This woman is underappreciated. Full stop. I don’t mean as an actress, although possibly that too. But consider this – when you google Mank (after you say “MANK!” to yourself, as is obligatory) do you know what’s listed first under ‘People Also Ask’?
“Is Mank Boring?”
Imagine that’s what you’re going into the Academy Awards with, as a nominee! Then imagine that you do this, for an official Academy promo.
This woman always comes to play. Her dress was great, even if it is a colour she’s chosen many times before:
And last night:
And she may have chosen it for the design – pretty, yes, daring, yes – but it is also pretty uniquely easy access, if her Insta story about her plans for the night is anything to go by (and trust me, nobody packs a pump unless they *have* to, so I’m calling this a deliberate choice).
You see? I’m saying. This woman has been coming to play for a long time now, and even though she knew she wasn’t going to win, still had a flicker of being sad about it before being delighted by Youn Yuh-Jung, like all right-thinking people. It’s worth remembering that she’s been in this game for a lot longer than we think, and is a great sport about continuing to show up and give it her all even when it’s clear she’s going to be part of the supporting cast. I mean, she’s been working for decades now, (I just completed a rewatch of Big Love and she’s great even then) and worked with everyone in Hollywood – including one costar that you probably forgot, because I definitely did. You can thank me on your trivia night a few months from now:
ABC just played a clip of teenage Amanda Seyfried and teenage Michael B Jordan on “All My Children†and it’s really something pic.twitter.com/FFFtjFsPjM
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 25, 2021
Anyway. It wasn’t her night, she came to play anyway, that’s fine. But she’s been here, working hard, for so long that I’ll wager one of these days it’s actually going to be her time, and someone somewhere is already crafting a Mean Girls meme about it, I’m quite sure.
