93rd Academy Awards: The Women of Best Actress
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 7:44PM 
When I requested to cover this category just one week after Oscar nominations were announced, I didn’t realize quite how competitive it was going to be, putting us in a scenario where anyone could win. Day won the Golden Globe, Mulligan scored with the Critics Choice Association, Davis won the SAG, and McDormand won the BAFTA! Fortunately, this is a truly fantastic slate, and as a result, I’m not going to rank them in any order of quality. Let’s dive into a remarkable list of some of this year’s best female performances…
Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
Playing famous people, particularly musicians, is a frequent path to nominations in this category, and Day astounds in her film debut. Holiday is a challenging character, grappling with the trauma of her past and the struggles of her future. It would be easy to show her constantly beaten down by the pressures of performance and the very real efforts by law enforcement and the government to paint her as nothing more than a drug addict. But Day brings a complex humanity to her, one that conveys a true sense of self that is constantly under uninvited review by others. Beyond the way in which she captures Holiday’s voice and mannerisms, Day creates a compelling protagonist, one who endures far beyond her film’s familiar framework. The intense preparations she undertook to sound like Holiday come off as effortless as she disappears entirely into the role.
Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Davis has certainly delivered commanding turns in the past, earning Oscar nominations for Doubt and The Help before winning a few years ago for a passionate rendition of the long-suffering wife in Fences. I had hoped that she might have been here for the criminally underrated Widows in 2018, but now she’s back for another magnificent part that feels at the same time what can be expected from her and an entirely new and distinct person. She leans into what has been documented about the blues singer and enhances it with a brilliant extraction of her ego and talent. Davis is buried under heavy makeup, an extravagant wig, and layers of clothing that don’t match the brutally hot weather, and she reveals only so much about what Ma really believes. What we learn from what she does offer is that she wants to be in charge and won’t have anyone questioning her authority. Being out of place in an environment where she isn’t revered makes her grow less and less patient and accommodating, and the subtlety with which she indicates her annoyance is remarkably tempered.
Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)
There are certain subjects that draw on misery and pain to fuel their stories, and watching them can be deeply unpleasant. That’s one way to describe this film, which begins with a devastating extended scene and never manages to find its way out of that melancholy. Throughout that process, we have Kirby guiding us, delivering an unbelievably raw performance that fluctuates between strength and anguish. Without much introduction, the context of what is happening almost doesn’t matter, since Martha cannot escape her reality. Even if the film doesn’t always feel complete or inviting, Martha does thanks to how Kirby approaches the character. She isn’t someone who comes off as particularly friendly or warm, in part because she radiates a tough exterior to mask any sign of vulnerability. Kirby has already shown a mastery of the steely yet endearing persona in her Emmy-nominated work as Princess Margaret in The Crown, and she’s also far and away the best part of another film this year, The World to Come, which finds her facing desolation with an altogether different attitude. That Kirby made it this far with virtually no attention on her film is a testament to the towering nature of her performance.
Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
Like Meryl Streep, there is a degree to which McDormand could simply walk on screen and say a few lines and it would be considered a tour-de-force turn. After her first nomination in 1988 for Mississippi Burning, her very slyly comedic work in Fargo won her this prize back in 1996. She took on influential and memorable supporting roles after that in Almost Famous and North Country, before channeling that sardonic wit into a far more biting weapon. In the way that she completely embodies the premise of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which won her a second Oscar in this category three years ago, so too is she one with this year’s vehicle. The way she stares at the scenery around her is enough to convey how Fern feels about being continuously dealt a rough hand by life but knowing that she still has it much better than so many others. There is a maturity to how she greets monotony, choosing to embrace the beauty of the world around her. She invites those watching to see things through her eyes, content to continue existing without drawing unnecessary attention to herself. For an actress who knows how to be noticed and remembered in short scenes, the way in which she keeps her emotions and energy in check is even more impressive.
Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)
Somehow, this is only Mulligan’s second Oscar nomination, returning to the lineup after a very different turn in An Education back in 2009. Her fine work in films like Shame, Drive, and Wildlife should have earned her numerous invitations, but now she’s back for what is an astonishing, film-defining performance. There are layers of brilliance to it, but let’s start with her line reading. The main point of Cassie’s mission is to show men – and certain women – the hypocrisy of the things they say and do, twisting a part of it or turning it on them to highlight the absurd double standards faced by women when, in the same situations, men are given the benefit of the doubt all too often. It could have been possible for Cassie to turn into an over-the-top villain hell-bent on revenge, but she stops herself short at every juncture, aware enough of her grand vision to know when she must resist the urge for immediate satisfaction for the sake of the bigger picture. Mulligan moves with her film, embracing its musical renditions and vibrant colors to build the narrative and keep it entirely captivating from start to finish.
Who Will Win?
Based on what we’ve seen so far this awards season, it really is anyone’s game. I would absolutely love to see Mulligan win. While Promising Young Woman has performed somewhat well this awards season, it hasn’t really been a slam dunk anywhere in terms of wins. Nomadland is winning Best Picture, and so it’s more feasible to think that McDormand will be swept along with the buzz for that film, not to mention her track record in this category. If Kirby, the only one of these women nominated alongside McDormand at BAFTA, had triumphed in her home country, that would have really made this a wide-open race. I see the case for Davis after her SAG win, but the film didn’t do well across the board, and there’s a deeper sentimentality to her late costar Chadwick Boseman’s likely win. And that leaves us with Day, who won the Golden Globe despite few other precursor nominations against this exact competition, and I think she’s the passion vote who may be able to win despite zero other nominations for her film. I’m not at all confident in that prediction – it would be crazy to be confident this year in actress punditry – but I think Day leads at the moment, with Mulligan, McDormand, or Davis just as possible.
Who impressed you most, and who do you think is going to win?
Reader Comments (42)
Mulligan
I finally saw PYW and I was struck by Mulligan most in two scenes: her interaction with Molina and her final scene with Bo Burnham's character. She really delivers in those scenes, and while I thought she was doing good work elsewhere, her choices there helped to really shade in her character's motivation and pain.
Frances is good, and I have to admit, there's something to be said about her ability to work with non-professional actors. At first, it's easy to see McDormand as Fern given her persona, but the way she taps into Fern's grief is quite powerful, and she nails every moment.
Vanessa Kirby is wonderful, and I actually think she excels most in some of the quiet scenes that occur after the first thirty minutes. There was something so real about how she dealt with being back at work or just shopping that really stayed with me. She reminded me of so many friends I have, but there was something about the pain underneath that was always there.
I really didn't want to like Day. I was prepared to see her Globe win as a fluke, but man what a turn. She taps into so much of Billie's pain and strength. It's easy to be critical of how the film is written, but she works magic with the material.
Still, my choice is Viola. I think her Ma is truly a towering achievement, and the way she shades Ma in is incredible. She has a lot of tricky lines to deliver, but not only does she nail them, she makes me them resonate in ways that feel fresh and true to this day. Because we're dealing with Wilson, it's easy to see Ma as a collection of ideas. But, she goes beyond those and makes her a fully formed character that's both difficult, but one that we absolutely root for.
I really hope Viola pulls this off - that would be quite a feat for Netflix. Not sure who walks away this year, but I think it's between France, Viola, and Carrie. If ever there were a year for a tie...
I watched Promising Young Woman not too long ago and thought Carey was good but not amazing like everyone has made her out to be. She should’ve won for An Education.
I can see Viola Davis taking this; the momentum is right and it's a great turn, plus it would be historic which given the political climate, that would factor.For the sheer shock value, could you imagine if Kirby took home the Best Actress Oscar? She very well could. Or what if there's a tie? I wish every year was this wide open.
I am praying to all the gods that Vanessa Kirby wins just for chaos of it all.
McDormand all the way.
Rooting for McDormand.
Davis is memorable, but too heavy.
Kirby is strong, but the movie is bleak.
Mulligan is nothing special.
Day, I haven't seen yet.
Carey please.
Viola will probably win it though.
I rank them:
1. Davis
2. Day
3. McDormand
4. Mulligan
5. Kirby
Frances McDormand. One more time.
Okay, out of these 5 performances I would crown McDormand, she's beyond superb but the thing is: she already has 2 Oscars ( not totally deserved ones, Watson & Hawkins were the best in 1996 & 2018) having said that I am fine with Frances sitting this one out.
Day & Kirby are brilliant, first time nominees so I reckon this is already a great accomplishment. Let's leave it that way. Probably both will be invited to the party again.
Davis is Supporting, her performance is titanic but way too theatrical. She places 5th for me.
My winner is Mulligan, outstanding work with a difficult character, she hits all the right notes, plus she was snubbed way too many times before. The Academy owes her.
After all, we got a really strong lineup. I'm with Frances.
This one is really really tough to call. I keep thinking Davis....but then I think no, McDormand. But what about Mulligan? And yeah, Day is really superb as well.
I can't decide. I would also love a tie this year. All five of them are worthy, imho.
Without a shadow of a doubt: Andra Day.
Getting tired of white actresses always winning in this category.
Has anyone FULLY examined Actress & Best Makeup and Hairstyling wins going hand in hand in the past like with
Meryl & Iron Lady Makeup And Hair
Marion & La Vie En Rose Makeup and Hair?
Let's make history by giving Viola two!
My Rankings:
McDormand 🖤🖤🖤🖤
Kirby 🖤🖤🖤🖤
Day 🖤🖤🖤
Davis 🖤🖤🖤
Mulligan 🖤
When in doubt, guess the biopic. Day wins in a squeaker.
well maybe it will continue and be:
Day won the Golden Globe,
Mulligan scored with the Critics Choice Association,
Davis won the SAG,
McDormand won the BAFTA
so
Kirby wins the Oscar
Rank of who SHOULD Win:
1. Kirby
2. McDormand
3. Mulligan
4. Day
5. Davis
Rank of who WILL Win:
1. Mulligan
2. Day
3. Davis
4. McDormand
5. Kirby
Who SHOULD have been nominated (Taking Davis or Day's spot)
Nicole Beharie- Miss Juneteenth
Your cover picture gives it away: the amazing singer AND actress Andra Day.
Viola Davis is my pick to win, but I do think Andra Day might take it. It's just such a showy role and she nailed it. Actually doing the singing is a boost, as well.
I’m still recovering from that awful 3 Billboards triumph, so please God, no Frances this year! Let it be Viola or Carey, please! But my favorite by far is Vanessa and a shocking, “gayhardenesque” winning would make me happy!
I really don't know what will happen. Maybe they'll want to have an all POC slate of acting winners for the first time and go with Davis or Day, but those movies were not that well received...
McDormand's Bafta win seems like a fluke to me and Kirby's not winning, so Mulligan? Doesn't feel right either. I think it's between Mulligan and Davis, wonder what Nathaniel thinks.
I haven't dislodged Frances from the top spot all season. With lots of vote splitting + starring in the BP frontrunner, I think she takes it.
I was shocked by the performances of Vanessa Kirby and Carey Mulligan, and I would love to see either of them win. Promising Young Woman was a film unlike any I have ever seen, and Carey is fully in charge of the film's pacing and story. Vanessa Kirby has received almost no attention, and I think that's an oversight. She and Shia Lebeouf are both excellent.
I think it's Davis vs Mulligan,it's going to be passion that takes the winner over the edge or maybe a tie situation.
McDormand is my winner on my own ballot but has won 2 already,Kirby is the most worthy nominee due to her film being unfocused and a hard sit,Davis is fun but i'd rather wait to give her Best Actress,we don't want her to become Jessica Lange in Blue Sky,Day is excellent in her debut but the film has nothing going for it except her.
My Ballot Frances,Carey,Vanessa from the nominees plus 2 overlooked contenders Kate Winslet for Ammonite and Carrie Coon for The Nest
Nobody drinks a Coke like Viola
Minari inches closer to a Best Picture win (I suspect more so than than a lot of people think), which means McDormand could actually take the damn thing as a way to reward the film alongside its direction.
I've been a Mulligan fan since I saw PYW and I remain stalwart in my stance that she delivered the trickiest of all 5 performances (save perhaps Kirby's) with aplomb and a sense of humor even when she's the victim of a harrowing moment or scene. That not only takes some serious balls, but raw talent and commitment.
There isn't anything in the other performances that another actress couldn't have given just as easily or even in a more intricate and intriguing manner...
But I simply can not, and will likely never, envision another actress as Cassie but Carey Mulligan.
That, to me, is a Best Actress win worth having, something for the ages.
Not making any predictions. Just enjoying that five worthy, incredible performances are being celebrated.
If I could vote, I would vote for Kirby. While the other 4 nominated performances are awe-inspiring, it was Kirby's performance that I felt deeply and still do to this day.
Mulligan is good but overpraised in PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. I think it's ultimately the script that lets her down, as it gives her a character without a lot of dimension, who is almost entirely defined by her trauma. Despite the restraint (it's amazing Fennell didn't give her a big scene to just let it rip), the character still doesn't feel fully realized or, well, "real."
I'd go with Viola Davis for her extraordinary inhabitation of Ma's multitudes: her egoism and orneriness, but also her sensuality and passion, the love for music and the blues she makes totally palpable.
Who should have been here: Jessie Buckley for I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS.
"Being out of place in an environment where she isn’t revered makes her grow less and less patient and accommodating, and the subtlety with which she indicates her annoyance is remarkably tempered."
Really? For me she was pissed off well before setting foot inside the building.
If Oscars were about the performance (as they rarely are), Frances McDormand would win.
Carey Mulligan should've won for AN EDUCATION. Saorise Ronan should've won for LADY BIRD. Had both wins occurred, Frances would rightly be sailing to victory for NOMADLAND.
I found MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM completely artificial and quite badly acted in most scenes, though Viola Davis's performance was the best part.
Haven't seen Day's film, but will eventually.
I don’t think a character has to be “real” at all.
None of them are. It’s acting.
And this is before we account for all the projection we’re guilty of as an audience.
Mulligan felt like an anti-hero, her very own heroine, despite the inevitability of where the script ends up.
Still gets my vote, and even setting aside my other reasons, the subtleties in Mulligan’s vocal delivery of each line are sumptuous.
So hard to find actors of any kind who put noticeable effort or focus on that aspect of a performance, without it being caricature or expected (a Capote, a Ma Rainey, etc.).
Wanna talk “real”? Easily Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? or Linney in You Can Count on Me. Those two performances are downright embodiments of lived-in lives.
Such a great piece. Agreed, this is quite the sterling lineup although McDormand would get my vote easy. As for who I think will win, it’s truly a four-way race. When was the last time Best Actress was this wide open?! I’m leaning toward predicting Day or Davis because of the ‘real person’ factor and it’s also crazy that an African American woman hasn’t won this category since Berry. If there’s a vote split, I think it’ll be McDormand since voters are more likely to reward PYM in Original Screenplay. But again, it could seriously go to ANY of these four ladies.
Manny, i'd have personal enjoyed Julia Stiles in Mulligan's role just as much, but for the film being made when it was Carey did very well.
Viola for the Win!!! I'm glad my SAG vote wasn't in vain!!!
Really??
I like Julia Stiles, but I don't imagine her capturing anything except Cassie's anger. There are levels Mulligan works on that I'm not sure Stiles's would've been able to portray.
That's what I love about acting, though, everyone's got an opinion. :)
I appreciate much of what you wrote. You do help my see Day's performance with greater appreciation. She certainly was impressive and seemed very much a real human being who just happened to be Billie Holliday. And there was the opportunity for lots of variety and she played it well. BUT, this is an example of how you really want your great performance to be in a great, or at least good, film. I remember back to Iron Lady and how everyone hated the film BUT I absolutely felt the Streep was so mesmerizing that I forgave so much because of her. So, although I'm absolutely thrilled that Day was nominated for this film, she did not keep me mesmerized enough for me to give her the Best Actress Oscar.
I am NOT a big fan of McDormand in Nomadland. Yes, she's extremely effective but, damn, looking off into the distance quietly with a hint that something is going on inside is really not as impressive as so many people seem to think it is - especially for an actress with the physical presence McDormand has on screen. I can't help but believe she might even agree with me in this. She's never struck me as a particularly vain actress and I would like to think she recognizes her skill set and acknowledges when the role just isn't that demanding. And, no, I'm not talking about screaming and crying and being "big" as an actress - I'm talking about nuances that come from character and interaction with others which requires a complexity which I just don't think this script offered her.
I find it difficult not to bow down to Viola Davis so much of the time. She's like a walking, talking volcano always bubbling inside and hinting at explosions. What surprised me was how fascinating she made Ma Rainey---so much going on under the surface of bullying and braying. And damn, there's no doubt this Ma Rainey could slay an audience.
I confess, I have yet to watch Places of a Woman (for various reasons) so I can't fairly comment. But from what you've written, I suspect I may feel hers is the most complex, challenging role of the lot.
I am also conflicted about Carey Mulligan. She is perfect in the film, bringing so much specific personality and wonderful nuance to the role. And she was so damn entertaining! And I do think it's worth noting that she walked a very thin line between being a sympathetic character and a cruel one. Sure, the story/set up helped with this, but I don't think we should lose track of Ms. Mulligan's ability to modulate her characters drive for revenge so charmingly without relying on any overt charms. There was something joyful about going along with this woman which really made the film for me. And, which really made the surprise resolution all the more emotional.
So although I can't say for sure without seeing Kirby's performance who I would like to see win. I can say I hope that McDormand and Day do not.
Mulligan deserves it. Such beautiful line readings. When looking back at 2020 cinema five years from now, what performances will pop in our heads first? The answer is Mulligan's.
This race is going to be so close. Let's say Kirby gets 10% of the vote. The other 90% is going to be divided almost equally between the other 4 nominees. So the eventual winner could triumph with as little as 25% of the vote. If there was ever going to be a tie...
Arguments in favor of any of them, all deserving. A crazy close race no doubt, but the Academy's obsession with awarding "playing a famous person" should be just enough to edge Day across the finish line first. I've seen all five performances, I can truly say I'll be happy whomever's name is called.