by Ben Miller
Elton & Taron at another ROCKETMAN screening
There’s long been an awards season cliché along the lines of 'I didn’t expect this and I’m so grateful to the Academy for the recognition.' Let’s not kid ourselves, some talent understands the process of what it takes to get an Oscar nomination. That includes schmoozing with Academy members, attending press junkets and sitting on every late-night couch you can find.
No one understands this better in the current season than Taron Egerton.
Following his Golden Globes victory on Sunday night for the Elton John biopic Rocketman, Egerton is well poised to snag one of the Best Actor slots precisely because he has done the work and put himself in front of the most faces in the lead up to the Oscar nominations...
The Two BEST ACTORS from the GlobesEgerton has a lot of pros on his side. First, he’s playing a well-known real-life figure, with whom he is constantly around this entire awards season (Sir Elton is also looking for an Oscar nomination/win this year). Second, he has presented himself as nothing if not charming, gregarious, and pleasant at these events; you never hear stories about how he seems above it all or is going through the motions. He'll gladly pose for photos and shake hands. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome.
The man puts in the work. Rocketman came out in May, but he has been striving to stay in the consciousness since then. In October, Egerton and Sir Elton performed “Rocketman: Live in Concert” together in LA. The night before the Globes, there was another Rocketman junket for the BAFTAs. Do a quick Google search on 'Taron Egerton'. Every news piece before last night was talking about the film, his relationship with Sir Elton, the singing, the effort. In short, he kept himself in the conversation.
Last but not least, and the best thing he might have going for him? It was a great performance, featuring his actual vocals and a considerable deviation from his usual screen persona. It’s a performance you can be happy with nominating, and not one that mails in mannerisms of a usual biopic emulation.
On nomination morning, when you see Egerton’s name in the five Best Actor finalists, just know that he didn’t get there without a considerable amount of effort. You can’t fault a guy for trying.