Oscars 2015 Predictions: Lead Actress Is Julianne Moore's To Lose Or Could Marion Cotillard Upset? [VIDEOS]
The 2015 Oscars are fast approaching and the five actresses nominated for Best Actress are hoping to nab the most coveted trophy in the movie industry.
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While one actress has emerged as the frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role, all five women will be sure to attend the ceremony this Sunday just in case their name is called. This category has two previous Oscar winners, two newcomers to the award show and one actress who many believe is overdue for the trophy.
The nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2015 Oscars are:
Marion Cotillard in Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon in Wild
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All five women may deserve the trophy, but only one will win on Sunday night. Here is a ranking of each nominee in order of least to most likely to win the Oscar.
5. Reese Witherspoon
Witherspoon is nominated for her bold role as Cheryl Strayed in Wild. She has received very good reviews for her performance and has been nominated for many different awards throughout the season. She is a previous winner for Walk the Line and while her performance in Wild is definitely acclaimed, it just doesn't have the same impact as others in this category.
4. Rosamund Pike
Pike's star-making turn in Gone Girl has been talked about since before the movie came out. Playing the complicated Amy Elliott Dunne in the acclaimed film, her performance is loved by critics and audiences alike. Unfortunately for Pike, Gone Girl severely underperformed in nominations with her being the sole representation of the film. This suggests a lack of support within the Academy so she probably won't have the amount of votes to win out.
3. Felicity Jones
Jones is a newcomer to the Oscars who was nominated for her performance as Jane Wilde Hawking in The Theory of Everything. The youngest nominee in this category, Jones certainly fits the mold of young ingenue that the Oscars tend to reward. However, she has the most subtle performance in this category and she is often overshadowed by costar Eddie Redmayne. The Theory of Everything received the most Oscar love of any film in this category so she still has an outside chance of winning.
2. Marion Cotillard
Cotillard's name being called on Oscar nomination morning was a surprise to many. She had not been nominated for any big awards other than the Critics' Choice Awards. Her performance in Two Days, One Night carries the whole film and her getting into this category suggests strong support from the Academy. A previous winner for La Vie en Rose, she has not competed with the rest of these women at many other award shows so she has the potential to be a real spoiler if the frontrunner does not win.
1. Julianne Moore
Moore, at the end of the day, probably has this Oscar in the bag. Playing a professor diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's in Still Alice, Moore has received the most acclaim by far compared to her fellow nominees. She has swept the big precursors leading up to the Oscars, including the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the Critics' Choice Awards and the BAFTA. Her performance is equal parts subtle and showy, running the gamut of emotions throughout the film. She has also been nominated four times before this year, making her one of the most overdue actresses in the business.
Barring any huge upset, this should be Moore's Oscar, though the Academy likes to do their own thing sometimes so an upset is possible.
The 2015 Academy Awards air live on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT on ABC.
