Like Christopher Plummer with his nomination for Beginners, The Help star Octavia Spencer is considered a lock to win the Best Supporting Actress category at this year’s Academy Awards. With our daily look at Hollywood’s biggest night, Oscar Watch today takes a peek at the Best Supporting Actress category and assesses whether we can truly expect Spencer to stand on the Kodak Theatre's stage February 26 making an acceptance speech.
When looking at this category, we have to begin and end with The Help star. Spencer won the BAFTA, the Golden Globe and is therefore one tough cookie to beat. But, if there’s an upset in the making, it comes from our collective desire to laugh.
Melissa McCarthy received great cheers from audiences and her peers for her nomination for Bridesmaids. In a cast full of female comedy heavyweights, she stole every scene she inhabited. There is a huge amount of goodwill towards the Mike and Molly star that may just carry her to victory. Can you imagine that film without her? Hardly.
Jessica Chastain earned her nod for The Help, but in some ways her nomination was for a stellar year where she announced her presence to the world. She starred in The Debt, Texas Killing Fields, The Tree of Life, Coriolanus and Take Shelter. Yes, that is quite an impressive year and she should be simply proud of the nomination for The Help. Look for her to nab this trophy in the near future.
Janet McTeer earned her nomination for going toe-to-toe with Best Actress nominee Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs. Although she turned in a stellar performance, unfortunately in this year, with these women in this category, she doesn’t stand a chance of winning.
Berenice Bejo rocked our world in The Artist. The film has 10 nominations and is our favorite to win Best Picture. Could she be swept up in the Oscar love for her movie to victory? Perhaps, but I would bet on McCarthy before Bejo to achieve the upset. Bejo is an utter delight and Movie Fanatic could not be more thrilled for the actress who visited with us for an exclusive video interview (below).
As we said, this category begins and ends with Spencer. It is hers to lose, and honestly, we see no way that will happen.