Will Kristen Stewart campaign for an Oscar for her role in ‘Still Alice’?

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Immediately following The Great Mini-Coopering of 2012, Kristen Stewart had to promote On the Road. She had a supporting part and, to her credit, she did the promotional rounds like a professional, even though most of us were thinking, “Ugh, trampire.” Kristen’s efforts were duly rewarded with some gossip that she would possibly be up for some awards for the role. Kristen even kissed up to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (aka the Golden Globes) that November. Nothing ever came of it because once people saw the movie, I guess they were like, “ugh, lip-biter.” But it was good to see that Kristen was not “above” hustling during awards season.

Now a new report suggests that some actual money might go into a possible awards season campaign for Kristen. Kristen has a supporting part in Still Alice, a small film which walked away with stellar buzz at TIFF. Most critics believe that Julianne Moore – playing a woman with early-onset Alzheimer’s – will definitely get a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Kristen plays Moore’s hipster daughter, the daughter who comes home and takes surprising steps to spend more time with her mom. Critics were impressed, apparently.

Julianne Moore, this year’s clear best actress Oscar frontrunner for her work in Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s Still Alice — a drama in which she plays a middle-aged academic diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease — won’t be the only person associated with that film to get a major Oscar push this year, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Sony Pictures Classics, which picked up the film’s U.S. distribution rights at the Toronto Film Festival, intends to mount an all-out campaign for several others associated with the film, especially Kristen Stewart in the best supporting actress category, who plays the daughter of Moore’s character.

“The picture is just a major achievement,” Michael Barker, co-chief of Sony Pictures Classics, told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. (Sony Pictures Classics also distributed Glatzer and Westmoreland’s Quinceanera, the winner of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival’s grand jury and audience awards.) “It’s a drama that embraces life and that captures the complexities of life. We see that very rarely in movies, although we at Sony Classics saw that not so long ago with Amour.”

“In addition to the depth of its screenplay and direction, it features several major performances,” Barker continued. “There’s no question that Julianne Moore gives the greatest performance of her career to date — it’s a performance of such amazing depth and subtlety — but one of the reasons it comes off so spectacularly well is that the actors around her are so strong. Kristen Stewart has never been better than she is in this film. Alec Baldwin gives one of the strongest performances of his career. In addition to that, you’ve got Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish also giving really strong performances.”

Many observers have zeroed in on Stewart’s performance — depicting the daughter who both spars with and cares for her declining mother — as being particularly impressive, and Barker, who has never worked with the 24-year-old before but has long admired her from afar, agrees with that assessment. “Kristen Stewart is someone we have seen in many movies over the last several years — four in 2014, with three coming up in 2015 so far — and she has shown great range in such a wide variety of genres,” he said. “But there is something about this performance that has new depths that she hasn’t shown before. She’s really terrific in the film.”

So what will an Oscar campaign for Stewart, as well as the others, look like? “Not only do you send the DVDs, but you have ads and screenings and try to point out these categories for attention.” And will Stewart, one of the busier A-listers in the business, be available to do the interviews, glad-handing and baby-kissing that have become essential to most successful Oscar campaigns in the present day? “As far as I know, she’s fully supportive of this film in a major way,” Barker said. “We certainly are.”

[From THR]

Believe it or not, I don’t hate the idea of Kristen Stewart hustling for an Oscar nomination. I’m not sure if that hustling will pay off, but it would be fun to see her try. That would mean more interviews and more appearances and more lip-biting. Yay! This awards season might be more fun than we’re expecting. We could have some really interesting fashion moments – in addition to Julianne (I adore her but her style sucks) and Kristen, we might see nominations for Reese Witherspoon, Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Amy Adams, Emma Stone and other younger ladies. Yay for fashion!

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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79 Responses to “Will Kristen Stewart campaign for an Oscar for her role in ‘Still Alice’?”

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  1. Abbott says:

    We now live in a world where Magic Mike is the breaking ground for award winners. Anything is possible. You could tell me Joe Manganiello won a Tony Award and I’d believe you. Godspeed, KStew.

    On another note, would anyone care for a dash of cyanide in their coffee? I have some left over.

    • qwerty says:

      Yes, please. I don’t wanna live in a world where KStew has an Oscar, or even a shot at getting it. She’s a nice girl and all but NO.

      • Jeanne says:

        She will never win for this

      • Snazzy says:

        Ugh I’m with you on this … She’s a terrible actress!

      • Sunny says:

        I think she has some talent and apparently she is good in the role. That being said, Oscar nominations either require a terrific performance , goodwill from the Hollywood community or some combination of both,

        I don’t think Hollywood loves her. I don’t think she has the patience, the hustle, the charisma to charm and woo voters. Most times in interviews she comes off as smug, taciturn, awkward, and/or hostile. That is not a great combo for campaigning.

        I hope she continues to make good work but as to Oscar, I just don’t see it happening.

    • CTgirl says:

      KStew with an Oscar is just too funny. But what will be even funnier are the awkward interviews and promotions that this angsty little snowflake will have to do in order to prove that she’s an Oscar contender. Hmm, I may be wrong, but I’m not remembering any serious Oscar contenders who regularly flip a bird and tell paps that they don’t deserve to breathe the same air as her. Get the popcorn out and watch the train wreck . . .

  2. Courtney says:

    Ugh. No.

  3. Isadora says:

    Maybe she’s really good in that role, who knows. I honestly hope she is! But…. really… the day KStew wins an Oscar is the day I’ll apply to the nearest acting school and become an actress too. *lol*

  4. Albert says:

    They can try but i’m doubtful. In supporting we have Arquette, Streep, Stone, Knightely, Ejobo, Dern, Kendrick, Miller (if the movie is good) and others with more chance. Kristen is nominated in little review and they said that she’s decent. No really raves. I think that this is MOrre’s film

  5. Allie says:

    ‘She has shown great range in such a wide variety of genres’

    Errrr….?? She plays the same awkward character in every film, even if that’s not what the description entails. Ugh, she’ll be so pretentiously unbearable if she ends up with a nomination.

    • qwerty says:

      Yeah. I’ve seen pretty good films with her, enjoyed watching them but she was still terrible.

    • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

      Exactly. And remember her last interview–where she said (I might be misremembering) that actors who play other people aren’t real i.e. she only plays herself. Girlfriend herself said she can’t act. That should be like an automatic rejection from getting nominated. That tells you right there that she doesn’t put any real effort into her work.

    • Pixelated says:

      +1 KStew kind of reminds me on LaLohan in the fact that both women seem to have the entire world on their respective sides. Why are they getting these jobs? I really don’t understand the support for either of them.

  6. Rita says:

    Nobody of the Oscar expert are expecting her. I think that Arquette will win this

  7. Artimis says:

    It was the ‘Kate Bosworth gave a strong performance’ bit which got me more 😀 Hey, I just thought, maybe KStew planned it that way – next to KBos, she’d look like freaking Meryl Streep (albeit with a lip-biting attachment).

    • allons-y alonso says:

      I’m so glad I wasn’t the only person who thought that. At the Bosworth comment I actually started ‘snaughling’ (def: laughing so hard you snort, and then laugh again because you snorted)

    • mimi says:

      @Artimis
      But most of her scenes are with/next to Julianne Moore in Still Alice. The film critics are really loving her in this film and I doubt Sony would financially back an Oscar campaign for her if she didn’t deliver a really good performance.

      I will never understand all the nasty insults she receives every time she is mentioned in an article.

    • Lucrezia says:

      Have you all seen Homefront? Kate Bosworth was actually really good in that. I don’t think I’ve seen her in much else, but based on Homefront, she can act.

  8. mfmaefh says:

    Good for her

  9. Anname says:

    Sony is giving Julianne Moore a full campaign, it won’t cost them much more to put Kristen’s name in the race. She apparently did very well in the role. It’s yet another version of Kristen playing herself though, so I would disagree with the quote about her showing great range.
    Ever since the Michael Fassbender Shame nomination didn’t happen, I have a very cynical view of the Oscars. There is so much involved in getting a nomination that has nothing to do with performance.

    • delorb says:

      I disagree about Shame. Respectfully of course. It wasn’t a very good movie and Michael wasn’t that good in it. Its Michael’s fault that he fell for the hype and thought he had a nomination coming.

      I lost all respect for Oscar when it took them so long to give Martin Scorsese one. That and the fact that when Jamie Foxx won his, he said that he could finally relax. Meaning, he had to be on his best behavior because some voters were using outside stuff with which to judge his performance.

      • Anname says:

        Delorb, True,I guess it wasn’t really about Fassbender not getting the nomination, it’s probably just when I became aware of the how ridiculous the process of actually getting a nomination is.

      • Algernon says:

        It didn’t help that Shame was NC17 and a lot of the Academy didn’t even see it. The biggest voting bloc are the producers, who are by a huge margin old white guys. They’re not going to an NC17 movie about sex addiction. However, they knew they blew it in hindsight and the feeling earlier this year was that if Fassbender showed up at all, just showed up, not even hustled, just gone to a few Academy events, they’d have handed him the supporting Oscar for 12 Years a Slave. But he was still being bitter and didn’t show up at all so it went to…someone else. I can’t even remember anymore.

      • Bitney says:

        Algernon – You don’t remember Dallas Buyers Club? I have a feeling you’re very young and weren’t around in the ’80’s, yes?

    • Isadora says:

      Absolutely.
      Cynical me might say Kristen has a tiny bit of a chance to be even considered because the Oscars want to become “younger” and attract a younger audience – hence her presenting due to her Twilight success. But now they have Jennifer Lawrence and are so happy about her that she got that “young” Oscar twice in a row, so let’s see how crazy they get.

  10. Akua says:

    Oh I hope so, for a girl who thinks she is above from the rest of HW actress it will be fun to her see start playing the game and start kissing them ass# letsthethirstybegan# lol

    • Liz says:

      Also this year shailene woodley has apparently hired a Oscar consultant as she is also thirsty for a nod.

      • Jules says:

        An Oscar consultant?….what is that?. Seriously, I’ve never heard of that…what does an OC do exactly?.

      • Algernon says:

        @Jules

        It’s just a PR agent who specializes in the myriad events of award season. There are something like 200 events, public and private, from October-January and the bigger PR firms often have specialists who just manage a client during that time. It’s really nothing but being the person who keeps the schedule, handles RSVPs and arranges interviews for a four-month window.

      • Jules says:

        @Algernon: I see, thanks for the info!.

      • maybeiamcrazy says:

        I would LOVE to be an Oscar Consultant. I don’t know why but it actually made me LOL.

      • Bitney says:

        What is Ms. Woodley to be nominated for? Just curious – thanks!

  11. Mia4S says:

    Well anyone can try; but that story is unbearably try-hard. Seriously, was that her PR? “A-listers” are never that thirsty, lesson number one. If this is the tone of the campaign, go for it…it will be hilarious!!!

  12. Marianne says:

    I always thought that most of the Twilight cast did good work outside of Twilight. And she also got really good reviews for Clouds of Sils Maria, so anything is possible. I doubt she will get nominated this year though. Even though I like her better as an actor than Channing Tatum (he at least is more well-liked). I think they know that public needs to warm up to her again before they ever really consider her.

  13. Sara says:

    when did it become ok to campaign for Oscars? this is such a farce. its totally political instead of just voting for the best actor and actress.
    i cant take that serious anymore, the Academy should have spoken out against that long ago. it damages the Oscars even more.

    • april says:

      It’s always been that way. With the number of movies just eligible you have to ensure your movie, it’s actors, etc are seen by those can vote. Think about it, who has time to see every movie released from 1 Jan to 31 Dec just to be able to decide who to vote for.

  14. whatsmyname? says:

    I mean it won’t be a big deal for Sony to throw in Kristen in the race since they are campaigning for Julianne. But was she really that good in the movie? The reviews I’ve read havn’t really raved about her. But good luck to her, it would be fun to see during award season I need her to teach me real realnezz.

  15. Jeanne says:

    All the article is try hard. They nominated every member of the cast. LOL

    • Sara says:

      sometimes they focus on bigger names and you wonder why they would be nomniated, but when you read the ads, its basically every actor in the world. i remember an ad for the the last Harry Potter, where they had “for your consideration” the three main actors and they all suck at acting and are certainly not good in HP.

      studios dont really care if someone is great, they just want people to think they are great. as long as the Oscars come in they are happy and if its Transformers winning for best writing.

  16. Jess says:

    I hope she’s gotten more comfortable doing live interviews, it’s painful to watch, I get embarrassed and anxious for her and I have to look away! I haven’t seen her in anything other than a few of the twilights and the one she did with Jodie Foster and Jared Leto years ago, I didn’t think she was terrible.

  17. Kemper says:

    I wonder how much than article cost them.

  18. William says:

    and the fun part is that Hollywood reporter doesn’t predict her LOL

  19. delorb says:

    I never thought much of her before. I thought she was really good in Panic Room. Silly in the silly Twilight films. Lacking overall range, as her love-sick looked practically the same as her sick-sick. But…she just might get one. Hollywood has been handing those things out like candy, for some of the worse movies and performances on record. Its a horrifying trend when you consider the women who have never won one.

  20. mia girl says:

    Everyone on this thread has pretty much said my thoughts on an KStew Oscar race… So I’ll only add-
    I really dislike that haircut on her.

  21. Tig says:

    I want Arquette to get recognition in the worst way for Boyhood, but am wondering about her being designated as a supporting actress? She’s in almost every shot, she’s the fulcrum the movie turns on, so why is she not a lead actress? Whatever increases her chances for nom/win, great, but still puzzled.

    Re KS- if the category was for supporting actress playing herself, she’d be a lock. So now they campaign for the nom, and then campaign for the award? Good luck to her, and she needs to drop Chanel for appearences.

    • Judy says:

      I agree, Arquette should be in the best actress category. I loved her in Boyhood. What a good film, and both she and Hawke deserve a nomination in the best actor category. Honestly I was so impressed with Ethan. It’s so disappointing to think that there is an overall strategy to place her in supporting when she’s practically in every scene. It’s implying she can’t win if she runs against other best actresses.

      • Tig says:

        I’m with you, but sure does seem they are picking their spots- and can’t say I blame them. She doesn’t have the cachet of a Moore or Witherspoon(know she’s persona non grata here, but she has won an Oscar), so get not wanting to spend $$ for a campaign for a best actress nom for her. Totally agree with you as well on EH in that movie.

      • Ctkat1 says:

        Yeah, it’s a bit of category fraud, but the Lead Actor and Actress categories are STACKED this year so I can understand it. She has a really good shot at winning in Supporting, and just a middling shot at a nomination in Lead. Due to the structure of the movie (the fact that it is from the boy’s perspective, even though he really isn’t the “lead” in the way that Hawke and Arquette are), I think both can get away with being in the Supporting categories.

  22. PunkyMomma says:

    But think of her acceptance speech . . .

    • Abbott says:

      YES! Imagine the frantic twitching before she collapses into a lifeless heap of Chanel! We all win!

      • PunkyMomma says:

        Don’t forget her finger flip to the billions of viewers –

      • mimi says:

        @PunkyMomma

        “Don’t forget her finger flip to the billions of viewers”

        You mean like Jennifer Lawrence’s finger flip in the press room after winning her Oscar?

      • PunkyMomma says:

        Exactly. My take is that Kristen and Jennifer are more alike in personality than originally thought. Excellent call.

  23. Julie says:

    I thought it was Kristen’s role in Clouds of Sils Maria that some were fawning over?

  24. Talie says:

    This might be her year to slip in — she got great notices for Sils Maria at Cannes too.

  25. Jules says:

    Oh for Christ sakes….this THR article was freaking paid for by her PR team. No one is predicting her on Gold Derby, they have her as a dark horse on Indiewire, Awards Circuit places her at 17th or 18th. etc.,I think she wants a nomination, sure…she *might* be in the conversation but that does not guarantee anything. I think Stewart plays herself in every Goddamn film she is in and is still a weak actress….with a lot of connections.

    • Div says:

      @jules

      Come on, you sincerely believe her PR team paid off the studio head of Sony Picture Classics, which is also campaigning for Foxcatcher and Mr. Turner this year, to campaign for her to THR? It’s the freaking studio head of the studio behind a tin of Oscar winning and nominated films, not US Weekly. Now, I don’t think she’ll get a nomination but I think it’s ridiculous to claim her PR team has any control over Sony.

      • Renata says:

        The thing is there are A LOT of actors/actresses pushed by studios for awards along with their movies. I heard, Emma Watson is in consideration for Noah (God knows why, she was awful) and so is all the cast of Men, Women & Children, including Ansel Elgort (meh). But it’s only Kristen who was given the honor of having THR’s exclusive about it & singled out of the other cast. This article does seem like a PR-vehicle.

      • Jules says:

        @Div: I think that the THR reads very much like PR for Stewart….I mean, as Renata wrote, Stewart was singled out for her very own article about an Oscar campaign (LOL!). It smacks of PR.

        Now, here’s the funny thing, I don’t think she will be nominated…rather, it will put her in the conversation. I think it is an attempt to build her reputation as an actress that will be nominated for some other film in which she is the lead actress. Stewart needs to build some good will….and develop her acting skills because damn, the woman is terrible….a freaking redwood.

      • mimi says:

        Yes, all those respected film critics, film festival heads and Sony film execs who have actually seen Still Alice are wrong or worse yet…lying about Kristen’s stellar performance in it and also Clouds of Sils Maria. She’s receiving high praises in that one too.

      • Roger says:

        @mimi
        She’s having good critics for Sis Maria but for Still Alice she’s barely mentionated and the word most used is “decent”. This isn’t a stand out. In the future she could be nominated but this year no IMO

      • Anname says:

        Mimi, if Julianne Moore was not favored in the Oscar race, would Kristen be in the conversation at all? I really don’t think Sony would fund a campaign just for Kristen. Her performance was strong, but it takes more than that. She is really benefiting from Julianne’s campaign.

  26. mimi says:

    @Elyse
    “someome needs to punch this girl in the face now. Along with the people who are crazy enough to give her a nomination.”

    Wow. Why so hateful to the point of wishing physical harm and violence on her and anyone who backs an Oscar nom campaign for her? What has she ever done to you personally to feel so strongly that you wish her and others bodily harm?

  27. Luisa says:

    She is getting good reviews, so good for her. She is not first actress to have a studio campaign for them.

  28. Algernon says:

    “we might see nominations for Reese Witherspoon, Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Amy Adams, Emma Stone and other younger ladies.”

    Actually, I think this year the supporting category is going to skew older. The early frontrunners are Patricia Arquette and Laura Dern, and Meryl Streep, Jessica Chastain, Vanessa Redgrave and Naomi Watts are in the mix, too. Keira Knightley and/or Emma Stone have the best shot at the youth vote, and personally I think Keira has the best odds. The Academy effing loves her. They love Emma Stone, too, but they have a serious hard on for Keira in period pieces.

  29. Corrie says:

    She was really good in Still Alice. Julianne was definitely a win. I never saw K’s performance as Oscar winning but the whole film is emo and at times feels forced. Its good though. I like focusing on her work life bc her personal life which is messy and hopefully she reigns in her hateful racists fans.

  30. eribra says:

    I am dying to see this movie, I work in geriatrics with a high Alzheimer’s population. Family reactions run the gamut, I think she is a decent actress but the subject makes me want to see this!

  31. Willa says:

    Eh, won’t happen. There are too many other actresses in this particular category that are actually charming and will be campaigning. Off the top of my head: Patricia Arquette (will/should win), Laura Dern (a close second), Felicity Jones, Keira Knightley. The fifth spot is open but Felicity and Keira are already the “young” nominees so they’ll probably go older and possibly POC for that fifth nomination.

    • Jamie says:

      Agreed. This is just talk, and it’ll stay that way. It makes for good gossip, but it won’t happen. The reaction would be hilarious if did happen though. It’s almost worth hoping it does for that reason alone.

      Though I think most of the twilight actors get unfairly skewered just for being associated with the franchise, KS in no way is Oscar caliber. She had one good role when she was a kid (Panic Room) and hasn’t done anything that makes me think she can act since.

  32. Div says:

    She’ll get some smaller nominations like an Indie Spirit but not an Oscar nomination. Sony Picture Classics has a really good track record, and the fact they are going to bat for her is interesting because she is awkward. That said they are savvy enough that I doubt they’ll place her on talk shows. It will be fashion and screenings, imo.

  33. stacat1 says:

    I don’t see Oscar happening for Stewart. Not until her track record shows some range. The akward, angsty one note is not an Oscar make. She can DEFINITELY win a Golden Globe.

    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl…HOLY CRAP. I don’t think she would win given the field…but she surely deserves a nod. She was amazeballs!

  34. Jes121 says:

    I’ve got a genuine question here – can anybody name a film where she has actually pulled off any degree of character work. I don’t really intend to be mean about this – though i know that’s how it’ll be interpreted – but i can’t for the life of me think of one performance where i’ve see anything other than Kristen Stewart on screen. Something tells me that this character will also have Kristen’s 1001 tcks, mumbled expressions and other emo characteristics. I have no time for that, sorry. I can’t see her ever winning an oscar – maybe in another universe.

  35. shayne says:

    She cannot act, AT ALL. I have seen several of her films & she is absolutely the worst part in them. She is just coasting on her connections & privilege.

  36. St says:

    Every time new Kristen Stewart indie movie comes – her people try to push her for awards season. It’s ridiculous. She is angry for Oscar kinda like Lindsay Lohan. Lohan believes that she will shoot any indie movie and would get Oscar nomination. Kristen Stewart believes that she will shoot any indie movie and would get Oscar nomination. Literally.

    She was hoping for awards season for On The Road. then for Camp X-Ray, then for Clouds of Sils Maria, then for Still Alice…

    Like if Kristen Stewart would never made Twilight the would anyone even pay any attention for some “C-lister Kristen Stewart” role in some indie movie and would be all like: “You people, this C-lister definitely should be considered for awards”? Of course not. Would anyone pay attention for Pattinson? No.

  37. aquarius64 says:

    I think Stewart’s PR team is pushing this as part of the Image Rehab tour 2.0. The lip-biting and grunginess are still there (they’ll chalk it up to quirks) but Team Stewart is trying to sell her as more than Twilight, Robsten and Mini-Coopering.

  38. Bug says:

    I like Stewart. I think she has screen presence. She is a minimalist when it comes to acting, but that is OK with me. Good luck to her.

  39. chuck says:

    OK, so I just watched a clip of this movie, granted it only went to a couple of minutes, but Kristen’s lines went something like this:

    touches her hair (OK, it’s windy) followed by *strange noise* (ineffable combination of laugh and exhalation) “you-are-going-to-be-around-for-a-long-time-mom.”

    You have got to be kidding me.