It was around this time last year that I started sounding the alarm on the groundswell of “grassroots” support that was backing Andrea Riseborough’s performance in “To Leslie.” It all resulted in the impossible: Riseborough being Oscar-nominated in the Lead Actress category.
Now, I’m not saying it’s going to happen again this year, but I’m seeing shades and similarities when it come to the industry support Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is getting for her performance in Ava DuVernay’s “Origin.”
Angelina Jolie just held an invite-only get together at her home on Sunday, with over 20 Oscar voters present. DuVernay and “Origin” star Ellis-Taylor were also in attendance and Jolie “spoke passionately” about the film, Deadline’s sources say.
The mastermind behind last year’s Riseborough campaign, Frances Fisher, was also in attendance, and has been fervently pushing the film on social media.
Another screening of “Origin” has been set up in West Hollywood this afternoon with Jolie moderating an on-stage panel with director/writer DuVernay and Ellis-Taylor. This follows Ben Affleck also moderating a screening of “Origin” in L.A. Ditto Samuel L. Jackson who held a toast for the film at Sunset Towers earlier this week. Dave Chappelle capped it all off conducting an event with DuVernay on January 12th during a special screening of the film.
The support isn’t just being relegated to screenings. There’s also been numerous undustry players going on social media to praise DuVernay’s film, including Cher, Guillermo Del Toro, JJ Abrams, Oprah, Barbara Brocolli, Lena Waithe, LaKeith Stanfield, Nia Vardalos, Melanie Lynskey, Colman Domingo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brit Marling and Rosanna Arquette.
This is a clear and, possibly, coordinated campaign to get Ellis-Taylor a Best Actress nod, and it might work. Right now, the category is sure to have Emma Stone (Poor Things), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) and, in a distant third, Carey Mulligan (Maestro) nominated.
This leaves the last two spots wide open. An Ellis-Taylor nomination is doable, but she’ll have to fight it out against Sandra Huller (Anatomy of A Fall), Margot Robbie (Barbie), and Annette Bening (Nyad).