We are about a month removed from the 96th Academy Awards airing so that means it’s time to start speculating on the 97th. These are my initial glimpses at the four acting races, Director, and Picture and they will unfold on the blog over the next few days. I already posted my first takes on the supporting derbies and Best Actor and they can be perused here:
We now move to Actress. When I did my first picks on the competition in 2023, it yielded the winner with Emma Stone for Poor Things. I will note that her main competitor – Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon – was listed at that time as a Supporting Actress contender and not lead. Under the 10 other possibilities, I named Annette Bening in Nyad and Carey Mulligan for Maestro. I did not identify Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) at that early juncture.
Let’s start with an obvious caveat… it’s early. Some movies listed are likely to be pushed back or simply not turn out as awards contenders. Actresses listed here could end up being campaigned for in supporting actress (the vice versa of Gladstone).
Speaking of Gladstone, she could make a return appearance with Fancy Dance. So could Ms. Stone though I do wonder if the anthology format of Kinds of Kindness slots her here or in lead. Other possibilities include the return of Angelina Jolie to the awards conversation as opera legend Maria Callas in Maria and Lady Gaga as Joker’s muse Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux.
Here’s the first snapshot:
TODD’S FIRST OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR BEST ACTRESS AT THE 97TH ACADEMY AWARDS:
Amy Adams, Nightbitch
Ryan Destiny, The Fire Inside
Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux
Angelina Jolie, Maria
Saoirse Ronan, Blitz
Other Possibilitities:
Glenn Close, The Summer Book
Karla Sofia Gascón, Emilia Perez
Lily Gladstone, Fancy Dance
Anne Hathaway, Mother Mary
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Noemie Merlant, Emmanuelle
Florence Pugh, We Live in Time
Saoirse Ronan, The Outrun
Tilda Swinton, The End
Zendaya, Challengers
Best Director is up next!
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