So far, the field is already half-filled with Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Jennifer Lawrence. But out of Cannes, came three great performances. I saw two of them, Michelle Williams and Lesley Manville. I missed Naomi Watts in Fair Game, but word has it she won’t BE IGNORED, Dan. And then Tilda Swinton received her usual acclaim for I Am Love, which puts her in the running.
But there are more to come this year.
The question is, how well will these early names hold as the festival season kicks into high gear? What names will rise to the top of the pile? Will it be a newcomer? Or will a veteran finally get her due?
After the cut, a list of possible contenders, both seen and unseen.
Current Contenders:
Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right
Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Naomi Watts, Fair Game
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Tilda Swinton in I Am Love
Still to come:
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love
Diane Lane in Secretariat
Saoirse Ronan in The Way Back
Hilary Swank in Conviction
Rachel McAdams and/or Diane Keaton in Morning Glory
Reese Witherspoon in Everything You’ve Got
Sally Hawkins in Made in Dagenham
Gwyneth Paltrow in Country Strong
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole
Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in Never Let Me Go
The list seems like a little too spare, even for a good year. Whom are we missing?
