Are there any major Best Actress contenders left to be screened this year? We are still waiting for Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” to lift its review embargo, but Saoirse Ronan’s performance is most definitely going to be, at the very least, competing for the fourth or fifth slot. Although, having seen “Little Women,” I am not compelled to have Ronan be a part of the top five as her performance fell flat for me, but the buzz is telling a whole other story …
Of the still-unreleased films, "Bombshell" has Charlize Theron giving a ferocious performance as former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. She joins frontrunners Renee Zellweger (“Judy”) and Scarlett Johannson (“Marriage Story”) as part of the top 3 leading contenders in the Actress category.
I hate to say this, but it has been a weak year for female acting. Whilst the Actor category is stacked with note-worthy performance, it’s a little harder to pinpoint the marquee acting feats in the female category. Off-year? Maybe. After all, the two biggest movies of the year are about males and directed by males (“The Irishman,” and “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”).
And so, my predictions have not changed, these are my top 5 contenders at the moment.
FRONTRUNNERS
Renee Zellweger (Judy)
Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
Charlize Theron (Bombshell)
Saoirse Ronan (Little Women)
Awkwafina (The Farewell)
MAJOR THREATS
Lupita Nyong'o (Us)
Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart)
Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)
Felicity Jones (The Aeronauts)
Alfre Woodard (Clemency)