Best Actresses Wickedly Quiet

The Academy Museum Gala happened over the weekend. This is a major event on the awards circuit calendar because it’s literally the Oscar Academy fundraising for their museum and so a huge draw for those in contention to get in front of voters and campaign. And it’s especially important this year because no one is running away with it in any of the acting categories and there’s also no consensus among the experts who pay attention to this kind of thing about the five nominations in each acting category. Which is why so many of the Best Actress Oscar candidates were at the event… and why it was also curious about who was not. 

Renate Reinsve has been holding momentum since Cannes, when Sentimental Value emerged as an early contender. She is lovely in person, even more beautiful in person actually, and she looked so good in Louis Vuitton. 

Chase Infiniti also wore Louis Vuitton, I don’t love the dress but I do love how she’s exploded onto the scene, a true revelation, for her performance in One Battle After Another. It was very important, considering how new she is to the business, for her to be at the Oscar Academy. She and Regina Hall were the two cast members from OBAA present at the gala. 

Right now, though, the only person who is the most locked in for the Best Actress Oscar nomination is Jessie Buckley for her work in Hamnet. And Jessie skipped it. That might not be unusual considering Jessie’s vibe – she’s one of the few actors who isn’t a celebrity – but it is kinda unusual that Wicked has been so quiet, particularly in comparison to the year leading up to the first Wicked movie when Wicked was everywhere. 

This time around, just about a month before the release of Wicked: For Good, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande don’t seem to be as visible. Neither was at the Academy Museum gala. 

Both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande weren’t there and both are considered strong contenders for a nomination in the lead and supporting categories respectively as an extension of last year. Instead it was Bowen Yang repping for all the girlies as he was one of the nights' honorees, the recipient of this year’s Vantage Award. 

With Jessie and Cynthia absent from the gala in the Best Actress nomination, those who are on the bubble were there to make their case. Like Kate Hudson. Song Sung Blue, starring Kate and Hugh Jackman playing the real-life couple who performed as Lighting & Thunder, a Neil Diamond cover band, opens on Christmas Day and will premiere at the AFI Film Festival next weekend. Kate’s been showing up on some predictions list for weeks. I don’t know if this is PR or if it’s legit but it’s the first time in a loooooonng time that Kate’s been in this position. And if her prospects are actually actual, expect to see a LOT of her on the circuit. 

Also Sydney Sweeney who, of course, is going for it for her performance in Christy. Up until about a month ago, Sydney was stepping into the Mikey Madison space from last year – likely the youngest contender in the field, hoping for the same magic…until Chase Infiniti entered the chat. 

And then there’s Amanda Seyfried, who has been unanimously praised for her performance in The Testament of Ann Lee and who has been, for the last decade, delivering banger after banger on television and film. She is underrated – and she definitely deserves to be part of the awards discourse. The only issue is whether or not the film itself is too much of a swing for the Academy. 

Tessa Thompson was glorious in Balenciaga. She’s probably sitting between 6-10 right now in rankings for Best Actress for her performance in Hedda but, again, there’s still enough time and opportunity to build buzz. 

Finally… Rose Byrne in one of my favourite looks of the night, Celine by Michael Ryder. Because it’s bold, and I always prefer bold over safe. But also bold doesn’t have to mean uncomfortable. She’s definitely comfortable in this one. People have been talking about Rose in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You since January, so passionately it reminds me of Andrea Riseborough a few years ago and To Leslie, without the shady voting issues. Rose is well-liked and well-connected in Hollywood, and she’d definitely have the support in the community.