By
Peter Knegt
|
Indiewire
Sun Nov 09 16:51:00 EST 2014
There are two very notable things about this year's best actress race. First, it's the most clear of all the acting races. And second, it's the leanest in terms of actual contenders. Unlike best actor, there's probably only 9 or 10 women in genuine contention here. And that's in part because of the last minute addition of Jennifer Aniston for her work in "Cake." You certainly can't blame upstart "Cake" distributor Cinelou Releasing for giving it a shot given how weak the competition is. Though it would make for a gossip magazine dream if Aniston gets her first Oscar nomination the same year Angelina Jolie gets nominated for best director and Brad Pitt is in for producing "Selma."
For that scenario to happen, however, would require quite the campaign on Cinelou's part. Aniston would need to break into a lineup that seems to have a solid four contenders already: Felicity Jones ("The Theory of Everything"), Julianne Moore ("Still Alice"), Rosamund Pike ("Gone Girl") and Reese Witherspoon ("Wild"). Waiting in the wings are Amy Adams (said to be great in "Big Eyes") and Emily Blunt (reportedly the sole actress going lead for "Into The Woods"). If all of those falter, Aniston has a shot. Though either way, this is definitely Julianne Moore's to lose anyway. If any of the acting races have a likely winner already, it's this one. And let's leave things off with a fun fact in that regard: If Moore wins (which at this point seems quite possible), it would mean that for two years running, Alec Baldwin has played the husband of the Oscar winning best actress.
Check out predictions in other categories here.
The Best Bets From What We've Seen:
1. Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
2. Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"
3. Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
4. Felicity Jones, "Theory of Everything"
The Remaining Threats:
5. Amy Adams, "Big Eyes"
6. Emily Blunt, "Into The Woods"
Dark Horses From What We've Seen (But They Could Move Up):
7. Shailene Woodley, "The Fault In Our Stars"
8. Hilary Swank, "The Homesman"
9. Jennifer Aniston, "Cake"
10. Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"
11. Kristen Wiig, "The Skeleton Twins"
12. Maggie Smith, "My Old Lady"
13. Anne Hathaway, "Interstellar"
14. Jessica Chastain, "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby"
15. Rosario Dawson, "Top Five"
READ MORE: 'Gone Girl' Rosamund Pike On Nailing the Part of a Lifetime (Spoilers)
