I tend to believe the Best Actor Oscar race is between Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog) and Will Smith (King Richard). Having seen both of their performances, they’re both worthy and I would honestly be happy with either one winning. But I do think Will Smith might deserve it more? He was really good in King Richard, so much so that I got mad at him for doing way too much last fall as he promoted his tell-all memoir alongside King Richard. There was headline after headline about his marriage, his sex life, his wife’s entanglements… and too few headlines about his great performance as Richard Williams, father to Venus and Serena Williams. Anyway, Will won the SAG for Best Actor, so he’s pulling out ahead of Benedict in the Oscar race. It will be curious to see if he loses the Oscar though – if he does, it will be because of his TMI last fall. If he wins, it will be in spite of the TMI (and because he’s legitimately built up a ton of goodwill within the industry, plus a great performance).
Will and Jada Smith walked the carpet together and people were fawning all over Jada’s vintage Gareth Pugh gown. It was too covered up? It was too severe! She looked like she was in costume. I do love that she rocked a bald head though.
Here’s Venus Williams in Dolce & Gabbana – I love that she went to the SAGs. She and Serena plan to come to the Oscars too. They produced King Richard and signed off on it. Vee went to the SAGs with her sister Isha.
All of the other actors from King Richard came out, and they were very popular within the SAG room. Aunjanue Ellis (who plays Oracene Price, and got an Oscar nomination) was there, as were the two child actors who played the young Venus and Serena, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton. Saniyya wore Zuhair Murad (the beautiful blue gown) and Demi wore Celine.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Instagram
Hopefully Will wins the academy award……….after the Chadwick Boseman case from last year, I am cautious but 100% rooting for Will
IMO – and entirely based on performance – Anthony Hopkins really deserved it over Boseman last year. In fact, I thought it was one of the rare occasions that the Academy got it right….
@Lady Baden-Baden: I agree that Anthony Hopkins’ role in The Father was brilliant. Not that Chadwick Boseman winning would not have been a miscarriage of justice, not even with people voting for him just to vote for him since they’d never get another chance, as he was also fantastic, if not quite to the degree of Hopkins.
The problem wasn’t that Hopkins didn’t deserve the award or even Boseman’s posthumous loss. The problem was the way the producers, show runners, network, etc. employed Boseman’s memory and death as a marketing tool, even going so far as to use his widow to really drive it home.
In my entirely uneducated, incredibly white opinion, it’s further compounded when you take into account how Academy voters often leave people of color out of contention entirely, while holding up occasional wins as tokens of representation.
During last year’s telecast, Chadwick Boseman was not an incredibly talented and mesmerizing actor taken far too soon – he was a promotional piece and yet another example of the rot at the film industry’s core.
I’m rooting for Will too!
Will is an amazing actor and I’m rooting for the Oscar for him! 🙏🏼
I agree both performances are excellent. But I also feel Will has been putting in the work. I am a Cumberfan but again..go Will!
I haven’t seen King Richard yet but really want to. This is a year where I can actually see a lot of the nominees but I haven’t made it to King Richard yet. and I’m scared about Power of the Dog. Is there an animal cruelty scene in there, or am I just making that up?
Becks, there a few scenes where something happens to animals … it’s set on a ranch … done entirely through visual effects. And there is one scene where a character seems to go off on an animal done with editing, camera angles and visual effects . (According to people in the production, BTS videos and unrelated film animal trainers (eg one who posted on doestgedogdie) New Zealand, where it was shot, has pretty strict rules about avoiding harm to animals in film.
Though if just seeing depictions of cruelty, injuries, castrations, etc even if it’s not real, will upset you, it may not be for you.
Fellow animal lover and sad animal movie avoider here and you can definitely watch The Power of the Dog. There is one scene where Cumberbatch takes out his anger on a horse that you can look away from, but otherwise the film is about human on human cruelty (and even that is milder than I expected). I almost passed on it because I thought it was about Benedict Cumberbatch beating up dogs and it isn’t.
That helps, thanks! I also thought it was about beating up dogs lol (not just from the title, I thought I had heard that from somewhere). I think I can handle things like castrations. We’ll probably watch it this weekend.
i did start the Lost Daughter last night and that was so boring, I’m sorry, I couldn’t finish it. I’ll give it another go this week.
I liked King Richard but I don’t know, Will Smith just seemed like Will Smith. Like you never forget its him and is that a good thing or a bad thing for an actor? I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like family movies. And Jada is definitely shopping from the School Marm collection, does she have same stylist as Nicole Kidman? Sorry, but I don’t like Venus’ dress, its giving Wonder Woman vibes worn under a gown.
I think Venus’s would’ve worked better at an mtv or Grammy awards. Saniyya’s is so young, I thought it seemed a bit old for her in the Instagram but not on stage. But she looks lovely and elegant in it. I love Demi’s look! Like it’s individual parts maybe shouldn’t work but put it all together and it’s just a cut, fun look for a young actress. The two look like they enjoyed their looks and that’s what matters. I’ve loved Aunjanue in things since The Mentalist but just no. Too much dress and she’s no waif (but not heavy) and it makes her look so much bigger.
Will Smith’s performance in Seven Pounds was Oscar-worthy back then, what…15 years ago? He’s gotten better since and deserves this I believe, although I didn’t finish this movie. He’s the practice makes perfect type
I hope Will wins. And Chadwick Boseman should have won last year. I’m still angry Hopkins got it.