Wed Mar 02 14:49:45 EST 2016
Two down, one to go with our run down of some of the potentials for next year’s Academy Awards, in our attempt to not have to type the word "Oscar" until at least September. We’ve already looked at some of the Best Picture possibilities, and the ten men and women who could be in the Best Director mix in the months ahead, and now it’s time to turn our attention to Best Actress.
This year saw Brie Larson dominate the race from the premiere of “Room” at Telluride to Oscar night, just as recent winners Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep were presumptive frontrunners all the way through their own seasons. But this year looks, at a distance at least, to be a mite more unpredictable. (Yes, a feeling made more palpable as we're eleven months away from the Oscar nominations, and twelve from the trophies being handed out).
Take a look below for the ten women who seem most likely to be up for Best Actress in 2017, and let us know who you’re tipping at long range in the comments.
Amy Adams - “Nocturnal Animals”/“The Story Of Your Life”
Now that Leonado DiCaprio’s got his, there are few actors who have missed out just as many times, who are just as deserving, and who will be surely the subject of "it’s time" chatter before too long. Glenn Close has six nominations without a win, Albert Finney five, but the youngest, and likely the next to be rewarded, is Amy Adams, who’s racked up an impressive five nominations in less than a decade. Adams has two possible contenders coming this year: Tom Ford’s return with literary adaptation “Nocturnal Animals, ” and Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi movie “Story Of Your Life.” Both are fascinating projects, though neither seem like immediate and obvious awards home runs from what we know about them.
But Adams is well liked, and even if the movies don’t prove awards players elsewhere, she could very well still be in the conversation.
"The Girl on the Train"
Emily Blunt - “The Girl On The Train”
Given that even “Gone Girl” struggled to make much impact on the awards race, we’re not totally convinced that “The Help” director Tate Taylor’s adaptation of classy-airport-thriller-du-jour “The Girl On The Train” will be a Best Picture contender. But we think it’s entirely possible that it follows the David Fincher movie and lands a Best Actress nomination for its star, in this case Emily Blunt. Despite making a huge impression in everything from “My Summer Of Love” to “Edge Of Tomorrow” to last year's "Sicario, " Blunt’s never been nominated, but her role here, an alcoholic divorcée who stumbles into a murder, is a meaty one that should be her best ever chance at landing a nod. Given Taylor’s record at aiding his actresses to nominations (“The Help” saw three of its stars nominated, with Octavia Spencer winning), she’s probably in safe hands too.
