The category for Best Actress at the 93rd Academy Awards was an incredibly tough one to call, with each performer not only giving incredible performances but having each one other major awards for the roles — often an early harbinger of who might take home the Oscar.
Ultimately though, Frances McDormand took home the award.
McDormand, nominated for her role as Fern in Nomadland, has been recognised five other times in the category and has twice been victorious — for 1996’s Fargo and 2018’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Nomadland, which was inspired by real people, tells the story of a woman who loses everything in the financial crisis, leading to her travelling around America in her van.
Actress and singer Andra Day, nominated for her role as Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, is a first-time nominee who has drawn critical acclaim for her portrayal of the legendary jazz singer. The film focuses on Holiday as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics.
Viola Davis, nominated for the titular role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, has enjoyed three previous nominations in the Best Actress category and won for 2016’s Fences. The Netflix film takes place in Chicago, 1927 when jazz singer Ma Rainey clashes with her management and crew during a recording session.
Carey Mulligan, nominated for her role as Cassie in Promising Young Woman, was nominated for Best Actress for 2009’s An Education. Promising Young Woman is a searing revenge film in which Cassie, haunted by the death of her best friend Nina, entraps predatory men by pretending to be drunk.
Vanessa Kirby, nominated for Pieces of a Woman, has never been nominated for an Academy Award. The actress received tremendous praise for her portrayal of Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown. Pieces of a Woman explores the year-long journey of grieving undertaken by a young mother whose homebirth goes tragically wrong.
What better way to experience this year’s Oscar winners than on the big screen at HOYTS? Watch Nomadland at a HOYTS cinema now.
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