Wow. Anne Hathaway sure has serious problems these days. She had found herself in a serious bind—too many possibly/probably Oscar-worthy roles, and she doesn’t want to compete against herself.
Go on, say that sentence out loud. Even if you say it in your head, it sounds absurd but it’s true.
It’s also interesting, isn’t it, this decision between best supporting and best leading actor or actress? Often, I find myself wondering why some roles are nominated in one category over the other, when it seems clearly to fit into the other category. Or, when it seems like the actress hasn’t been on screen enough to even be nominated let alone win. (I’m looking at you, Dame Judi Dench and your Best Supporting Actress trophy for your 8 on-screen minutes in Shakespeare in Love.)
So, what I’m saying here is that when it comes to these categories, the rules are THERE ARE NO RULES.
Which is why Warner Bros. Pictures has decided to run with Anne Hathaway’s performance as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises in the best actress category instead of the best supporting actress category, where it belongs—if you ask me. Hers was easily the best performance in the last of the Nolan Batman trilogy, but best actress-worthy? I highly doubt it. Especially since she will probably be up against the likes of Helen Mirren and Marion Cotillard.
It’s a clearly strategic move on their part, obviously, considering the buzz that she is already getting for her role as Fantine in Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic tale, Les Miserables. Considering that her painful, angry singing in the trailer for the film makes people weep (including me!), an Oscar-worthy performance is likely.
So, if Catwoman goes up for Best Actress, there won’t be a Hathaway vs. Hathaway conundrum.
Sorry, Warner Bros. Pictures, but I’m pretty sure if she’s walking away with one award at the Academy Awards, it’s not going to be yours.
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