Best Actress 2022 – The Standouts in a Competitive Year

There have been breathtaking performances by actresses this year. There have been so many it’s hard to choose just five. The ones that stood out, to me, did so because they gave us characters we’ve never seen before. Some of the films revolved around them, some did not. The ones that have stayed with me aren’t necessarily the ones who will end up in Oscar’s final five. I know how the Oscar game is played, and I know what performances stirred me the most. These two things are not the same.

The year started out with Jennifer Hudson’s performance as Aretha Franklin being held over from 2020. With Andra Day as Billie Holiday and Viola Davis as Ma Rainey, it was already a crowded field of iconic singers. When Respect finally did open to qualify for this year, it was a bit early for the hype of Oscar season. And though audiences dug the movie, critics were lukewarm on it.

What impressed me the most about Hudson’s work is her transformation from a naive teenager obedient to her father to becoming wholly her own person — an activist not afraid to use her voice for civil rights or to march alongside Martin Luther King, Jr.. Hudson knew Franklin personally and was hand-picked to play her in Franklin’s life story. Yeah, no big deal, right? Just the Queen of Soul’s personal request.

In my humble opinion, it’s Oscar malpractice not to nominate her. Maybe it’s been hard for members of the awards community to respect Hudson’s Respect because it isn’t a story of victimization. Holiday, Ma Rainey, even Tessa Thompson in Passing are characters who exist in an oppressive atmosphere. While Franklin did exist there too, she navigated White America fairly well. She fit into the mold of what they wanted her to be — but eventually broke free from that, rebelled against it, and found her own personal journey of success. That is not nothing. It might not be the kind of character that wins Oscars: after all, Halle Berry’s character in Monster’s Ball was down on her luck, not exactly playing one of the most admired and successful black women in America like Hudson is. Perhaps for the mostly white critics, it’s hard to sit with such a successful black woman on film? Yeah, I’m pulling out all the stops on this post because we’re getting down to the wire. I know they’ll chafe at that, but just throwing it out there as food for thought.

It isn’t just black successful women critics seem to have a hard time with. Nicole Kidman also plays a superstar firebrand in Being the Ricardos. Probably if she was playing Lucille Ball when her life was falling apart and she wasn’t rallying to be the badass she actually was, she might find a place in this year’s race. I think that, personally, stronger women might be a slightly harder sell, even if it does run counter to the going ideology.

Last year was incredibly strange in how Best Actress ultimately went down. Everyone had their eyes on non-white winners taking the top prize. That was the mindset throughout not just awards season, but all of America (and to a degree, it still is, Hudson notwithstanding). That meant that Andra Day won the Golden Globe for her work as Billie Holiday, Viola Davis won the SAG for her work as Ma Rainey, and… Frances McDormand won the BAFTA and the Oscar for her work in the Best Picture frontrunner, Nomadland.

Most people, other than Yours Truly, barely pay attention to Oscar history, so they don’t think about how odd it is that it’s been almost 94 years and only one black actress has won in Best Actress —and that is now over 20 years ago, despite the recent displays of being inclusive and diverse. I would say it is a great example of “virtue signaling,” but no one really wants to hear that phrase, even if it is apt. It means displaying yourself as something other than what you really are in order to get approval from your peers. Ahem. Moving on.

To my mind, at least right now, no one can beat Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. Her performance is unlike anything she’s ever done. She transforms herself into Diana, and at some point while watching the film you forget it’s even Kristen Stewart. She has found her best role, without a doubt, and has nailed Diana’s posh accent and sense of style — a combination of daring and shyness, all the while trying hard not to fall apart in her role as princess and keep her relationship with her two boys intact.

Stewart turns out to have been born to play Princess Diana, though no one would have ever figured that probably. Well, except the film’s director, Pablo Larrain: he could see what other people couldn’t and what the two of them create on screen is nothing short of magical. They bring her back to vibrant colorful life, and if we could reach through the screen to grab her with our arms and pull her to safety, we would. Stewart manages to do just that with her exceptional work.

Can anyone defeat her? It’s hard to say. Many are waiting to see what BAFTA will do. They only have two slots that are open to all members to vote on, and the rest will be jury-selected. That means they will be under pressure to be inclusive and diverse and Film Twitter-friendly. Wouldn’t it be great if they hand-picked Hudson? Somehow I doubt that will happen, but I guess one can only hope.

The idea that the Brits would approve of this Diana is what people are waiting to see. She seems to have four challengers if you do not count Hudson:

Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Of these four, Film Twitter believes Chastain has the momentum heading in. That’s possible as it is a big showy performance (and is about a woman crumbling, always a good thing). It is just a matter of whether or not the actors can see past the makeup. There is a cardinal rule in acting that the makeup can’t upstage the performance. So far, the critics, the Globes, and the Critics Choice have not noticed. SAG probably won’t notice either, but it is the one thing that prevents me from seeing Chastain as a frontrunner. Maybe it matters, maybe it doesn’t.

That said, Chastain disappears into the role of Tammy Faye Bakker, which is the kind of role the Oscars are made on. She has really outdone herself here. It’s true that the real Bakker was marked by her signature clown makeup, Chastain does try to make her a living, breathing human being, which is nice to see.

Nicole Kidman gave a spectacular performance as Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos. It’s astonishing just how versatile she is as an actress, and in Ricardos she anchors the entire film. She nails Lucy both as her character and as the real person. Kidman keeps topping herself with her work and just seems to be getting better as she matures.

Olivia Colman has delivered yet another performance for the ages in The Lost Daughter. Funny, mean, prickly, utterly destroyed internally — it is yet another performance without vanity. She really does stand out just on her acting alone. It isn’t necessarily her star power, nor the likability of the character: it’s pure acting, and she’s brilliant.

Lady Gaga is also one of the standouts of House of Gucci, even if the film could have certainly used more of Gaga. She’s easily the best thing about it and was one of the few movie stars who actually brought people out to the theaters just to see her on screen. That’s quite something at a time when no one is going to see anything other than Spider-Man.

These make up the Golden Globe five for Drama. When you head over to the Critics Choice, you see that it’s the same five with Alana Haim from Licorice Pizza added in to make six. Alana Haim is actually part of the band Haim and this is her first leading role. Still, the film and her performance have charmed so many — critics for now but who knows what else — that it’s theoretically possible she gets in.

The Critics Choice has often had seven nominees for Best Actress, so they aren’t as good a guide for who might get nominated, but last year the Golden Globes had exactly the same nominations as the Oscars.

So how are pundits lining up Best Actress right now? Well, let’s head over to AwardsWatch first and look at what Erik Anderson has predicted:

1. Kristen Stewart – Spencer (NEON) – GG, CCA ↔
2. Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Searchlight Pictures) – GG, CCA ↑
3. Lady Gaga – House of Gucci (MGM/UA) – GG, CCA ↑
4. Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter (Netflix) – GG, CCA ↔
5. Rachel Zegler – West Side Story (20th Century Studios) – GG ↑
6. Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos (Amazon) – GG, CCA ↓
7. Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza (MGM/UA) – GG, CCA ↓
8. Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers (Sony Pictures Classics) ↓
9. Frances McDormand – The Tragedy of Macbeth (A24/Apple Original Films) ↓
10. Jennifer Hudson – Respect (MGM/UA) ↓

I think this is a pretty good list. I imagine he’s basing it on the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice that have just dropped. It’s important to remember that the Globes split Best Actress into Drama and Musical/Comedy and the Critics Choice have six nominees in the category, which means they can definitely be misleading in terms of who will get in.

Now let’s look at Gold Derby’s pundits. They are definitely kind of all over the place. Quite a few have Alana Haim in there for the five. I would say you probably can’t go wrong with Anne Thompson here — this looks like a safe bet for the five:

In looking over the charts, it is daunting to imagine someone springing up from out of nowhere without having a SAG or a Globe nom. But it does happen: two recent examples are Saoirse Ronan for Little Women and Yalitza Aparicio for Roma. But in general, if you aren’t on one of those lists, your chances are greatly diminished.

Anne Thompson is probably right here. I know people are just doing the best they can and they can’t help their tastes. They have to actively try hard not to vote their preferences. That is just how human nature works. The Oscars can’t only be about inclusion and equity. They also have to be about worth. But it will be ironic when the only group that will have any representation at all will probably be the BAFTAS because they were forced.

I also hate to make these five actresses feel guilty or bad for doing good work, They absolutely deserve the accolades. I just will always lament the lack of opportunity for black women in Hollywood — how they are limited not just because of the roles offered to them come from a limited palette, but because they are often asked to carry so much in addition to their work. Olivia Colman and Lady Gaga are examples of great roles to showcase one’s talent and ability while playing unlikable characters. They aren’t required to be good role models: thus, they have more freedom.

There are other Best Actress contenders who could land in the race as well, including Alana Haim, Tessa Thompson in Passing, Rachel Zegler in West Side Story.

Either way, the Golden Globes will announce their winners on January 9th and in a few weeks we’ll be off to the races.

And here are our charts for deep background. Thanks to Marshall Flores for cleaning them up.