The 21 most worthy contenders for Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars
The most competitive category at the 2023 Academy Awards features the likes of Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michelle Yeoh
Film News the 2023 Oscars
As the year draws to a close and the 2023 Oscars loom, we’ve reached that awards season sweet spot. Enough nominations are in from early awards shows to see how things are taking shape. And several major awards shows will unveil nominees in the coming weeks to help solidify the field. Now that we’ve made predictions and picks for best lead actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, director, and picture, let’s dig into the category for which those possibilities are particularly endless: leading actress.
That this category has more contenders than the others we’ve broken down isn’t exactly a surprise. Go back through Oscar nominations announcements past and you’ll find more cries of “snub!” are reserved for leading ladies. Our 2022 competitors include past winners (like Cate Blanchett and Olivia Colman), buzzworthy breakouts (Taylor Russell is the future), and actors who should definitely be Oscar nominees by now (our Michelle Yeoh campaign has been in place since March).
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This is your daily reminder that if you make your browser skinny enough, you can read all this on one page w/o the miserable slideshow.
Ideally, it’s Yeoh, Blanchett, Dickey, Deadwyler, and a wild card for the fifth, and any could and should win.
My nominee predictions: Cate BlanchettAna de ArmasDanielle DeadwylerOlivia Colman Michelle Yeoh
It’s a good list, although I would guess they’d nominate Michelle Williams over Armas.
My prediction is that neither de Armas nor Colman get nominated.
I can see neither getting nominated too. Yeoh, Blanchette and Deadwyler, to me, seem to be locks. The other two spots could to any of de Armas, Colman, Ackie, Williams, Mulligan or Davis, IMO.
Assume Blanchett or Yeoh will win, equally deserving. But I’d love to see Tang Wei nominated, that was a performance that left you gasped and gagged.
Genre films generally are ignored, so let’s pour one out for Mia Goth. She gave it her all.
Here’s a hope for Michelle Yeoh. She is amazing and you always get a great performance out of her no matter the role. Been a fan for years and its great she is really becoming a hot commodity now with some juicy roles lined up in the future.She’s really due for some Oscar recognition, IMHO.
Dale Dickey, who’s had a lengthy and varied career, had a strong performance in a year with so many better-hyped films. She will be overlooked, and it’s a shame. I hope she garnered some appreciation on the festival circuit and in best lists.
I’ve only seem the Michelle Yeoh movie. Give it to her!!!!!
It’s going to come down to her and Cate Blanchet. The latter is the front-runner, but I can see the voters giving it to Yeoh (no previous nominations) over someone who’s already won twice. (Kind of like when Adrian Brody won Best Actor–he was the only nominee to have not won before.)
Where’s Tilda Swinton (The Eternal Daughter)?
I would love to see a nom for Dale Dickey–she’s great in everything, but she’s pretty far down the list on the Oscar odds.
Yeah. I am rooting for her though.
I hear the central performance in Tar is really something, but I’d really like to see this go to Yeoh. fingers crossed.
There’s no way the Academy is nominating some young unknown in a low-profile foreign film for Best Actress.
“Austin Butler dominated summer with his Elvis recreation, and now Naomi Ackie could do the same this winter with her take on another beloved singer, Whitney Houston. Ackie, a rising British star, stepped into arguably this season’s most intimidating role, but she did it with the blessing of Houston’s longtime collaborator and friend, legendary music industry executive Clive Davis. So what if Ackie lip-synched to Houston’s songs; that didn’t stop Reese Witherspoon from walking away with an Oscar for her work as June Carter Cash in Walk The Line.”This reads exactly as if it was written by someone who hasn’t seen the movie but wanted to include it in the list for some reason.
Please give Yeoh all the awards.EEAAO deserves to win all the awards, hands-down. Best movie I’ve seen in… maybe ever.(Blanchett was very good in Tár, don’t get me wrong, but that movie didn’t require nearly as much range. And that flick was wayyy overlong.)
No love down here in the comments for Emma Thompson? Her transformation from uptight school marm to a woman delighting in her own sexuality is captivating. It might be cliche to say that it was a gutsy role for her to play, but her willingness to show both emotional and physical nakedness made her performance very grounded and relatable.
About the only person I’d consider giving the Best Actress Academy Award to over Cate Blanchett would be Michelle Yeoh.
I’m leaning towards Michelle Yeoh, but Dale Dickey has a special place in my heart since she looks, sounds, and acts just like my mom did in her last few years.
I think there are four that are definite: Blanchette, Yeoh, Williams & Deadwyler. I hope the 5th is de Arnas, but I suspect Colman or perhaps Dickey have a better chance. It doesn’t really matter. Whoever the 5th is isn’t going to be the winner.
Every famous movie has what I call, A PEAK MOMENT. It’s the moment where the movie becomes more than a movie and becomes an icon of films. The epic moment where you’re like. damn, this went next level! and the crowd cheers. This is that moment in Grease when he Danny and Sandy appear dancing. The peak moment in JawsThe Watchmen, when the camera pans back and we see them walking on the snow to get the climax scene of the movie and we hear the jimi hendrix song, all along the watchtower. the movie has reached peak moment. this it. get ready!When Indy really goes under a truck in Raiders of the Lost Ark. What am I watching? OMG! PEAK MOMENT! I could do this all day! lol
What are your peak moments in film?