Like the rest of the categories this year, Best Supporting Actress is incredibly competitive. You can make an argument for all 5 of the acting nominees. Yes, even Sally Hawkins.
In the lead is Lupita Nyong'o. While Jennifer Lawrence did take the Golden Globe, it was no surprise. We knew that the Hollywood Foreign Press would award the it-girl of Hollywood, who also happens to be a complete bombshell. However, it was Lupita Nyong'o who was consistently swept the critics awards and recently won the Critics' Choice Award last night. You can tell by the reaction to her win that the performance was well-liked from the industry. What nearly seals the deal for her is her Screen Actors Guild Award win, which shows support within the actors branch.
Her biggest competition is last year's Oscar winner for Best Actress, Jennifer Lawrence. American Hustle looks like 12 Years a Slave's biggest competition for Best Picture. She also benefits from the fact that her film has nominations in all 4 acting categories. Whenever this occurs, at least one actor wins in their category. With it unlikely that the men will win and Amy Adams in a spoiler position, it looks as if Jennifer Lawrence may be that one acting win. Not to mention she is the scene stealer of her film.
I think June Squibb has a much stronger chance than many others think. She plays the typical sassy one-liner role that tends to win in this category. Octavia Spencer, Melissa Leo, and Penélope Cruz are just a few of the recent winners to fit that bill. She is also a place to honor “Nebraska. If there is a spoiler in this category it is definitely her.
The one factor that is a complete wild card is Sally Hawkins. Most Oscar pundits have her in last place, but when the results of some voters' ballots were released she led by a significant margin and I can see why. She gives the best performance in the category. A lesser actress may have been drowned out by Cate Blanchett, but she has such presence in the film that even when she is just in the background you are aware of her presence. It should also be noted that if “Blue Jasmine” is an update of “A Street Car Named Desire”, then Hawkins role, which is the Stella character, has already won an Oscar for Kim Hunter.
Check out my ranking below and all of our Oscar predictions here!
Will Win: June Squibb, Nebraska
Could Win: Lupita Nyong'o, “12 Years a Slave”
Should Win: Sally Hawkins, “Blue Jasmine”
Should have been nominated: Octavia Spencer, “Fruitvale Station”
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.
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