Surveying the 2023 Best Actress Field
A way-too-early watch list on the upcoming Oscar race for Best Actress.
The 94th Academy Awards may already be behind us. But because studios are already setting release dates for the upcoming fall/winter season, it seems there’s immediate prep for the 95th Oscars and, just for the heck of it, I figured I’d compile a watch list of the Best Actress category.
On a side note, this is not a set of predictions. For me, it’s too early to pick a winner and a set of nominees when a lot of what’s only my watch list has yet to be seen. This is just a watch list divided into three different categories: The former Oscar winners, the nominees looking for their first trophy, and those hoping to make their entry in the Oscar club.
The Returning Champs:
First up from the batch of previous winners in possible contention is Viola Davis in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, an upcoming historical epic inspired by true events in the African kingdom known as Dahomey with Davis playing Nanisca, the general of an all-female militant group known as the Dahomey Amazons.
Then there’s Regina King who’ll be playing Shirley Chisholm in the upcoming biopic on her life known simply as Shirley. Although filming is still taking place, if it’s completed in time for the fall season, King’s performance could still be in contention. Thanks to her Oscar and four Emmy wins, King has a clear stature among her acting peers. There’s also the biopic factor to consider since three of the last five winners for Best Actress won for playing real-life figures.
Interestingly, some of our latest Best Actress winners could once again find themselves in the mix. Recent two-time winner Frances McDormand will star in and produce Women Talking, a film adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews about a group of Mennonite women who gather together for a secret meeting where they recount the incidents of sexual assault they’ve each experienced in their colony. The only thing is because it sounds like an ensemble piece, will McDormand be the main standout or focus? Also, because she won two Best Actress Oscars so quickly, will they want to take a break and put a spotlight on other names?
Then we have our latest Best Actress winner, Jessica Chastain, starring in the upcoming Netflix thriller The Good Nurse opposite Eddie Redmayne. Meanwhile, Olivia Colman, who’s on quite a career streak, could contend for her third nomination in a row for the upcoming Sam Mendes romance Empire of Light. Meanwhile, Colman’s The Favourite co-star and fellow Best Actress winner Emma Stone is re-teaming with director Yorgos Lanthimos on the Frankenstein-esque Victorian tale Poor Things. Then, the esteemed Cate Blanchett stars in TÁR, director Todd Field’s first movie in 16 years, as a renowned musical composer.
Lastly, there’s someone who hasn’t been in the Oscar conversation in a while: Emma Thompson. It’s been 27 years since she was last nominated in Best Actress with only Saving Mr. Banks having come close to ending her long Oscar drought. Her performance as a widow looking for erotic pleasure in the Sundance dramedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande should hopefully be the one to finally end that drought.
The Returning Nominees:
Now, we’ll look at those who are in the Oscar club but are still waiting for their first trophy. Names like Florence Pugh who earned her first Oscar nomination in Best Supporting Actress for Little Women. This year, Pugh could create double trouble in this category with Don’t Worry, Darling, the upcoming psychological thriller from Olivia Wilde, and The Wonder from A Fantastic Woman director Sebastian Lelio.
Meanwhile, previous two-time nominee Margot Robbie will have a starring role in Babylon, the upcoming Hollywood drama by Damien Chazelle, as famed silent actress Clara Bow. She does also have a role in the long-delayed Canterbury Glass coming this November but who knows how big her role will be in that super-packed acting ensemble.
Next up is Carey Mulligan in She Said, the upcoming adaptation of the 2019 book of the same name by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, two New York Times journalists who ran the exposè on Harvey Weinstein that revealed the various sexual misconduct allegations made against him. Mulligan portrays Megan Twohey while Zoe Kazan will play Jodi Kantor which does beg the question over who the standout between the two will be.
Additionally, we have Michelle Williams, who currently has a 0-4 Oscar record, for Showing Up. In what is her fourth collaboration with director Kelly Reichardt, Williams plays an artist navigating her personal life as she’s about to have a career-changing exhibition. But in case that somehow doesn’t land, she’ll also be starring in The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical tale based on his childhood in post-war Arizona.
The Potential New Faces:
Then again, let’s not forget those who’ve yet to earn their first try.
Rising star Naomi Ackie has been making a name for herself thanks to projects like Lady Macbeth, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and the third season of Master of None. Now, she will play none other than Whitney Houston in the upcoming biopic on her life known as I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
After stealing the show in The Harder They Fall as the tough-as-nails Cuffey, Danielle Deadwyler will now have a starring role in Till, a biopic on Mamie Till-Mobley and her pursuit of justice for the lynching of her son Emmett Till.
While on the subject of long-delayed films finally getting released, we have Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Unless the NC-17 rating becomes a hurdle and/or the shifting release date is a bad omen, Ana de Armas is one to possibly take note of considering the biopic factor and how her star has only gotten brighter since officially arriving on the scene with Knives Out.
But how about someone who’s been in the acting scene even longer but has yet to amass this kind of recognition? Someone like Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once which is earning universal acclaim and playing like gangbusters in its slow theatrical rollout. Can the international screen icon finally get her due? At this stage, why not at least entertain the idea?
Some other names on the radar: Keke Palmer for Nope, Tang Wei for Decision to Leave, Taylor Russell for Bones & All, and Thandiwe Newton for God’s Country.
What do you guys think? Is there anyone you think is missing from this longlist? Please share your thoughts!