favorites – Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook” and Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty.”
This one is a complete toss-up. After getting nominated for “Winter’s Bone” and bursting onto the scene just a few years ago, Lawrence has shot to the top of the A-list with her enormous new franchise “The Hunger Games” and a versatile performance in “Silver Linings Playbook.”
David O’ Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” doesn’t seem to have much of a chance at Oscar success outside of Lawrence, who has the popularity and the lauded performance to potentially make her an Oscar winner.
Her main competition comes from Jessica Chastain, who was pitch-perfect as an obsessive CIA agent on the hunt for Osama bin Laden in “Zero Dark Thirty.” Chastain was already nominated for a Supporting Oscar last year for “The Help” and has become one of the most recognizable actresses around, giving her a very good chance at winning the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Though Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” could get snubbed for the major awards, Chastain stands a great chance at striking Oscar gold.
Dark Horse – Quvenzhane Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
While Chastain and Lawrence are good options, don’t bet on the Academy going with the obvious choice in this category. Don’t forget that the Oscars are still a show, and voting for a nine-year-old (she was five when she was cast) could be one of those memorable moments that the Academy is always trying to conjure up.
Wallis’ portrayal as a girl struggling to survive in post-Katrina Louisiana clearly has struck a nerve with the Academy, giving her an opportunity to be the youngest Oscar-winner in history.
Also Nominated – Naomi Watts, “The Impossible” and Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour.”
Though Watts and Riva appear to be long shots to actually win, both were nominated for terrific performances.
Watts, as a woman desperately clinging to life after a horrific tsunami, gathers her second Oscar nomination and first since her role in “21 Grams” in 2003, though a lack of Oscar buzz for “The Impossible” makes her an unlikely winner this time around.
French actress Riva has been around movies for more than five decades, and is the most senior Best Actress nominee ever at 85 years old. Her transforming performance as a woman who undergoes a stroke was crucial to making “Amour” so poignant and endearing, though it’s hard to imagine her getting enough votes to need a victory speech.
(Note: the 85th Academy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday, February 24th.)
by RTT Staff Writer
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