Joan Castleman might have had to watch her husband win her rightful Nobel, but she got to the Oscars before him. She lost the film award to Queen Anne of the United Kingdom while her dishonest spouse failed to launch a campaign for Best Supporting Actor. This year, John Castleman finally followed in his wife’s footsteps even if his chances at winning are much slimmer than hers were. We can only guess this is a bit of karmic justice for that eternally bereaved wife whose ghostwriting went so horribly uncredited throughout her life.
Silliness aside, Jonathan Pryce is finally an Oscar nominee and, whatever one might think about The Two Popes, that honor is still worth celebrating…
Pryce has been awards-worthy for ages and he’s no stranger to the type of prestige drama that usually nabs veteran British actors slews of Oscar nods. Back in 1995, he won the Best Actor award at Cannes and seemed well-poised to get some awards traction but, apart from the BAFTAs, most big organizations ignored the Welsh thespian. For those (like me) who dislike The Two Popes, one can always try to look at his recent nomination as recognition of a whole career rather than a response to the individual merits of his performance as Pope Francis.
Of course, considering his troubling track record, Pryce’s nom might be more attributable to the movie’s buzz than to any great love for him as an actor. Lest we forget, The Two Popes was written by Anthony McCarten, a screenwriter with a most curious of Oscar trajectory. For the past few years, three Best Actor winners starred in biopics written by him. The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour and Bohemian Rhapsody were all penned by the screenwriter and now he has The Two Popes in the running.
With Phoenix and Driver in the Best Actor line-up, we guess McCarten’s winning streak will end, but we should never discount the improbable possibility of a surprise victory for Pryce. Alternatively, this might be the time for the writer to win instead of his script’s performers. One never knows for sure and, even if this year’s nominations didn’t arbor many surprises, the eventual wins may defy all expectations. Hope is everlasting.
How would you feel if John Castleman won the Oscar the year after Joan was so shockingly defeated?