Thanks to Pedro for suggesting we revive the "Ask Nathaniel - Q & A s". So many questions came in when I feared getting none. Let's start with Pedro since this was his idea.
Q: Of all people involved in moviemaking that you have interviewed or known, who surprised you the most and why? - Pedro
A: I wouldn't say I "know" very many people in the industry. Usually interviews are short and even if you meet the person multiple times it can be years inbetween conversations. So I'm not sure how to answer this one. As for "surprises" I will say that Jessica Chastain shocked me with a steel trap memory. I've met her three times and the third she went into detail about something we discussed the second time which was two years earlier. Mentally I was like "HOW?!?" as she talks to hundreds of journalists all year long...
The other person I would like to shout out here is David Dastmalchian (who is really having a break-out year emerging as the fan-favourite from The Suicide Squad and also appearing in the internet's new obsession Dune). With his angular face, black hair and love of the horror genre he is almost always cast as shady, sinister, or creepy types but he is so sweet and friendly in real life -- the polar opposite of the typecasting. You may remember he even guest-blogged here for a day in 2015.
Q: Is Chastain really a sure thing for a nod given that The Eyes of Tammy Faye heat never reached more than tepid? A Judy narrative this is not. But, if she is nominated, is her narrative stronger than K Stew's with a third nomination...? - Joe
A: I no longer think Jessica is a sure thing for a nomination because people just aren't talking about that film. But Best Actress doesn't seem particularly defined outside of Kristen Stewart (which we can blame on the late arrivals of so many films and Kristen's significant lead. SIGH) so there's still a sizeable chance that Chastain shows up. She deserves to! I do wonder how much more campaigning she'll do, though. She's already been at it, valiantly, for months.
Q: If the Film Bitch Awards existed in 1950, who would have won Gold, Silver, and Bronze in Best Actress? - Jules
A: Evil question, Jules! The eternal debate. The answer changes all the time and I think I probably answered this at some point on the blog and the answer was different. At this writing, I will say Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd (Gold), Bette Davis, All About Eve (Silver... but only because I would have already given her 2 Gold medals by then) and Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday (Bronze) though I also really love Eleanor Parker in Caged. It's a super Best Actress year and the lineup would be phenomenal if you tossed Anne Baxter out and replaced her with Gloria Grahame in In a Lonely Place.
Q: Speaking of Norma Desmond, do you think Garbo would have won the Oscar if she came out of retirement for it? - Arlo
i'm inclined to say no. Maybe it wouldn't have been as iconic because would Garbo have been able to give it the same tragicomic delusional spin? Plus Garbo had only been retired for nine years at that point and Hollywood has never revered their mature actresses in quite the same way they have the more senior actors.
Q: Do you think the Academy should change the acting categories to acknowledge non-binary performers, and if so, how? - Edward L.
A: Judging acting is already so subjective. To quote a friend "it's already comparing apples and oranges and that would make it even worse... apples and oranges and kiwis and cucumbers and..." There will never be perfect ways to compare performances, really, unless all actors performed the same role. Plus there's value in tradition and history and being able to compare 2021 to, oh, 1973 or whatever. You can trace so much American and showbiz history through the movies and the Oscars. I'd probably cry for days if "Best Actress" was cancelled after nearly a century of pageantry and glamour. I've never cared about "Best Actor" that much and combining the categories would just mean less chances to celebrate fabulous actresses.
Q - What rules, if any, would you implement to address category fraud in the acting categories? Would you be in favor of enforcing a limit on what percentage of screen time? -Edwin
A: I don't think screentime tells the whole story and it would be too much work for the Academy at that. It can also be misleading because it's so dependent on whether a director prefers wider shots that include multiple actors (♥︎) or constant close-ups. But here's a simple way to stop it. If you're first or second billed in a film, or if your name is above the title, a "supporting" campaign should trigger an automatic review by an Executive Committee. There are exceptions but in most of the cases of egregious fraud it's a two lead film and the two leads are the two top-billed stars. Yes there are films with more than two leads but that's a fuzzier argument. Since there's no way to cover all cases with a hard and fast rule I think this change (automatic Executive Committee Review if you're a top two billed star) would solve 90% of the fraud problems which are now rampant.
And then we could go back to honoring supporting players in the categories designed specifically to honor them.
Q: Do you take notes when you watch movies? - Mike in Canada
A: You know I do sometimes. But why? They're always useless. When I read them back later -- IF I can even read them -- they generally say very obvious things no one in their right mind would have scribbled down. Plus they always end after about the first 15 minutes because I get caught up in the story and forget to continue. The only cases when they are, in theory, useful is when I've scribbled down some sort of cartoon to illustrate a particular shot I liked but those often dont come out well while you're watching a movie and not looking at what you're doing.
Q: Top five actors most overdue for a first nomination? - Jonathan
A: That deserves a whole article but off the top of my head I would be THRILLED if any of these people could manage a first nomination: Kiki Dunst, Sonia Braga, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael B Jordan, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Marthina Plimpton, Essie Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Colman Domingo, Colin Farrell, Jamie Bell, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ann Dowd, Oscar Isaac, and Emily Blunt.
And a few that aren't "overdue" per say but I hope they get a perfect role to really showcase their gifts because they're such fabulous interesting actors: Alessandro Nivola, Aldis Hodge, Hong Chau, David Dastmalchian, Riley Keough, Rose Byrne, and Nicolas Hoult.
And how thrilling would it be to get an unexpected awards run from, let's say, Parker Posey. Very thrilling indeed!
Until next time... We'd love to hear your answers to these questions in the comments, too.