Predicting Oscars 2017: Who’ll Win at the 89th Academy Awards
Viola Davis in Fences and Emma Stone in La La Land seem unstoppable, but can Casey Affleck beat Denzel Washington? And is La La Land the film to beat for Best Picture? Our early guesses for the upcoming awards season.
Is it too early to predict the winners at the 89th Academy Awards? Not if you’re Lynn Hirschberg, W‘s editor at large and resident Oscars prognosticator. After all, she put most of these actors in her “Best Performances” February portfolio—in the Best Supporting Actor category alone she anticipated all five nominees, including long-shots Lucas Hedges and Michael Shannon. While the nominations for the Oscars were revealed on Tuesday, with about a month to go before the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the contours of the race for Hollywood’s highest honor are already in plain view: Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea are critical darlings that pack an emotional wallop, but their box office may have stalled, for now; La La Land and Hidden Figures are critically adored and juggernaut crowdpleasers with booming box office figures; Emma Stone may be this year’s Jennifer Lawrence; everyone loves a comeback story (we’re looking at you Mel Gibson); and Viola Davis may be unstoppable, with co-star and director Denzel Washington looking mighty compelling for a career-third acting Academy Award. What happens next may depend on the campaigning that happens behind the scenes by studios, streaming services and actors to get The Town’s attention and its vote, but already we can make some predictions that may come in handy for your friendly Oscars pool.
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” Lucas Hedges is vulnerable in Manchester by the Sea but he’s also funny and kind of a smartass; you believe he’s from that family and he mastered the accent even though he’s from New York. His father is the director Peter Hedges and apparently Kenneth Lonergan met Lucas when he was still in a stroller. Then there’s Jeff Bridges. What’s exciting about Hell or High Water is that it feels original, like a new Western. There’s a lot in that movie that raises questions existential questions. But, Mahershala Ali is the breakout performance of the year. He’s also in Hidden Figures, which everyone forgets, and he’s quite in good. He’s been an actor for a long time, at least 20 years—he played Taraji P. Henson’s husband in Benjamin Button—and he’s a really amazing actor. In some ways, he’s like Viola Davis. She’d been in a lot of movies but he’d been hiding in plain sight. That’s the great thing about the right part at the right time.
Other Nominees: Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water; Dev Patel, Lion; Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals; Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea.
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, “Fences” Why was Nicole Kidman nominated? Because Lion is a tearjerker and it’s a well-crafted film, the kind the Academy loves. Nicole has a killer scene in the early part of the movie that you can play during the show. The thing about Nicole is that she’s really an artist and she takes parts that challenge her and there’s something very compelling about that; she’s not someone who plays it safe. To Die For, The Paperboy, but I’m even talking about The Family Fang, which no one saw. She has a small part in a movie called Genius and she’s great in that; she takes parts that intrigue her and that’s brave. Michelle Williams is also brave. She went and visited, Manchester, the town, like 30 times and she’d hang out there just absorbing the people. And it’s a small part! You gotta love that. Naomi Harris had to do that whole part in Moonlight in three days because of visa problems; to establish that bond with three actors and they’re all children is very difficult. But why is Viola Davis going to win? Because she’s done tons of great work, and she’s due, and she’s also great in the movie. Plus, she’ll give a great speech and let’s not underestimate the fact that people want a great speech. I would argue Meryl Streep got a nomination because she gave a great speech at the Golden Globes.
Other Nominees: Naomie Harris, Moonlight; Nicole Kidman, Lion; Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures; Michelle Williams, Manchester By The Sea.
Best Lead Actress: Emma Stone, “La La Land” It’s a really tight race between Emma Stone, Isabelle Huppert and Natalie Portman. Isabelle Huppert is interesting because I think she benefitted from the Golden Globes. She has history on her aside in the sense she’s been an actress for many years, and is very highly regarded as an actor’s actor. Natalie Portman has on her side that she played Jackie Kennedy and she’s magnificent in the film. Her previous Oscar counts against her a little bit, but this performance is seen as something of a return because when she won she disappeared for a while. She directed her movie, and it was very good, but not very many people saw it. Emma Stone is absolutely wonderful in the movie. Even though Natalie is young person, Emma represents the next generation of actors, like Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain. She can do anything, and I think most people feel that way. This is a tight race, which is unusual for Best Actress; generally you’re hard-pressed to find five great female roles and this year you have an abundance of riches. In any other year, Annette Bening and Amy Adams would have been nominated, Taraji P. Henson, too.
Other Nominees: Natalie Portman, Jackie; Ruth Negga, Loving; Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins; Isabelle Huppert, Elle.
Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams and More Are the Best Performances of the Year
Stone wears Chloé tunic; Wolford leggings; her own rings. Beauty: Covergirl. Affleck wears Louis Vuitton jacket and shirt.
Portman wears Dior dress; Mish New York earrings. Beauty: Dior. Negga wears Carolina Herrera dress; Lalaounis earrings. Beauty: Laura Mercier.
Adams wears Prada shirt; Djula earrings. Beauty: Giorgio Armani. McConaughey wears Burberry shirt.
Driver wears AG T-shirt. Mortensen wears Alternative Apparel henley.
Williams wears Louis Vuitton dress and bodysuit. Beauty: Nars. Edgerton wears Burberry T-shirt; Rolex watch.
Kidman wears Chanel dress; Tiffany & Co. earrings. Beauty: Chanel. Ali wears Simon Miller T-shirt.
La La Land
“My real name is Emily Stone, but when I started acting, that name was already taken by another actress, so I had to come up with a different one. For a 16-year-old, picking a new name is an interesting prospect, and back then I said, ‘I’m now going to be Riley Stone!’ So, for about six months I was called Riley. I landed a guest spot on Malcolm in the Middle, and one day they were calling, ‘Riley! Riley! Riley! We need you on set, Riley!’ and I had no idea who they were talking to. At that moment, I realized that I just couldn’t be Riley. So I became Emma. But I miss Emily. I would love to get her back.”
Sonia Rykiel sweater; Commando briefs.
Gold
“I was attracted to Gold because it reminded me of my dad. He loved shady deals. He’d much rather do a shady deal with fun people than a good deal with a bunch of straight-asses. He invested in diamond mines in Ecuador, and there were no fucking diamonds there. It was a scam, but he loved that. That’s the spirit of my character, Kenny Wells. There’s a little poem we have in the movie—‘Bird With No Feet Sleeps in the Wind.’ And that’s it: If Kenny, or my dad, gets the money or not, does it really matter? Would he change? No. Not that guy. These are people who are going to con, finagle, and boot-scoot their way in the side door. They never had the front-door entrance to the American Dream.”
AG jacket; Current/Elliott T-shirt; Levi’s jeans; John Hardy bracelet (right); Ann Demeulemeester boots.
Arrival and Nocturnal Animals
“Tom Ford became my muse on Nocturnal Animals. My character, Susan, was very personal to Tom, and so I based my interpretation on him. Tom would ask on set, ‘Why is Amy using her hands like that?’ And I said, ‘I’m copying you, Tom!’ I used him. I used him up.”
Gucci shirt; Djula earrings.
Jackie
“Playing Jackie Kennedy is scary. I was nervous at first, and I started by doing a lot of research. The biographies on her are all a little bit trashy, but the transcripts of her interviews with the historian Arthur Schlesinger were really helpful. He taped everything, and you can hear Jackie’s voice. Her intellect and her wit and what she’s bitter about are immediately apparent. At the same time, I was going to costume fittings and makeup tests. When I put on the Jackie wig, the physical and emotional sides came together. The hair itself is so iconic that once you have it right, you can start to see Jackie. I don’t really look like her, but I felt like I was in her skin.”
Equipment dress.
Paterson and Silence
“Silence is the story of two Jesuit priests on a journey from Macao to Japan in search of their mentor, a priest who may have renounced his faith. When Martin Scorsese asked me to come to his house to talk about the movie, I already knew that for 28 years it had been his passion project. We talked about Silence, but when Scorsese starts a sentence, ‘When we were shooting Raging Bull…’ you can’t help but say, ‘Yeah, okay, tell me everything.’ So we talked for a long time, and finally he asked me if I would be willing to lose weight for the role. It made sense: How can you play a 17th-century persecuted priest while eating great meals? So I lost around 51 pounds. The weight loss was only bad in that, you know, I’d try to figure out how to play a scene and I had no ideas, because I was so damn hungry. Then I’d have a scoop of peanut butter and suddenly everything turned on!”
Dior Homme jacket; Rag & Bone Standard Issue T-shirt and jeans; Rolex watch. On model: Wolford stockings.
Hell or High Water
What was your first audition? My parents were both actors. I had just graduated from college, and my father had gone in for an audition for Gilmore Girls. He told the casting directors, “My son is back in town. Will you have him in for a reading?” So it was nepotism at its best. I can’t remember the role—maybe a boyfriend to someone? I got my start playing boyfriends, husbands-to-be, and princes.
In Hell or High Water you play a kind of modern Western antihero. You don’t speak much. When I read the script, the image that came to mind was of a man on a porch squinting through harsh sunlight into the distance, but not talking. I have a lot of similar memories of my father, where we are sitting next to each other and not saying much. Westerns have a stoic silence I’ve always appreciated. These days, we have so many distractions. I have minor ADD, so if anything grabs me and keeps me from petting my dog or collaging or just daydreaming, I immediately pay attention.
Brunello Cucinelli sweater; Sandro trousers; Loewe shoes.
Michael Kors henley. Model wears Araks robe; Stella McCartney Lingerie bra; Fifi Chachnil briefs; Falke stockings; Gianvito Rossi shoes.
Loving
“When I auditioned for the part of Mildred Loving, I had to sort of disappear into her character. Usually, I don’t create a costume for an audition, but this time I wore a summer dress. I knew that coming in the door looking like this woman would have an impact. A year later, I learned I got the part. At the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, I walked up the steps of the Palais in full makeup, and I walked down the steps with mascara dripping. It was such an emotional experience. All I could think was that I needed to blow my nose before it dripped all over my frock.”
Prada top and skirt; Fabiana Filippi top (underneath).
Hidden Figures
“I’m a pretty good actress. You could say that, right? Well, to play Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who figured out a way to get NASA astronauts into space, I had to be believable as a math expert—and I failed math in college. Precalculus looked like Chinese to me. Even with two tutors, I still failed. So God has an incredible sense of humor, because now I am playing a mathematician! Even on set, they would have a professor there to try and teach me. I said, ‘Show me what I have to write and I’ll memorize it, because I’m not gonna get it.’ Take that, math! I won: I became an actress.”
Monse shirt; La Perla bra; Forevermark by Natalie K earrings; Jimmy Choo shoes.
Rules Don’t Apply
“I never knew Howard Hughes, so I’m able to take liberties, to allow my imagination to go to work. I like to quote Henry Ford, who said, ‘History is bunk.’ I like to quote Winston Churchill, who said, ‘History will be kind to me, because I intend to write it myself.’ And, in Rules Don’t Apply, I quote Mr. Hughes himself. He said, ‘Never check an interesting fact.’ ”
Jeffrey Rüdes sweater.
Manchester by the Sea
“I used to love movies that made me cry, and now all movies seem to make me cry. I don’t like that so much. I have my own things to cry about. I remember being young and sitting on the floor in my father’s apartment watching The Elephant Man on his black and white TV. When the Elephant Man did his speech—‘I am not an animal’—I started sobbing. That’s a tearjerker. That film made a superstrong impression on me. It set a certain standard in my mind of what was possible.”
Louis Vuitton pants; Falke socks. On model: Alexander Wang sweater.
A Monster Calls and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
“Recently, I seem to be doing a lot of dying onscreen. Lizzie, my character in A Monster Calls, has cancer, and I became obsessed with the way someone’s voice changes as their body deteriorates, and how they change the way they hold their body. Cancer patients would tell me things like, ‘You become obsessed with painting your nails, because your body is out of control.’ It became harder and harder to play Lizzie. I don’t think I’m going to die anymore.”
Giorgio Armani dress; Djula earrings; Tacori ring.
Allied, It’s Only the End of the World, and Assassin’s Creed
“It might sound weird, but I always cry at the end of Step Brothers. I’ve seen the movie 10 times, and it still touches me at the end, when Will Ferrell sings. You don’t expect to cry watching that type of comedy, but I always do.”
Burberry trenchcoat; Loro Piana sweater; Chopard earrings.
Hell or High Water
“I remember doing an interview years ago and being asked if I was one of those actors who takes the part home with me. I answered, ‘No. Not really.’ My wife happened to be in the room, and she started to laugh. Apparently, I had been playing a terrible person—a killer or someone who buries people alive or something—and she definitely noticed. I wasn’t fun to live with.”
Boss coat; A.P.C. jeans; the Frye Company boots.
Lion
“When I was cast in Slumdog Millionaire I was 17. At our first major screening, I walked the red carpet in my school shoes and a terrible suit I found on the high street, in London, with my mum. My costar, Freida Pinto, was very beautiful, very glamorous, and they said, ‘We can’t have this kid walking the red carpet with her! He’s spoiling the whole picture!’ So they gave me a new suit and fixed me up. It was a bit like Pretty Woman.”
Hermès sweater; Frame Denim jeans.
The Edge of Seventeen
Where was your first kiss? My first kiss was actually onscreen. I was in a graduate-thesis film called She’s a Fox, and I had to kiss two guys in it. I think I was 12. I was very nervous. One of the guys was shorter than me, and he had to stand on an apple box… Awkward! He told me, “I’m going to pretend I’m kissing my mom!” I was pretty sure that’s not the thing you say before you kiss a girl, so I looked at him and said, “Okay, I’m going to pretend I’m kissing my dog!”
Where was your first real-life kiss, then? At my house, by my front door. Which kind of sucks, because every time I walk through my front door I think about it. The kiss was a little messy, and I looked at the guy and said, “No, no, you can do better.” That’s not what you’re supposed to say, but I said it anyway.
Max Mara bralette; DKNY pants; Cartier earrings; Jimmy Choo shoes.
Max Mara bralette; DKNY pants; Cartier earrings.
The Witch and Split
You say you don’t like watching horror films—so what’s it like for you to act in them? I’m a real scaredy-cat. I’m not good at being frightened. But I do like acting in a horror movie, because I get to feel so intensely. You put yourself in these extreme emotional situations, and it wears you out in a great way. Afterward, I go home and get a good night’s sleep. The work chills me out: I’m a lot more stable since I’ve been in scary movies.
What frightens you? Revolving doors. I worry they’ll cut me in half. Strangers will see me tense up and hold my hand as I’m going through them. I’m constantly worried that I’m not going to make it through the door alive.
Gucci jacket, shirt, and pants.
Midnight Special, Elvis & Nixon, and Nocturnal Animals
“Doing a sex scene is just like having sex, except without any of the pleasure. The horror, fear, anxiety, sadness, and loneliness of sex is all there to enjoy—but none of the happiness.”
Saint Laurent jacket, shirt, and tie; Tiffany & Co. watch.
Hacksaw Ridge and Silence
“The majority of my process in playing a priest in Silence was praying. I’d never really prayed before, and I developed a relationship with a power greater than myself—call it God, call it love, call it what you will. It became very natural to me, and I realized that we’re all praying all the time. There’s that human impulse to worship and to long for a connection to the divine. Unfortunately, in our culture we are driven to worship things that are false and empty. I had a year of exploring this idea of what we are truly longing for and how we actually go to the places that can feed that longing. We all get glimpses of eternity every day. It’s just a question of whether we’re looking up from our iPhones long enough to notice.”
Alexander McQueen jacket and pants; A.P.C. shirt.
Maggie’s Plan and 20th Century Women
What is your karaoke song? It’s the nerdiest one ever: “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” by Billy Joel. It’s one of those songs that if you were a certain kind of teenage girl—me!—you thought knowing all the words would help you get a boyfriend. And then, about 30 seconds too late, you realize that it won’t. But it remains my song. I had the same thought about “Modern Major General,” by Gilbert and Sullivan. I thought guys were looking for a girl who could memorize a lot of names, but they didn’t care about that. They just cared about getting a hand job or something.
Do you have a cinematic crush? I would have to say Melanie Griffith in Working Girl—the first time she meets Harrison Ford at the bar. She’s all done up and she tells him, “I’ve got a head for business and a bod for sin.”And young Harrison Ford…what a dreamboat! But it’s her I truly love. She’s so compelling and funny. She’s sexy without being plastic. I think a lot of people miss seeing women that way.
Proenza Schouler dress; Guidi boots.
Moonlight
Were you a dramatic child? Yes, I used to stand in front of the mirror and try to make myself cry. I would also try different accents. I was living in an imaginary world, usually with Michael Jackson. He was going to rescue me! I used to draw pictures of me and Michael getting married, and I would send them to his fan club. I would imagine Michael waiting for me at the gate of my school, eager to whisk me away to a happier world.
Why Michael Jackson? I imagined myself as a Peter Pan kind of character, and Michael represented that existence. He was my guy.
Miu Miu coat, sweater, shorts, and shoes.
Manchester by the Sea
“As a little kid, my first love was IMDB [the data bank for movies and television]. I would memorize the birthdays of child actors. I really wanted to be an actor, and I related to the kids in the industry. But now that I think about it, memorizing their birthdays is not cute at all—it’s a little serial killer–ish.”
Prada sweater; Brooks Brothers boxers.
Lion
What was your favorite birthday? When I turned 40, my husband, Keith [Urban], drove me up to the top of this small hill in Australia and sat me down. He had put together this huge fireworks display. It was just for the two of us! It was sexy.
What is your pet peeve? When people say they will do something and they don’t. And I know it’s terribly demanding, but I don’t like it when my husband doesn’t answer his phone. I have to keep calling and calling, and I get anxious. Does that make me high-maintenance?
What movie has made you cry? Last year I saw Room, and I was absolutely devastated by it. I’m raw as I get older. I have to be careful what I let in.
Where was your first kiss? This is crazy: We were playing hooky from school. I had my first kiss while watching The Shining. Is that not weird? And we did a few things other than kiss too! I didn’t see a lot of the movie.
Chanel sweater, dress, shorts, and shoes; Bulgari earrings.
Best Lead Actor: Denzel Washington, “Fences” I’m totally biased here because I really want Casey Affleck to win, but he’s going to have his work cut out for him because a lot of people will want Denzel Washington to win. Denzel is an elder statesman, he directed the movie, and it’s August Wilson; it’s like doing Shakespeare. And he’s incredible in the movie! He’s astonishing, he’s a genuine movie star. When he walks on-screen, the whole thing stops. He’s got the range and the energy and he’s big. There’s something to be said for that. Just like Sidney Poitier or Cary Grant or Paul Newman, he’s an old-school, break-your-heart genuine movie star. And that has its own power. Tom Hanks is an elder statesman too, but whatever reason Sully didn’t resonate with the Academy and Tom Hanks doesn’t campaign. Unfortunately, in this day and age, you have to work the movie. Viggo is a perfect example of this. He loved Captain Fantastic and he kept promoting it; everywhere I went there was an interview with him. Ryan Gosling learned to play the piano for the movie and he’s great, but I don’t think anyone thinks of him as the soul of the movie; they think it’s Emma. And I’m sure Andrew Garfield is happy to be nominated Hacksaw Ridge but he really would have liked Silence acknowledged in some way. It’s just a difficult movie to watch. It was a late release and it’s hard on a screener; it’s not the kind of movie you want to pop in and say, ‘I want to watch Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver starve to death and look for a priest.’ Manchester is not a breeze either, or Fences, but those movies are highly verbal and Silence is very quiet. Still, there’s something innately holy about him; he’s actively virtuous.
Other Nominees: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea; Ryan Gosling, La La Land; Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic; Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge.
Oscars Red Carpet: The 21 Most Memorable Dresses of All Time
Speaking of Galliano: At the 69th Annual Academy Awards in 1997, Nicole Kidman would forever change red carpet dressing by sporting one of his designs for Dior, a flawless, devastating silk gown in iridescent chartreuse that immediately appalled Joan Rivers and upstaged Tom Cruise.
Cher at the 45th Annual Academy Awards in 1973 wearing a bedazzled crop top.
Anjelica Huston at the 58th Annual Academy Awards in 1986 wearing a one-sleeve emerald green dress.
Madonna at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in 1991 wearing Bob Mackie and $20 million worth of Harry Winston diamonds.
Sharon Stone at the 70th Annual Academy Awards in 1998 wearing a Gap shirt paired with a Vera Wang skirt.
Cate Blanchett at the 71st Annual Academy Awards in 1999 wearing a sheer John Galliano dress with an open back.
Celine Dion at the 71st Annual Academy Awards in 1999 wearing a Dior tuxedo backwards.
Halle Berry at the 74th Annual Academy Awards in 2002 wearing a sheer Elie Saab gown.
Marion Cotillard at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008 wearing Jean Paul Gaultier couture.
Charlize Theron at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in 2010 wearing Dior.
Angelina Jolie at the 84th Annual Academy Awards in 2012 wearing Atelier Versace.
Gwyneth Paltrow at the 84th Annual Academy Awards in 2012 wearing a Tom Ford cape.
Lupita Nyong’o at the 86th Annual Academy Awards in 2014 wearing Prada.
Barbra Streisand at 41st Annual Academy Awards wearing sequin see-through bell bottom pants with a matching top.
Diane Keaton at the 76th Annual Academy Awards wearing three-piece menswear-inspired suit with bowler hat.
Hilary Swank at the 77th Annual Academy Awards wearing backless Guy Laroche gown.
Penelope Cruz at the 79th Annual Academy Awards wearing an Atelier Versace gown.
Jennifer Lawrence at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards wearing a red Calvin Klein Collection dress.
Lady Gaga at the 88th Annual Academy Awards wearing new designer Brandon Maxwell.
Jennifer Lopez during The 75th Annual Academy Awards, donning an unexpected mint hue.
In 2018, Rita Moreno walked the Oscars red carpet in the same black and gold gown she wore to the Oscars in 1962.
Best Director: Damien Chazelle, “La La Land“, or Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight“ It’s a race between Damien Chazelle and Barry Jenkins. The takeaway of these nominations is the Academy is celebrating new blood and that’s very exciting. Damien Chazelle, Barry Jenkins, Denis Villeneuve and, to some degree, Kenneth Lonergan are all people who are new to this party. Kenneth does something that’s very difficult to do, which is that in the middle of bleak tragedy he can find humor and he’s better than anyone at observing human nature, especially in families, and especially with siblings and parents. And for Mel Gibson, it’s a welcome back party. Aside from his outburst, he has a lot of allies in Hollywood, people like Jodie Foster and Robert Downey Jr. I don’t have a problem with this; I judge things on the work, and he made a good movie. Andrew Garfield was great in it and it tells a very American story; war movies like American Sniper have always had an audience in the Academy. Martin Scorsese, on the other hand, is more popular with the Academy when he deals with the devil than he does with saints, in general—look at Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed versus Kundun. Virtue is a difficult thing for people to watch, they like to have their virtue with some violence, which is something Mel Gibson understands very well.
Other Nominees: Denis Villeneuve, Arrival; Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge; Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea.
Best Picture: “La La Land” The general rule of thumb with the Oscars is that the more below-the-line people, the members of various guilds, who vote in favor of nominating, the better your chances of winning are. The record nominations for La La Land bodes well. Hidden Figures is a big crowdpleaser and it’s the kind of movie people used to make a lot and they don’t anymore, it’s a movie about beating the odds. You want to take your kids to it and everybody feels inspired in the end. And it helps that it’s making money. And it works really well as a screener. That’s how most people see movies now and that’s a really strong factor in determining who gets nominated. It’s timing was good because it came close to when the voting began. Timing matters a lot. It’s a testament to Hell or High Water, which came out during the Cannes Film Festival, that it’s still popular. The rest of the movies—Fences, La La Land—came out on Christmas. The race is now between La La Land and Moonlight. Once the nominations are in, everything chances. There’s only so many things you can do between now and voting, so you’re not going to massive parties for either movie. What you’re going to see, if I were to guess, is a lot of Emma and Ryan. It’s going to have its own momentum, and the fact that it’s not nominated for a Screen Actors Guild may be a blessing in disguise because it makes it look like an underdog. Moonlight is, like I say, good for the planet because it says something about acceptance and tolerance. But I don’t think people necessarily vote for the politically correct movie. It would be nice! But you vote alone, you don’t vote in a room; it’s not a caucus. They vote for things that make them happy, especially in Hollywood they vote for things that remind them of themselves, like Argo, where Hollywood saves the day.
Other Nominees: Moonlight; Manchester by the Sea; Arrival; Lion; Hacksaw Ridge; Hidden Figures; Fences; Hell or High Water.
Oscar Nominations 2017: Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet the Beautiful People of This Year’s Academy Awards
Emma Stone, Best Actress, La La Land
Isabelle Huppert, Best Actress, Elle
Ruth Negga, Best Actress, Loving
Natalie Portman, Best Actress, Jackie
Meryl Streep, Best Actress, Florence Foster Jenkins
Andrew Garfield, Best Actor, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, Best Actor, La La Land
Casey Affleck, Best Actor, Manchester by the Sea
Viggo Mortensen, Best Actor, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Best Actor, Fences
Michelle Williams, Best Supporting Actress, Manchester by the Sea
Nicole Kidman, Best Supporting Actress, Lion
Naomi Harris, Best Supporting Actress, Moonlight
Viola Davis, Best Supporting Actress, Fences
Mahershala Ali, Best Supporting Actor, Moonlight
Lucas Hedges, Best Supporting Actor, Manchester by the Sea
Jeff Bridges, Best Supporting Actor, Hell or High Water
Dev Patel, Best Supporting Actor, Lion
Michael Shannon, Best Supporting Actor, Nocturnal Animals
Damien Chazelle, Best Director and Best Screenplay, La La Land
Watch the 2017 Academy Award Nominees:
