I wasn’t even going to post about this latest Oscar news, but, on a day with barely anything to write about, it seems to now be a topic of conversation in the film world.
Rooney Mara is being Oscar campaigned as Lead Actress. It doesn’t matter if she runs in this category or as Supporting Actress, either way, she has no shot at a nomination. United Artists are in essence sending Mara to the Oscar slaughterhouse with this decision.
Mara, much like Zoe Kazan in “She Said,” is the sacrificial lamb. UA are adding her to a stacked Best Actress category so that her co-stars Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy can take advantage of the weak Supporting Actress field. There’s really nothing more to it.
I didn’t like “Women Talking,” but the standout to me was Buckley. There are some Claire Foy supporters out there, but I didn’t find her role to be all that interesting. It’s Buckley who gets the juiciest scenes and she’s also the loudest and angriest voice of the film.
I’ll recap the actresses Mara is most likely up against:
Cate Blanchett (TÁR), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans), Margot Robbie (Babylon) Viola Davis (The Woman King), Olivia Colman (Empire of Light), Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You Leo Grande), Jessica Chastain (The Good Nurse), Ana de Armas (Blonde), Naomi Ackie (I Wanna Dance With Somebody).