by Team Experience
Which actress deserves an Aunt Gladys style comeback most? Stone? Perez? Lewis? The possibilities are almost endless!
We received a really fun request from a reader (Thank you, Brian!) a week or two back. Amy Madigan rose from the dead (pop culture figuratively speaking) 40 years after her first Oscar nomination (Twice in a Lifetime discussed here) to not only break the record of the actress with the longest gap between nominations (the previous record holder being Helen Hayes at 39 years) but also went on to win the Oscar! Her comeback is instantaneously the stuff of legend which made Brian's question catnip to us. He challenged Team Experience to sound off on Who do we think should be the next Amy Madigan ?
TO FIT THE BILL IT HAS TO BE...
- An actress with only one Oscar nomination (she lost)
- Which she received 20 or more years ago
- And she's at least 50 years of age at the moment.
76 living women met that criteria (we eliminated people with Honorary Oscars). Once we had the eligibility list Team Experience each ranked their 10 favorites so the following communal list is the combined vote - originally we had a couple of ties so we brought in our old friend and podcast pal Nick Davis to break the ties with his own vote (though he wasn't shown our list so he didn't know what ties he might be breaking!). #1 rankings on each ballot were worth ten points, #2 rankings nine points, and so on. Here are the results in ascending order...
HONORABLE MENTIONS & ORPHANS
The following actresses appeared on only one or two ballots from our ten voting members. Those that voted for them were passionate but they couldn't muster wide enough support to land in the main list.
LESLEY ANN WARREN in "Victor / Victoria" - do you think she should have won? (Jessica Lange won for "Tootsie")
LESLEY ANN WARREN
First and only nomination: Victor/Victoria (1982)
Closest she's come to returning?: Songwriter / Choose Me (1984)... she had a good year then at any rate.
How could we not include the Clue goddess, the ditzy Victor/Victoria scene stealer, the ethereal ingenue Cinderella as one of our favorites to return to the Oscar race? Two Oscar genres that find favor in Best Supporting Actress would be a perfect fit for her - the highlight of a true-blue comedy or delivering an unforgettable song in a musical. Sure, big musical moments are often saved for the young newcomers, but wouldn't Warren be perfect for a huge hit that gives her a late career close up? That bubbly demeanor, those sharp line deliveries, that lovely voice - she could knock the right role out of the park, even with limited screen time. We just need a big name Hollywood director to remember her star quality.
-EUROCHEESE
ADRIANA BARRAZA in "Babel" - Do you think she should have won? (Jennifer Hudson won for "Dreamgirls")
ADRIANA BARRAZA
First and only nomination: Babel (2006)
Closest she's come to returning? N/A
I was probably too young when I first saw Babel, but I will never forget Adriana Barraza listlessly walking in the desert, wounded and dehydrated, desperate for salvation while looking for help for the two children she's taking care of. The final moments of her performance, seeing how her life is shattered in real-time during that conversation with the border patrol. The image is still very clear in my head more than a decade after. You don't forget that kind of power. I know she mostly works in her home country these days, but this Mexican gem deserves to be recognized once again.
-JUAN CARLOS OJANO
LILY TOMLIN in "Nashville" - Do you you think she should have won? (Lee Grant won for "Shampoo")
LILY TOMLIN
First and only nomination: Nashville (1975)
Closest she's come to returning: The Late Show (1977)
As much as I adore and fully endorse Lily Tomlin's nomination for Nashville, what makes an Oscar record most special is if it feels fully representative of that performer's particular gifts to the cinema. Nashville is a fine "career" nomination (though it wasn't that at the time) given how sturdy Tomlin has always been in ensemble pictures from auteurs including multiple rounds with Robert Altman. But shouldn't there be more? This 'Oscar stats as snapshot of a whole career' thing is why I've always loved Sigourney Weaver's nominations (one for comedy, one for drama, one for a genre franchise) which completely represent the broad range of her talents and "what she's known for". It's true that Tomlin has nothing to complain about in terms of "awards" given that she has a SAG, a Tony, a Silver Bear, a Grammy, NYFCC and NSFC prizes, and multiple Peabodies and Emmys ... but the enormity of her fame mostly comes from her comic gifts so it would have been nice to see one more nomination for a special comic star turn, whether in lead or support. Her biting comic line delivery with dramatic underlay in 2015's Grandma or her physically hilarious spin as an "existential detective" in 2004's I Heart Huckabees would have filled out that Oscar resume superbly.
We hope Lily gets one more opportunity to wow Academy voters. As unlikely as those opportunities are for octogenarians, it's worth noting that June Squibb has had two well-received it not awarded leading comic roles in her nineties so where is Lily's Thelma ?
-NATHANIEL R
ROSIE PEREZ in "Fearless" - Do you think she should have won? (Anna Paquin won for "The Piano")
ROSIE PEREZ
First and only nomination: Fearless (1993)
Closest she's come to returning: N/A
The last time we saw the great Rosie Perez on the Oscar stage she was unaccountably taking part in a bizarre White Men Can’t Jump reunion at the 2022 ceremony. She had to gamely keep the show running whilst her two stoned co-stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson dropped the ball. Let’s hope the next time she appears it’s with a well deserved Little Gold Man in her hand.
- BABY CLYDE
If I ran the world, Rosie Perez would have been seriously considered for evelating the otherwise only good lottery-winning comedy It Could Happen To You (1994). Hollywood has been seriously wasting her gifts. We keep hoping that will change.
-NATHANIEL R
UMA THURMAN in "Pulp Fiction" - Do you think she should have won? (Dianne Wiest in "Bullet Over Broadway" won)
UMA THURMAN
First and only nomination: Pulp Fiction (1994)
Closest she's come to returning? Kill Bill, Vol 2 (2004)
It's pretty annoying how Hollywood ebbs and flows with one of the most beautiful and talented faces to grace the screen. Her early career was mostly granted to her due to her striking beauty, but she was finally given her due with a Supporting nomination in 1994 as the one and only Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Being the hot new thing, Hollywood flung her into the deep end, but little connected and she faded a bit. Tarantino would come calling again with the Kill Bill films, where she was once again the hot commodity. A few years later, roles diminished, and we are back here again.
She still has all the talent in the world, the films just need to be able to give her a role to chew on. You can't escape the rest of her family, as ex-husband Ethan Hawke and daughter Maya are always in the limelight. Why not spread the wealth to the matriarch? I would love to see Thurman in a role like The Substance, which leans into her self-awareness and comedic abilities. If she can get that perfect role, maybe the Oscars can find their way back to her.
- BEN MILLER
THE NEXT TWO ARE RUNNERS UP? NOPE. GIVEN THAT IT'S A TIE AND THE VOTES ARE SO CLOSE... INSTEAD OF A TOP TEN WE HAVE A TOP DOZEN.
SHARON STONE in "Casino" in a very tough Best Actress year (1995)
11 SHARON STONE - 19 points from 5 ballots
First and only nomination: Casino (1995)
Closest she's come to returning? The Muse (1999) though that's a stretch
One wonders if Sharon Stone should try to be the next Amy Madigan or if she’d have better luck following Demi Moore’s steps. Rather than a Weapons, she needs herself The Substance. For sure, there’s an argument to be made that these superstars of 90s erotic thrillers have both been underestimated, pigeonholed by the industry, audiences, and critics who tend to prize them more as sex symbols than as performers. Just take a look at how much the Razzies love to lambast them both, including when they’re doing good work. Justice for Catherine Tramell!
And yet, Stone scored an Oscar nomination during her heyday, already carving a place for herself among a pantheon of serious actresses whose work deserves serious appraisal. While I’d probably rank her Ginger in Scorsese’s Casino last among the 1995 Best Actress nominees, it’s still something of an inspired nod for a mercurial turn that starts by exulting Stone’s star persona before witnessing her loud, protracted implosion. It’s one hell of a show and that’s precisely what you can always expect from Sharon Stone. That’s true of her leading roles and smaller supporting parts, her wildest missteps and most perfect turns alike. Whenever she’s on screen, you can’t take your eyes off of Sharon Stone, the definition of a movie star, a silver screen siren, an icon.
- CLÁUDIO ALVES
JENNIFER TILLY in "Bullets Over Broadway" - she was something of a surprise nominee!
11 JENNIFER TILLY - 19 points from 4 ballots
First and only nomination: Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
Closest she's come to returning? N/A
"Charmed. Charmed. Charmed". 32 years later it's still impossible to forget her inimitable voice, comic timing, sensual physicality, and truly inspired line readings in Woody Allen's ensemble comedy about warring egos in a troubled Broadway production. But this wasn't the only time Tilly gave an Oscar worthy star turn. I'd argue that she's just as unforgettable in the Wachowski sisters debut feature Bound (1996) in which she deploys those exact same gifts in a different register to elevate an already terrific noir thriller. 30 years later I can still vividly recall a couple of line readings from that film, too. Hollywood seemed to "get" her as a comic scene stealer -- she stayed busy -- but were entirely clueless as to how to harness her full fledged leading lady charisma.
She'll always have Bound and Bullets, her much-loved work as The Bride of Chucky, and that reality TV ready big offscreen personality, for pop cultural staying power but is it too much to ask for her to get another great movie role. Or even a two-hander with her Oscar nominated sister Meg? The clock is ticking!
-NATHANIEL R
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS smoldered with Ralph Fiennes in "The English Patient"
10 KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS - 20 points from 5 ballots
First and only nomination: The English Patient (1996)
Closest she's come to returning? I've Loved You So Long (2008)
Kristin Scott Thomas doesn't exactly get typecast, but she does have a type. Elegant. Poised. Fiercely intelligent. You cast her when you want to bring some class to the joint. Perhaps for that reason, it feels like Hollywood never quite figured out what to do with her, even as she retains perennial credibility as an awards contender. So it's more shocking than it should be that her sole Oscar nomination was nearly 30 years ago, for The English Patient (1996). The mid-'90s were of course when her career was taking off, following memorable supporting turns in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Angels and Insects, among other roles in increasingly high-profile films. The English Patient, though, was her biggest get yet, and it's no surprise she was swept up in its Oscars dominance. It was also a well deserved nomination. For an actress who often reads cool-to-cold, Katherine Clifton remains one of her warmest and most accessible performances, thanks in large part to her off-the-charts chemistry with Ralph Fiennes' Almásy. But it's also the charm and subtle grace with which she gradually unfolds her feelings, culminating in the parting "I've always loved you" that just about broke teenage me.Her career trajectory flattened a bit following that high point, as she took on roles that didn't quite fit, even when the movie looked good on paper (Random Hearts) and sometimes was good in reality (The Horse Whisperer). Entering her 40s likely didn't help, setting aside her note-perfect casting in Gosford Park. She stayed in the picture in the late aughts and early teens, but mostly in forgettable parts in middling fare. French films proved a lifeline for her as a fluent French speaker, and for a while it seemed like she might win a César before another Oscar nomination. She came closest to both with her powerhouse turn in 2008's I've Loved You So Long. for which she received BAFTA, César, and Globe nominations. She's also done well-received work on stage and on TV and currently plays the icy, calculating head of MI-5 on AppleTV's excellent spy drama Slow Horses, where her interactions with Gary Oldman's jaded antihero are far more interesting than anything either of them was doing as the Churchills in Darkest Hour. Her film work, unfortunately, has dried up in recent years.So why do I still hold out hope for late-career Oscar recognition? First, the obvious: She's still a great actress with a distinctive presence that hasn't faded with the years. She's worked steadily and has never been completely out of Hollywood's eye. For a respected character actress in her mid-60s, there's still time to land the right role. The harder question is what that role would be. It might help her to play against type - i.e., a character that's, shall we say, a little less educated and polished than we're accustomed to seeing from her. But what I personally love most is a performance that taps into the kind of warmth and vulnerability she showed in The English Patient. We know she's capable of it, and it would be a nice full circle from her first Oscar nod.
-LYNN LEE
CATHERINE DENEUVE received a career nomination for "Indochine" - but her career is so much greater than just 1 film!
09 CATHERINE DENEUVE - 21 points from 4 ballots
First and only nomination: Indochine (1992)
Closest she's come to returning? Dancer in the Dark (2000) which they did at least watch!
How can French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve only have 1 Oscar nomination?? And for Indochine (1992) of all things? Her American equivalent Jane Fonda has 6. Her British equal Julie Christie has 4. But as is so often the case with legendary French stars the Academy continuously overlooks them for their greatest work and then denies them an Honorary Award either - Just ask Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Anouk Aimee etc. They have all passed now but La Deneuve is still with us, still working and has a new Asghar Farhadi coming out later this year with fellow under nominated Gallic legend Isabelle Huppert.
Deneuve’s mother lived to be 109 but let’s not assume she will do the same. We need to get this done so that she doesn’t join the infamous list of ignored French luminaries.
-BABY CLYDE
MARE WINNINGHAM played a successful folk singer (and exhausted big sister) in "Georgia"
08 MARE WINNINGHAM - 23 points from 4 ballots
First and only nomination: Georgia (1995)
Closest she's come to returning? N/A
I ranked Mare Winningham first for three reasons. First, I fell in love with her in the early 1980s via TV movies she made (Freedom, Love is Never Silent, and Amber Waves, for which she won her first Emmy Award at age 21). I was mesmerized by her tenderness, near-lisp, and emotional directness. Then of course along came 1985's St. Elmo's Fire, where she had a steadiness and confidence in her acting that outshone all her peers despite being the least famous among them.
The second reason: her performance in Georgia (1995) is for my money one of the best Supporting Actress performances ever. Stacked up against sister Jennifer Jason Leigh's volcanic and purposefully punishing performance, Winningham broils right under the skin throughout. Her "quiet" acting hides decades of anger and resentment, an earned detachment that clearly pains her. Anyone who has ever had someone close in their life who is an addict will understand Winningham's performance on a deep and profound level; Winningham and Leigh captured the many levels of drama, retreat, and repeat that feed that cycle. In a gorgeously-written scene at the end of the picture, Winningham's character finally says the truth to her sister that's been bottled up for years: "suffering...that's a gift you mistake for voice...you don't sing, Sadie, you can't sing." It's a heartbreaking moment because of the almost shocking intimacy and complexity developed between those two actors, and in retrospect, Winningham losing to Mira Sorvino's granted-very-funny performance in Mighty Aphrodite seems quite silly.
Finally, the reason I placed her first was that she's the actress who most reminds me of Amy Madigan for this challenge: broke out in the 1980s, worked continuously as a character actress, never quite got another movie role as strong as their Oscar nominated one. Since Georgia, Winningham has received six Emmy nominations (as recently as 2022, and won again in 1998) and been nominated for two Tonys. She's clearly one of the most respected actors in the business, and like Madigan, seems to be one of the most humble, always happy for the work and serving as MVP for many projects. It'd be so thrilling to see her roar back into the Oscar race!
-ERIC BLUME
JULIETTE LEWIS was a sensation at just 18 in "Cape Fear"
07 JULIETTE LEWIS - 25 points from 4 ballots
First and only nomination: Cape Fear (1991)
Closest she's come to returning? Conviction (2010)
Longtime readers know that Juliette Lewis is one of my personal favourites and has been since the very first moment I saw her, in intense close-up and creepily nostalgic narration in Martin Scorsese's mesmerizing remake of Cape Fear -- it's truly one of his best films! Though she works fairly regularly her "peak" in mainstream Hollywood proved short but at least she burned white hot until it flatlined (for a spell). I'd argue she was just as Oscar worthy and even genius as serial Killer "Mallory Knox" in Oliver Stone's messy and divisive Natural Born Killers (1994), bringing a somehow cohesively rendered chaotic interiority to an unpredictable malevolent girlwoman. Frankly, that star turn put almost all of that year's actual Oscar nominated actors to shame -- voters were so timid in 1994 and never would have considered her possessed performance!
In recent years her career appears to be on a creative upswing again with Emmy-worthy work (sadly unrecognized) in the second season of Yellowjackets and another award worthy inspired villainous turn in the underseen western The Thicket. Given that Academy voters are getting braver, I hope they'll take another look soon at her singular talent soon. She thrives in the kind of heightened genre-inflected movies that the more conservative Academy of the 1990s and 2000s would never watch let alone vote for.
-NATHANIEL R
TOMORROW (SUNDAY) IN PART TWO - Our Top Six Desired Oscar Comebacks
MONDAY IN PART THREE - Reader's Ranking... and Stats from the Poll Responses