One of the most exciting battles I’ve ever seen in the Oscar race is taking place in a matter of days when two of the most fierce and talented women in film go head to head for Best Leading Actress: Cate Blanchett in ‘Tar’ and Michelle Yeoh in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’. With the former grabbing the BAFTA, the Critics’ Choice and a Golden Globe in Drama, and the latter scooping up the SAG and a Golden Globe for Comedy, this match up is perfection as are the two actresses: simply sublime and it is impossible to predict who will prevail. I am completely torn as for whom I am barracking, hence this piece of reflection on the gift of this wonder-filled pair of screen goddesses. This is much much more than just two nominated performances from Best Picture contenders. Here we have two titans of the screen; hailing from different parts of the globe, but both iconic and blessed with that ‘X Factor’ star quality that has served them well for decades and brought them head to head in 2023.
It’s very easy to simply take her for granted, despite with great stealth having made some 70 movies, but Cate Blanchett is incapable of giving a bad performance, conversely, the Australian superstar has delivered a bullseye on multiple occasions in her 30 year screen career. It is a staggering filmography which traverses a myriad of genres and landscapes across 4 decades and with two Academy Awards bearing her name and six other nominations, there is no doubt that Ms Blanchett is the heir apparent to Queen Meryl. From her breakthrough international role as the Monarch Elizabeth the First, to her channeling Katharine Hepburn in ‘The Aviator’ and a version of Bob Dylan in ‘I’m Not Here’, Cate has played it all – a morally bereft school teacher in ‘Notes On A Scandal’, a scheming femme fatale in ‘Nightmare Alley’, a heroin addict in ‘Little Fish’ and a wicked stepmother in ‘Cinderella’ among the list. Her range is evident from other examples: an unwitting criminal in ‘Bandits’, a CIA agent in ‘Hanna’, an Elf then Elven Queen in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series; a journalist in ‘Veronica Guerin’, a TV Producer in ‘Truth’ a yearning housewife in ‘Carol’ and a News anchor in ‘Don’t Look Up’ among her credits. Cate has also mastered an array of accents and dialects: most recently German for her role as ‘Lydia Tar’. Cate has worked with the best storytellers in the world: Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Peter Jackson, Todd Haynes and Guillermo del Toro just to name a few.
Why does all this matter? I believe it does. I always intuit that an actor’s curriculum vitae is front and centre as voters consider who to place their number one choice with. Sure, if the nominee is an ingenue or a breakthrough star, there is little else to focus on, but in the case of Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh there is a lifetime of brilliant performances to reflect upon. Cate’s brilliance always shines through; even movies that perhaps are not as good as she is; and invariably are better for her presence. The camera simply loves her face and the actor has not been afraid to dress down and strip back, but also enhance her beauty to great comedic and dramatic effect.
Michelle Yeoh is a veteran of international cinema and of epic proportions. With a career spanning 5 decades, Malaysian Chinese, Ms Yeoh, is best known for her spectacular work in action movies but that does not aptly sum up her filmography. Whilst most cinephiles will forever associate Michelle with Ang Lee’s masterpiece ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, the actress boosted her profile globally with credits in the James Bond movie ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, the arty flick ‘Memories of A Geisha’, the blockbuster ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and ‘The Lady’ in which she played the Nobel Laureate and political leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Working with eminent Directors like Danny Boyle and Luc Besson brought her to new audiences and critical acclaim. With more than 4 dozen feature film credits and a slew of movies set for release, Michelle Yeoh is so hot right now and her performance in Daniels’ ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ is the culmination of nearly 40 years of labours of love; and in 2022 she brought all her dazzling talents to the multiverse extravaganza that has yielded her first Oscar nomination.
Whilst ‘TAR’ and ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ could not be more different in virtually every way, both movies gift their leading actresses with huge challenges which are brilliantly realised. Blanchett not only brings her fierce intelligence and dexterity to the screen but she also found the flourishes and techniques necessary for the physical role of a Conductor for ‘Lydia Tar’ and an awe-inspiring depiction of a fall from grace. Cate’s penchant for strong women is front and centre here, but both the inner and outer worlds of her character are intricately played; but never overplayed; a pitfall that a lesser actor may have succumbed to. ‘Tar’ often hints at its character’s flaws but is left to the viewer to judge her actions. I was surprised at how much I connected with ‘Lydia’ and it is testament to Cate’s performance that sympathy could be elicited for this at times bullish and narcissistic central figure. Blanchett clearly revels in the steep challenges of movie making and ‘Tar’ represents her deployment of her acting tool kit to its most exhaustive measure. It is a scintillating performance.
I have seen ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ three times and each time I gain more joy (pardon the pun) and wonder from it, and from Michelle’s deeply layered performance. Evelyn is ostensibly an ordinary working class woman with the same trials and tribulations as any one of us, and yet she brings both a basic humanity and also star quality to it, thanks to the enormously captivating screenplay and Direction from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. As with her competitor Cate, Michelle gets to use everything she has ever done on screen with the various ‘Evelyns’ that are realised. The sheer number of set ups for Michelle Yeoh in her movie must have been staggering; aside from the footage from other films, the actress is required to create several versions of one person and does so with those kick ass moves, a wry humour and gravitas with heart. Ostensibly listed as a comedy to qualify for the Golden Globe awards, ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ is so much very more than that simplistic genre placement. Michelle’s physicality, her vulnerability, her timing and her ability to tell the myriad of iterations of her character; often through very fast edits, but with expressive eyes and body language highlights just how talented this woman is. At its core, the movie is about everyday matters – relationships, survival, aspiration, love and acceptance and Michelle Yeoh’s performance, once all the flashy cuts and choreography are stripped away, is steeped in truth and relatability. Win or lose, her ‘Evelyn’ is one for the ages.
As an Oscar watcher and pundit for more than 40 years, I really am stumped by this year’s Leading Actress category and happily so, as these two larger than life figures and stunning performers are in a battle royale. I would be thrilled for either outcome, but predicting it? The toss of a coin. Will Cate’s cyclonic performance be undeniable for AMPAS, or will the prospect of a 3rd Oscar at just 53 years of age seem too much? Will Michelle Yeoh’s multi verse, at times chaotic movie be too ‘out there’ for voters to reward or will they take great delight in rewarding this quiet achiever in her most stunning portrayal, making her the first Asian actor to win in the Leading Actress category? As the saying goes it is an ‘embarrassment of riches’ as the members of the Academy consider which of these sublime women get to take home the Oscar on March 12.
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