Zendaya May Have Just Crashed the Best Actress Race
Given how January has become the November of our awards season, it is now the time for potential late-breaking Oscar contenders to start screening. One of them is Netflix’s latest entry Malcolm & Marie by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and starring Zendaya and John David Washington.
The film, which was shot in secret for about two weeks during the CO-VID 19 pandemic, follows a filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) who return home after a celebratory movie premiere and see their love put to the test as they clash over revelations regarding their relationship. While reviews have yet to drop, early reactions suggest that it’s going to be a serious contender with Zendaya getting raves for her performance.
When I made my previous Best Actress predictions, I had Zendaya as someone on the fringe of making it in because we hadn’t gotten early word on the picture yet. But now that it has been seen, I’m ready to not only put Zendaya on my predictions, but predict her as a dark horse to win the category.
At this point, my prediction is that the Oscar for Best Actress is between Viola Davis for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Zendaya for Malcolm & Marie, and Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman. Davis has a transformative biopic role, which they love, while Mulligan has the benefit of carrying a topical star showcase where she’s in almost every scene. What helps Zendaya, however, is the fact that it’s a movie about movies and a historical Best Actress advantage: The ingenue factor.
As names like Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone, and Jennifer Lawrence will tell you, voters are partial to anointing 20-something actresses at the height of their fame and Zendaya is having quite a moment in her career. The former Disney star just became the youngest actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for Euphoria and won over more esteemed competition even when the odds of being nominated were against her. Between Euphoria and Malcolm & Marie, as well as the Spider-Man franchise and Dune, which is set to come later this year, safe to say that Zendaya is on a hot streak.
Also, should both Viola Davis and Zendaya be nominated, it’d be the second time in history that we’d have multiple Black women competing in the same Best Actress field after Diana Ross for Lady Sings the Blues and Cicely Tyson for Sounder back in 1972. Given how we also have Andra Day in the mix for playing Billie Holiday for The United States vs. Billie Holiday, there’s a definite possibility we could see this feat achieved once again.
As for the other two names rounding out the Best Actress field, I still have Frances McDormand for Nomadland and Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman. McDormand may be in a Best Picture contender, but given how she just won her second, she’s mainly safe for a nomination based on her reputation and love for the film. Kirby, however, is at a shaky fifth due to the film’s polarizing reception and difficult subject matter. Plus, with Zendaya crashing the Best Actress race, will Netflix be able to handle all the names they have?
They also have grand dame Sophia Loren for The Life Ahead and a relative unknown actress named Meryl Streep for The Prom. But The Life Ahead seems to have already faded from memory and The Prom feels like more of a Globes thing than an Oscar thing. Still, The Prom could get a tech nomination or two, which benefits Meryl who is Oscar’s favorite performer, while Pieces of a Woman looks like an acting play and nothing else. Kirby remains in my predictions, yet I’d say she’s still on shaky ground at this point.
Ultimately, between Davis, Zendaya, and Mulligan, I’m still going with Davis as the front runner. As I’ve said before, Oscar loves showy biopic roles and also, her film has potential to do better nomination-wise than Mulligan’s and Zendaya’s. On a great day, I see Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom getting Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, and if they LOVE the film, Supporting Actor for LAFCA Winner Glynn Turman.
As for Promising Young Woman, on its best day, I see it getting Picture, Actress, Original Screenplay, Director (if they really love it), and at least one tech nod. But if Malcolm & Marie becomes more than a Zendaya play, I’d say watch out for her.
What do you think? Is Zendaya a dark horse to win this category? Please share your thoughts!
