Best Actress: Ranking Every Nominee of the 97th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We have finally reached what I think is safe to consider the most difficult category to rank this year, and I think anyone could see this challenge from a mile away. The Best Actress nominees at this year’s Academy Awards are all insanely talented, and they squeaked in past at least five just-as-worthy performances. It’s been insanely competitive to be a strong, leading, female actor this year, which I think goes without saying. Let’s get back to business. I’m looking for the same things in these five nominees that I would any other acting nomination: how believable they are, if they have a command of their capabilities, and how much they resonated with me. It’s safe to say that the five performances below are the best of each of these ladies’ respective careers, which is saying a lot considering the different stages of their careers (from a promising newcomer, to veterans who are finally getting their dues). Outside of Cynthia Erivo (who was nominated twice for Harriet, once for acting and another for Best Original Song), the remaining four nominees are all first-timers. Now, none of these nominees have ever won an Oscar before. If it wasn’t for certain controversies (more on that shortly), I’d argue that this category was going to be a battle to the bitter end. Is there any way to predict who will win this race, even if by a hair? Let’s see.
Here are your nominees for Best Actress ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Hard Truths-Marianne Jean-Baptiste
I could have placed many other women here, like Pamela Anderson’s shockingly truthful turn in The Last Showgirl, Lily-Rose Depp’s highly vulnerable work in Nosferatu, and — a crushing omission — Angelina Jolie’s best work to date in Maria. The biggest snubs, in my opinion, are between Jolie’s Maria and this massive, underdog performance by Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Mike Leigh’s excellent Hard Truths (which got zero nominations, for some reason). As if Leigh combined the traits of multiple of his protagonists before (the existential anxiety from Naked, and the antithesis to the chipper Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky), Baptiste renders Pansy a mess of nerves. At times, Pansy is hilarious, as she rips apart every thing she sees before her. Before fully revealing her pain, she breaks down and shows that she isn’t ruthless: she’s actually vulnerable to the point of being defensive. When Pansy finally confesses the grief and guilt she is burdened by, Baptiste’s entertaining-yet-heartbreaking performance will show all of its cards, inviting you to understand just how difficult her acting truly is. I would have loved to have seen Leigh’s Hard Truths pop up in at least one category, and I was always hoping it would be this one for the criminally underrated and under-hired Baptiste.
5. Emilia Pérez-Karla Sofía Gascón
Now, I haven’t ranked Karla Sofía Gascón for the reasons you’d think. I’m keeping her controversies out of my ranking. Before all of this shit hit the fan, I was actively rooting for Gascón to be nominated for Emilia Pérez, ever since I saw the film play TIFF 2024 and got to see the actress — alongside co-star Zoe Saldaña — discuss the hard work that went into this now-polarizing musical. I was astonished by Gascón. I wanted to see her go the distance. Focusing on the performance, I think there is a lot that Gascón does that is difficult. The obvious is her duality between playing Emilia pre-transition (a ruthless, soft-spoken-yet-threatening cartel overlord) and afterwards. She vows to be a new person once she becomes Emilia, but you can see that she cannot let go of her monstrous habits and tendencies (including being violent or hot-tempered). There is a tango between who Emilia wants to be, and her past of evil coming back to haunt her. I do think this is a great performance, even if the singing is a bit rough around the edges (the reason why I have placed her last, especially when another music-based performance is stronger in at least this department). All things considered, I was happy that Gascón was nominated.
Was.
Between the plethora of awful things Gascón has said (and even continues to say, really), and even her judgment of the Academy Awards themselves (why even bother wanting to campaign if you hate them so much), I think there are other women who would have wanted to have been here. Considering that Gascón — should she have even cared to have been nominated — has completely destroyed any chance of winning here, it is far too late for the Academy to replace her spot (voting is long underway), but we can consider this a race between four women now. This is a crying shame. Let’s not even think about the Oscars. This was a turning point for Gascón marred by her own hatred. I got to see a glimpse of what was to come for her, being in that auditorium and seeing the lengthy standing ovation for her and her riveting performance. Now, I don’t care whatsoever what happens after this film. I’ve ranked Gascón last just because I would have ranked the other four nominees ahead of her (but just barely, given how strong I think everyone here is). Especially because of her nature, if we’re looking at who is worthy of being nominated even outside of their acting, I’d have pulled Gascón out entire. I always separate the artist from their art, but I cannot blame anyone for being unable to watch this film or appreciate anything Gascón does within it as a result of her actions. What a tragedy.
4. Wicked-Cynthia Erivo
One thing I won’t miss about this Oscars season is having to discuss the mess surrounding Emilia Pérez. Let’s get back to our regularly scheduled program. Cynthia Erivo is splendid in Wicked. As Elphaba, Erivo has turned the iconic Broadway character into something a little different for the big screen: someone whose insecurities are more introspective than projected outward. I wouldn’t say that Erivo is better than Idina Menzel at this role, but rather I love what she brings instead to make it truly her own. Erivo’s Elphaba starts off introverted and becomes a bombastic force to be reckoned with. Obviously, do I even need to describe how well Erivo can sing? I also like how Erivo gives co-star Arianna Grande to shine when needed, but Erivo doesn’t forget when she is needed the most as well, punctuating moments of Wicked with the oomph that the lavish sets, effects, and costumes demand. There was a very high bar set for Erivo, and she reaches it by defying gravity. I can only imagine Erivo getting even better for the upcoming sequel, which I think would demand even more from her (and I think she’ll match these expectations).
3. The Substance-Demi Moore
It’s never too late to start fresh. There have been a few performers who have had career renaissances or revitalizations in 2024, and Demi Moore is at the forefront with her better-than-ever work in the horror-satire, The Substance. Like combining Natalie Portman’s Nina and Barbara Hershey’s Erica from Black Swan in one, Moore makes Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance a self-sabotaging basket-case who frantically loses control of herself (not even who she wants to be again, but who she presently is). While chasing fame and youth, Elisabeth forgets what it means to even be present as a human being and understand who she is as a personality and a biological creation. Other actors may have either made Elisabeth completely desperate or highly egotistical and dismissive, but Moore renders her sympathetically understandable; she is addicted to being famous and adored, and so she cannot stop hurting herself in order to be both — in the eyes of a skewed and problematic society — again. Like Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler and Michael Keaton in Birdman, we watch Moore expel personal demons in a role that was crafted just for her; it showcases her acting capabilities she wasn’t given the chance to prove all along; the character tackles stigmas Moore has had to face; Elisabeth is a character Moore can understand and bring life to fully. She does just that. I hope Moore has many other brilliant roles to come.
2. Anora-Mikey Madison
This breakthrough role of Anora was one of 2024’s great cinematic wonders. Mikey Madison — once a blossoming star who shined even in the smallest of roles and was always different — was given the floor in Anora, and boy did she ever eat. While other actors may have made the stripper character a ditzy, one-note caricature, Madison has put truth, history, and depth in this now-adored role, sculpting Anora — or Ani — into a fully-fledged being who we champion for two-and-a-half hours. Sean Baker purposefully left some details out of the script of Anora, allowing actors like Madison to add their own version of their provenance here. Madison does just that, by inviting us to wonder how Ani got to this point, and seeing that there is a capability for her to go much further in life than she already has (if life would just give her a fair shake for once). As a talkative, vibrant, boisterous firecracker, Ani could have been annoying if played by the wrong actor. Madison has made the titular role of Anora the best original character of 2024: someone whose charisma, courage, and vulnerability so palpable that she feels like a real person. I still ache for her and hope that good luck has come her way well after those credits rolled, and that’s thanks to Madison leaving it all on the big screen.
1. I’m Still Here-Fernanda Torres
Fernanda Torres feels comparable to Mikey Madison in the sense that both stars are as magnetic and charming as they are soul crushing and emotionally eviscerating. I found it nearly impossible to place one over the other, but I will give Torres in I’m Still Here the slight edge just because we got to see even more variety with her performance. As Torres takes on the difficult task of bringing cinematic truth to the life of Eunice Paiva — whose husband, Rubens, was a kidnapped politician — the film pushes her into some risky exercises. Torres smiles in the face of danger (as to never give up on her and her family’s quest to save their loved one), but is also brought to the point of distress when pushed too far via torture and other forms of harassment. When the film leaps to years later, Torres somehow adds even more history to her performance, as if that time did pass. It’s a brief moment, but it’s enough to see how dedicated Torres was to honouring a Brazilian icon of resiliency. There are so many layers, textures, and colours to Torres’ performance which never once feels like a star desperate to try and win an Oscar. Torres was honourable first, and the praise and awards came afterward; she still won in the end. Torres delivers what I consider to be the strongest performance of 2024, all things considered (I’d place Madison right behind her).
Who I Want To Win: I’d be happy with Fernanda Torres, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, and Cynthia Erivo winning. It’s a great year and I think there are multiple actors deserving of this award.
Who I Think Will Win: I think this is a three-way race between Demi Moore, Fernanda Torres, and Mikey Madison in that order. Presently, there’s a chance that The Substance wins just one or two awards: for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and for Best Actress (all I can think of are the horror/thriller films that were so beloved that they went against the grain and won in major categories, like Silence of the Lambs winning Best Picture and multiple acting awards, and Black Swan’s Natalie Portman winning Best Actress). I think Moore is likely going to wind up in this conversation. Having said that, the love for Torres and I’m Still Here is massive; while I think the film is going to overtake Emilia Pérez for Best International Feature Film, the chance that Torres will do the same in the Best Actress category is not as certain but still quite possible (think about how strong the backing for this film is if it pulled off the surprise of being up for Best Picture). Finally, Madison — once considered the frontrunner for this category — still has a slight chance if Anora winds up gaining some awards season steam. Since the voters are roughly the same (they’re similar enough), whoever winds up winning the Screen Actors Guild Award in this category will likely win the Oscar as well. For now, I’m sticking with Moore.
The Academy Awards Project will continue on Monday with another category: Best Documentary Short Film. We’re going to rank every single nominee in every single category, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss it!
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.