Across the last week or so, with film festival season in remission after the end of the New York Film Festival, we’ve been taking the temperature of the acting Oscar races. We’ve examined the stacked Best Actor possibilities, the less obviously stacked Best Actress line-up and the decidedly thin Best Supporting Actor potentials already, and now it’s time to look at Best Supporting Actress.
The category has the potential to be one of the more interesting this year: among the potentials are a once-famous star who’s mostly been absent from the big screen in the time it took to shoot the movie she could be nominated for, a former starlet chasing her first nomination in nearly a decade, and Meryl Streep. Always with the Meryl Streep. But there’s plenty to come that could end up throwing the race for a loop. Take a look at our thoughts below, and let us know who you want to see nominated in the comments.
Front-Runners:
For once, this category looks more packed than their male equivalents, though again, there isn’t much in the way of front-runners so far. Surprisingly, at the front of the pack right now is Patricia Arquette. The actress has mostly been spending her time on TV’s "Medium," but she was also intermittently shooting Richard Linklater‘s "Boyhood" for more than a decade, and her memorable (if, we’d argue, somewhat underwritten) performance has been building steam since the film debuted at Sundance, thanks in part to that killer final scene. The combination of the comeback and viewers’ identification with her character looks to make her a real force, a lock for nomination, and potentially even a winner.
Likely heading for her second nomination (her first in nine years, no less) is Keira Knightley, who has a reasonably meaty supporting turn in "The Imitation Game." Knightley’s been getting better and better over the years, and there’s little of the stiffness she once had in period pieces in this film, and enough emotive performances therein that she should end up following it.
Still To Come:
One of the more potent possibilities yet to be unveiled is Jessica Chastain‘s turn in "Interstellar" — Paramount and Chastain’s camp are said to be high on the possibilities of her not just being nominated but also winning. We’d need to see the film to be sure, but it’s been another great year for the actress, so a third nomination isn’t out of the question. Co-stars Mackenzie Foy and Ellen Burstyn are also viable, but for one of them to be nominated alongside Chastain would be… historically interesting.
"Into The Woods" has several potentials: as we said above, Meryl Streep or Emily Blunt could reside in this category if they don’t end up in Best Actress, while Anna Kendrick (Cinderella), Lilla Crawford (Little Red Riding Hood) or Mackenzie Mauzy (Rapunzel) might all end up being the show-stealers. The film’s being treated with skepticism by many Oscar bloggers right now, but don’t forget that even "Nine" got a nod for Penelope Cruz in this category. "Selma" again has multiple potentials, including Oprah Winfrey, Lorraine Toussaint and Carmen Ejogo (if the latter isn’t nominated for Best Actress), but it’s too early to tell who’s the most potent yet.
In theory, we guess that Sigourney Weaver might be an option for "Exodus," and either Jessica Lange or Brie Larson have potential for "The Gambler," depending on how it turns out. But the dark horse to watch here might be Sienna Miller for "American Sniper." The actress also has a small role in "Foxcatcher," but reportedly has much more to do in Clint Eastwood‘s film, and if that catches light with voters, she could end up with her first nod.
Looking Strong:
There’s several strong potentials jostling for position here, almost any of whom could end up in the final five. Laura Dern‘s had buzz since the Telluride Film Festival for her crucial flashback role as Reese Witherspoon‘s "Wild" —the actress has been on something of a comeback trailer of late thanks to "Enlightened" and "The Fault In Our Stars," and that’s always an appealing narrative to voters. Emma Stone also came out of the festivals looking strong for her "Birdman" supporting turn: it’s a smallish part, but Stone makes an impact every time she’s on screen, and she’s a continually popular performer (even if she didn’t get a nod for "The Help").
To the weariness of those of us who were hoping to get through awards season without demented comments wars on every post, Kristen Stewart is getting a serious push from Sony Pictures Classics for "Still Alice." The actress has had a good year with "Camp X-Ray," "Clouds Of Sils Maria" and now this (which she’s reportedly excellent in), and though she’s not a lock in the way that Julianne Moore is, certainly seems to have a fair choice. There was a lot of buzz in advance of NYFF about Katherine Waterston‘s performance in "Inherent Vice" —it’s dissipated slightly since the film actually screened, but if voters like the film more than prognosticators think, it could still happen. And finally, there’s a growing fanclub for "The Leftovers" actress Carrie Coon, who plays Ben Affleck‘s sister in "Gone Girl" — she gives the best performance of the most sympathetic character in the film, and might make it if Fox decides to fight for her.
Deserving Consideration:
Speaking of "Gone Girl," we certainly wouldn’t be averse to a nod for Kim Dickens —she’s better than ever in Fincher’s film. Also in darker territory, Rene Russo is very good in "Nightcrawler" —we suspect the film won’t register with the Academy, but if it does, she might well have a shot here.
Looking further back, our love for "Only Lovers Left Alive" certainly extends to Mia Wasikowska’s performance, maybe her best, and certainly her funniest, while Kelly Reilly was somewhat undersung for her turn in "Calvary." And more recently, both Isabelle Huppert and, especially, Viola Davis were very good in "The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby." We’d love nothing more than to see Tilda Swinton‘s brilliant bit of grotesquerie in "Snowpiercer" recognized. And while we’re talking about sci-fi that will never, ever get nominated, what about Emily Blunt in "Edge Of Tomorrow," the kind of performance that doesn’t get the credit it’s due because it’s in a big blockbuster?
Longer Shots:
Again, the box office disappointment of "Get On Up" probably ruled out any chance of a nod for Viola Davis this year (she’ll probably earn an Emmy next time around for "How To Get Away With Murder," though). Dorothy Atkinson‘s potentially one to keep an eye on if "Mr. Turner" catches on, while if anyone liked "Men Women & Children," Jennifer Garner might have been a possibility. And, uh, Cameron Diaz in "Annie," maybe?…
Predictions:
Patricia Arquette ("Boyhood")
Carrie Coon ("Gone Girl")
Keira Knightley ("The Imitation Game")
Emma Stone ("Birdman")
Meryl Streep ("Into The Woods")
She oozes something but it doesn\’t smell like passion. Her PR team and Sony can buy her way onto as many panels as they like, it won\’t make her any more popular with ticket buyers or the other actors who will be doing the nominating. In her new interview with Hello UK she\’s still dissing other actors. She never learns. She says: "I don\’t know how people tactfully traverse their careers. I don\’t know how they choose: \’Well, this is a different side of me people have not seen and so I will present that to them now.\’ It\’s like: \’Why are you doing this for other people? You should be doing it for yourself."
Of course she can only see something in terms of "doing it for yourself," she never thinks about anyone else\’s feelings or reactions to anything, it\’s always about HER. She\’s always blurting out something that highlights her selfishness, it\’s amazing to me.
"Early retirement"??? LOL @ your delusions and utter lack of reading comprehension. She is taking a break from acting. She has done it before, along with countless other actors. She didn\’t specify how long, just that it would be "a while," but considering the rate she has been going, I\’d bet she\’d be back in front of the camera before 2015 is over. And hey, newsflash: she will be on a panel with other esteemed individuals for THR. Hardly someone who doesn\’t care or who doesn\’t stand a chance. As for not caring about her craft, LOL again. She oozes passion and they love seeing people expanding their creative endeavors, which is what she is doing. And you very well know she is not just "dabbling in art," she is going to direct a short she wrote. There has been an abundance of critique on the lack of women directors in Hollywood, so she will likely be met with a lot of support on that particular endeavor. As for who is having a meltdown, that would be the one so insanely obsessed with Stewart that you feel the need to constantly revisit her articles and rant in the comments. There is a reason why she is now appearing on numerous contender lists, and that is the reason for your meltdown.
You just keep telling yourself that, although those of us who can read note that this article merely says she has a "fair chance." That\’s not saying much. And the fact that she just announced her early retirement is another clue that even she knows she\’s doesn\’t have a chance of a nomination. What actor in the Academy is going to nominate a woman who cares so little about her craft? Taking years off sends the signal that she\’s not interested in her career. They don\’t reward people with attitudes like that. She comes off as self-centered, and a dilitanant who would rather dabble in "art" than apply herself to her career. If she said she was going to go to college or taking acting classes, maybe they\’d still consider her. But to get a loft downtown and act like a hipster is not award-worthy. Oh, and stay pressed yourself. You\’re the one having a meltdown when you hear the truth.
Ummm nowhere does it say there are 15 people ahead of her. You\’re the one being insanely dense. In fact, they say she is "looking strong." If you want to see someone having a meltdown, read your post. It kills you that she is being mentioned in article after article. Stay pressed.
Those are the 15 actresses who are mentioned in this very article as having a better chance at a nomination than Stewart. Too bad her fans are so dense. In an article right here on Indiewire about why Keira Knightly doesn\’t have an Oscar yet, they say: "Not that she has committed any of the usual banal celebrity crimes — DWI arrests, public meltdowns, or writing a lifestyle blog — that usually turn the tide of public opinion against a performer. Instead, Knightley is simply guilty of being herself." Well, Kristen Stewart has committed many of the usual banal celebrity crimes including a public affair with a married director, making her one of the oldest Hollywood cliches in the book. She\’s also had many public meltdowns, including a bird flipping dance that went on and on, captured by video camera, and a screaming match with a single paparrazo where she shouted that he "didn\’t deserve to breathe the same air as her." She told people in France, in the middle of a cold wave that killed over 100 people that she hoped they would "Freeze to death!!!" On the red carpet at Cannes she "booed" the professional, accredited photographers who were there to help her publicize her flop, On The Road. Salles made her apologize for that, and she\’s had to issue many public apologies. She has a horrible reputation, and no matter how many good reviews she gets for little indies that go straight to VOD, she isn\’t going to erase anyone\’s memory.
It\’s pretty clear just whose fans Playlist is calling out there, and it isn\’t Stewart\’s. And that\’s a nice personal list you have there, nothing more.
lol at Kristen Stewart fans being called out yet again by Indiewire. As for more accomplished actresses being ahead of her, in this specific article, the 15 actresses ahead of Stewart: Patricia Arquette. Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone, Emily Blunt, Keira Knightly, Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Brie Larson, Sienna Miller, Jessica Lange, Sigorney Weaver, Lorraine Toussaint, Carmen Ejogo. Stewart is not likable enough to win a nomination for anything.
lol at indiewire calling out Pattinson fans!
I really, really want to see Carrie Coon being nominated. She deserves even to win. She gives an exquisite, EXQUISITE performance in the masterful "Gone Girl".
Hey Playlist, as you bemoan the fan wars in the comments section, let us not forget how one of your own unprofessional "journalists," Jessica Kiang, played all kinds of immature baiting games on twitter during Cannes, which led to an eruption of nastiness(replace the asterisks with periods): pbs*twimg*com/media/B0kgeDnIIAAlaIq*jpg
Enjoy those hits, Playlist.
I feel so bad her Oscar buzz is eating you up, Copy/Paste Troll. Your excuses about it being "fake" are becoming more and more thin as she comes up repeatedly on various sites\’ and pundits\’ lists. Which you know, of course, since you go to all of them in a lame attempt to undermine her buzz. And who says 15 other strong contenders ahead of her? Last I checked, they list her as a "looking strong" and only list the top 5. Enjoy her continuous praise this season. 😉
As long as you realistically have 15 other strong contenders ahead of Kristen Stewart, I don\’t think there\’s any problem. She doesn\’t stand a snowball\’s chance of getting a nomination, but her PR team is working hard to polish her tarnished image. Good thing she has all that Twilight money to pay for this fake Oscar hype. Too bad it won\’t do her any good. This will turn out the same way as her failed campaign for On The Road. The Academy doesn\’t find her likable, and she now has 3 scandals attached to her name.
Saw Knightley in The Imitation Game. She\’s fantastic. She should be a lock for awards season, at least for a nomination.
arquette was brilliant in Bringing Out The Dead
Jessica Chastain already won this. Coon won\’t even get critics awards, much less an Oscar nom.
Sienna Miller has a good shot. She and Cooper are the only actor push for the movie. Her caracter is a tipical supporting role and if the movie is big she could have the 5th spot. I think Arquette, Knightely,Streep,Stone are safe bets by now
Great article.
I think Linda Lavin should get nominated for A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY. Its not going to happen, but it should.
I can\’t wait for Instertellar to come out so people stop predicting Chastain. I don\’t see Emma Stone getting nominated. I know everybody loves her, but she is not that great of an actress as people are claiming her to be.
1. Patricia Arquette
2. Keira Knightley
3. Meryl Streep
4. Kristen Stewart
5. Laura Dern
jessica chastain will win…..interstellar is an epic film!!!!!!
Mia Wasikowska is the best young actress of her generation (that includes JLaw) but she seems destined to always remain a footnote in articles like this. I\’ve never seen anyone so good consistently get zero buzz for her work.
Samantha Morton – \’Miss Julie; Glenn Close – \’Low Down\’; Marisa Tomei – \’Love Is Strange\’; Eileen Atkins – \’Magic in the Moonlight\’; Uma Thurman – \’Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1\’
Arquette,Knightely,Streep,Stone,Chastain,Ejobo,Lange,Coon,Dern. I think the nominations are in this group
It\’s sounds like you guys are saying that you hope Kristen Stewart won\’t be nominated because you don\’t want to deal with the crazy fan comments.
I\’d like to remind you that it was one of your movie critics that blatantly engaged in pitting the fandoms during Cannes.
Please stick to assessing the actresses and their performances without the snide commentary.
Kristen\’s stronger review are for Maria. She\’s listed for Still Alice only because Moore is the frontrunner at the moment.Stewart hasn\’t much buzz. Pundits and bloggers are focus on Moore
I think Kristen has a very strong chance. In every list she\’s as a strong contender and I mean every list. She\’s got excellent reviews for her 3 movies and critics said Still Alice was her strongest one. I\’m happy for her because she deserves it, she\’s been working since she was 9yo and her acting skills are beyond words. At least that\’s what every critic is saying nowdays. All the luck for her.
I still think it\’s absolutely stupid for Arquette\’s performance to be considered supporting but if it gets her the attention she deserves so be it. I\’d love to see Kim Dickens get in for Gone Girl. She provided the much needed balance for that film.
I swear to God, my brain can not understand why is Meryl Streep in every prediction when no one has seen the freaking movie yet. I do admit she\’s a flawless actress but the ass kissing is getting too strong
Arquette is probably winning but Knightley is also fantastic in Imitation Game, I can see her splitting votes with Arquette in other awards.
I think Sienna Miller could be nominated.
Stupid Robsessed come here again. See the post below.
Kristen Stewart has good reviews for Clouds Maria but for Still Alice she hasn\’t buzz. They said that she is decent.
Ummm nowhere does it say there are 15 people ahead of her. You’re the one being insanely dense. In fact, they say she is "looking strong." If you want to see someone having a meltdown, read your post. It kills you that she is being mentioned in article after article. Stay pressed.
Those are the 15 actresses who are mentioned in this very article as having a better chance at a nomination than Stewart. Too bad her fans are so dense. In an article right here on Indiewire about why Keira Knightly doesn’t have an Oscar yet, they say: "Not that she has committed any of the usual banal celebrity crimes — DWI arrests, public meltdowns, or writing a lifestyle blog — that usually turn the tide of public opinion against a performer. Instead, Knightley is simply guilty of being herself." Well, Kristen Stewart has committed many of the usual banal celebrity crimes including a public affair with a married director, making her one of the oldest Hollywood cliches in the book. She’s also had many public meltdowns, including a bird flipping dance that went on and on, captured by video camera, and a screaming match with a single paparrazo where she shouted that he "didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her." She told people in France, in the middle of a cold wave that killed over 100 people that she hoped they would "Freeze to death!!!" On the red carpet at Cannes she "booed" the professional, accredited photographers who were there to help her publicize her flop, On The Road. Salles made her apologize for that, and she’s had to issue many public apologies. She has a horrible reputation, and no matter how many good reviews she gets for little indies that go straight to VOD, she isn’t going to erase anyone’s memory.
It’s sounds like you guys are saying that you hope Kristen Stewart won’t be nominated because you don’t want to deal with the crazy fan comments.
I’d like to remind you that it was one of your movie critics that blatantly engaged in pitting the fandoms during Cannes.
Please stick to assessing the actresses and their performances without the snide commentary.