BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
No matter which nine or ten films will be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, there will be greater diversity and inclusion this year than ever before.
If you want to know more about the Oscars, please consult my book, All About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards (hardcover and paperback).
FRONTRUNNERS (in alphabetical order)
Amy Adams, Vice
Claire Foy, First Man
Nicole Kidman, Boy Erased
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
STRONG CONTENDERS
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Leave No Trace
Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots
Emily Blunt, A Quiet Place
ALSO IN THE RUN
Linda Cardellini, Green Boo
Marina de Tavira, Roma (foreign language film)
Natalie Portman, Von Lux
Sissy Spacek, Old Man and the Gun
Michelle Yeoh. Crazy Rich Asians
Analysis:
Of the 14 actresses on my list, 8 have been nominated for Oscar before, and 5 have actually won: Kidman, Portman, Stone, Spacek, and Weisz.
Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, both excellent in The Favourite, might cancel each other out.
Regina King, African American, is the only minority woman among the frontrunners, and so far the critics favorite, having been recognized by both New York and Los Angeles reviewers.
Asian Michelle Yeoh is a distant runner for her turn in Crazy Rich Asians.
All of the actresses have played both leading and supporting roles, which is quite encouraging.
The most natural or understated performance is given by Sissy Spacek (no make up, no accent, no costumes, no rabbits….) if the underestimated The Old Man & the Gun (opposite Redford, in his last screen role).