94th Oscars: Will Kristen Stewart Be Crowned As Oscar Royalty?
We are off to the races. Now that fall festival season has commences, Oscar season can really kick into high gear. For this post, we’ll be taking a look at where the Best Actress race currently stands. After making my previous Best Actress forecast, it’s safe to say there has been a bit of a tide shift. But without further ado, let’s take a look where the race currently stands.
On a different day, my pick for the front runner could change. But as I write this post, I feel that the Oscar for Best Actress remains Kristen Stewart’s to lose. The former Twilight actress has earned the best reviews of her career for playing Princess Diana in Spencer. As history has shown time after time, the biopic is AMPAS’ favorite acting role and that, along with her raves, should be enough to propel her to front runner status.
However, Jessica Chastain is looking to make a play for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. It’s been almost a decade since Chastain earned her last Oscar bid for Zero Dark Thirty and her performance as the famed televangelist looks to be the one to end her long drought. It’s a showy, transformative role that gives Chastain plenty of emotional, and musical, beats to pull off. Her winning chances just primarily depend on whether the film’s early release and box office numbers, which are lackluster even by CO-VID standards, could hurt her. Also, will it be more than just a Chastain play?
Between her and Stewart, Chastain has the advantage of both a showier physical transformation and previous Oscar pedigree as opposed to Stewart who’s looking for her first bid. But because Spencer will potentially have more widespread support, Best Actress looks like Stewart’s to lose.
As for those rounding out the top five, I currently have Olivia Colman ranked third for The Lost Daughter. The previously anointed Oscar winner, and recently “Crowned” Emmy winner, has become an instant awards fixture and given the raves she’s won for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, Colman looks good for a nomination as of now.
Same with Penelope Cruz, another former Oscar winner. For Parallel Mothers, her latest collaboration with Pedro Almodovar, Cruz won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. After being away from the Oscar fray for over a decade, Cruz looks like she’s in line for a “welcome back” slot.
As for that last slot, I have Jennifer Hudson for Respect. Although the film has received mixed reviews, and seems to have already faded from memory, the Oscar-winning actress has earned praise for her rendition of the iconic Aretha Franklin. When it comes to AMPAS recognizing biopic performances, even when the film around them is underwhelming, it’s still always about the performance alone. So, depending on whether or not the various sights unseen fall by the wayside, Hudson is a safe fifth for now.
Sights Unseen:
When it comes to who the aforementioned sights unseen are, we still have Lady Gaga in House of Gucci, Rachel Zegler in West Side Story, Nicole Kidman in Being the Ricardos, Jennifer Lawrence in Don’t Look Up, and Sandra Bullock in The Unforgivable, which recently got a limited theatrical release in November before it hits Netflix the following month, to look out for.
Outside Looking In:
Going back to sights that have been seen, there are a few straddlers that could go Lead, but whose placements have yet to be confirmed: Caitriona Balfe in Belfast and Frances McDormand, our last Best Actress winner, for The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Meanwhile, there’s Renate Reinsve, who won Best Actress at Cannes, to consider for the Norwegian film The Worst Person in the World. Also, while co-star Ruth Negga has earned best-in-show raves for Passing, Tessa Thompson could be another one to watch out for. Then there’s Emilia Jones for CODA if she’s able to step out of the box of “Breakthrough/Rising Star” prizes she’ll inevitably be up for.
Recap of Current Predicted Five:
- Kristen Stewart, Spencer
- Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
- Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
- Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
- Jennifer Hudson, Respect
Where do you guys think the race stands as of now? Do you agree it’s Stewart’s to lose or someone else? Please share your thoughts in the comments section!
