Best Supporting Actress: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
What makes a good supporting role? Is it the ability to better the leads around them, or to heighten moments as scene stealers? Yesterday, I covered the male category, and now it is time to look at the supporting actresses we have been presented with. Overall this is a strong group, but I do feel like there are some glaring omissions (of which I will go into). I also don’t have certainty as to who will win this category just yet, but I have a teensy bit of a hunch; this group can really sway in a number of ways over the course of a month and a half, mind you, so my opinion can easily change soon. Here are your nominees.
Biggest Snub: Passing-Ruth Negga
I sadly guessed that awards shows would neglect Rebecca Hall’s Passing, which already was a heartbreaker I had to deal with. However, I am absolutely shocked that Ruth Negga’s performance as Clare Bellew isn’t here. If anything, it’s possibly the biggest snub of the entire awards. Even other ceremonies like the Golden Globes knew that she was deserving of at least a nomination (whereas I feel like Negga would have been worthy of a full-on win this year), but to not even see a single mention of the film in any capacity here is just a travesty. Sorry, but this is easily the biggest oversight of this year’s awards, without question. It’s actually quite infuriating.
5. Belfast-Judi Dench
Look, I love Judi Dench as much as the next person, and I feel like she was quite good in Belfast, but I can’t help and wonder — should any supporting actress have been featured here from the film — if Caitriona Balfe wasn’t more fitting. Dench tugs at your heart strings, sure, but Balfe borderline steals the entire film as the strongest performer in it. Furthermore, if we were to move away from Belfast, there are a number of performances that easily could have better fit here (see above for one example). Dench is good in Belfast, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t help but wonder if this wasn’t just an acknowledgement of an Academy favourite.
4. The Lost Daughter-Jessie Buckley
I’d consider Jessie Buckley one of the more interesting nominees this year. Firstly, I don’t think many people were predicting she would get in, especially since The Lost Daughter was starting to really get shooed away by awards ceremonies (particularly the BAFTAs, where I thought it would do reasonably well); even the Oscars haven’t really given the film its dues outside of its three nominations. Secondly, I feel like Buckley is incredibly important to the film, considering she is playing a younger version of Olivia Coleman’s character, and she picks up on her mannerisms really well. I think this is a nice nomination that honours a role that had to do the heavy lifting whenever the more-acclaimed performance wasn’t on screen, and for that alone I think Buckley is deserving of her flowers. She did well here.
3. The Power of the Dog-Kirsten Dunst
Let’s start this off with the reminder that Kirsten Dunst has never been nominated before. Not once. Ever. Well, it’s about time, and this accolade is attached to one of Dunst’s strongest performances thus far. The emotional range Dunst has access to is always astounding, and it gets put to great use here in the role of the conflicted Rose: someone who has to face society often enough, and begins to develop her own desires and agendas. It’s very easy to connect with her, but it’s Dunst’s darker side that makes this performance even sweeter. The Power of the Dog tests Dunst’s nuance, and it’s this extraordinary feat that finally secured her some Oscars love. It’s about time!
2. King Richard-Aunjanue Ellis
Everyone goes into King Richard because of the hype surrounding Will Smith’s performance, but I can guarantee that most people left the film spellbound by Richard Williams’ wife Brandy Pryce. That’s all thanks to Aunjanue Ellis’ commanding performance that easily combats Smith’s more naturalistic portrayal. She booms at all of the necessary times. As a mother of children who may be pushed too hard by their father, she is protective and her instincts resonate off of the screen. I knew that King Richard would pick up more nominations outside of Will Smith, and I’m not sure if it deserves all of what it possibly could have gotten, but the one extra nod that feels right is Aunjanue Ellis. She fits right in with her fellow nominees (perhaps even stronger than most).
1. West Side Story-Ariana DeBose
There must be something about the role of Anita that just works. Rita Moreno’s EGOT was mostly built upon her acclaimed portrayal of this character. Now, there’s newcomer Ariana DeBose, who only has a little bit of acting experience but manages to steal West Side Story exactly like the legend before her. Is it the character, or was the perfect candidate chosen twice? DeBose is electrifying, impossible to ignore, and the focal point of so many moments. Toss in her dancing and singing talents, and you have a triple-threat of a performance that manages to be one of the high points of a revival that actually worked. DeBose absolutely deserves to be talked about, and she may even win this category (given her success thus far).
Cameron Geiser’s Review of West Side Story
Who I want to win: Without sounding too rough, I’d want anyone but Judi Dench to win this; again, I feel like Judi Dench, while always fantastic, feels out of place here, and every other nominee has never won an Oscar before (in fact, everyone here is a nominee for the first time). From new talent and veterans to overlooked gems finally getting some love, the other four candidates could use this win, and their presence here is great.
Who I think will win: As I write this, I think Ariana DeBose will win. West Side Story will pick up at least a couple of wins, and I think that this performance is one that it will likely secure early into the ceremony.
Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee on every weekday.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.