The Best Actress Drama category is filled with five previous winners. Two of the actresses have films that are nominated for Best Picture and two of the actresses have been nominated 10 or more times. While the Actress race represents some of the finest actresses in Hollywood, there is one clear front-runner.
Cate Blanchett - "Blue Jasmine" - Blanchett received her eighth nomination for Woody Allen's film. The actress has won two Golden Globes in the Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress Drama races. This year Blanchett is the front-runner to win this category as she has garnered 18 precursor awards including the National Society of Film Critics. Additionally, Blanchett was nominated for the Critic's Choice and SAG awards. Having dominated awards season, Blanchett seems unstoppable.
Sandra Bullock - "Gravity" - Bullock received her fifth nomination for Alfonso Cuaron's latest movie. The actress has received four precursor award thus far but has not shown strength with critics circles. While she carries the movie alone it may be too recent for Bullock to take the gold again. Additionally, due to the technology used in "Gravity," the Globes may overlook her performance and instead award the film for its technological achievements.
Judi Dench - "Philomena" - Dench's performance in Stephen Frear's latest film is a change of pace for the actress. Instead of playing an authoritative woman, Dench plays a sweet and kind character. For her role in the film, Dench has failed to garner a single precursor award. Her loss at the British Independent Film Awards was the most crucial, showing that the film was not as strong as many suggested and lacked support. Dench, who has been nominated for 11 Globes and has won twice, however, got nominated for awards at the SAG and the Critic's Choice awards and this alone could help her get back into the race.
Emma Thompson - "Saving Mr. Banks" - Thompson received her ninth nomination for John Lee Hancock's film. Thompson has not been a standout thus far in the race; she has only won two awards and her film "Saving Mr. Banks" has faltered throughout. Thompson represents the only nomination for her film, which was once seen as a huge Best Picture contender. However, the lack of support from the Globes only shows Thompson as a weak link.
Kate Winslet - "Labor Day" - Winslet has won three Globes and her nomination for Jason Reitman's film marks her 10th nomination. Her nomination for this film only shows the Globes' love for celebrities. While she gives a good performance, Winslet's role has no buzz and has won no awards. The actress instead replaced other contenders who were not big enough names to be nominated for the Globes.
Prediction: Cate Blanchett will win her third Globe and will become the actress to beat for the Academy Awards.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
