By Lauren LaMagna
Everyone always says that age is nothing but a number; in reality, that’s not the case. During awards season, people are always talking about age. The general audience and voters are so obsessed with age that there are records about the oldest and youngest person to be nominated – something that’s constantly trying to be beaten every year. Even though people say age doesn’t really matter, it defiantly plays a role in who gets nominated and who doesn’t, especially when it comes to actors. Every awards season, there is usually one child’s performance that graces his or her way into the hearts of Hollywood. Most of the time, these young performers serve the film with a “cuteness” factor that might attract a wider audience, as opposed to its usual reach. But there are other times when the child actor gets the opportunity to play the emotional core of the film. Meaning, the child’s character is the protagonist that goes on the journey, and it’s that young actor’s job to connect with the audience. Some of these films become successful and even go on to being nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture, but for some reason, the child actor is nowhere to be found on the ballot even if they play a big role in the success of the film. It’s rare for a child actor to be nominated for an Oscar even when their films are honored in other categories. For whatever reason, the Academy and other award branches tend to only see the actor’s age and not their talent. When the Academy does honor child actors, they are normally put into the supporting actor/actress category even when they are not a supporting player; like Tatum O’Neal for “Paper Moon”; Mary Badham for “To Kill a Mockingbird”; and in 2016, when A24 campaigned Jacob Tremblay for supporting actor for “Room.” Let’s look at Tremblay in particular: “Room” opened at the Telluride Film Festival to universal critical praise, especially for Tremblay and Brie Larson. Tremblay, playing the role of Jack, is on screen for the majority of the film. The movie revolves around Jack and his journey discovering the world for the first time. It’s very much his story and one could argue that Ma (Larson) serves as his supporting player. But come awards season, Larson was put into the Best Actress category and won, whereas nine-year-old Tremblay, who had far more screen time than Larson, was placed in the Supporting Actor category and was only nominated for a SAG award. This is also due to the studio’s placements of course, but this shows that the studio values adult performances over child performances no matter the scale of the role. So either the award branches won’t award the child performance, or they do and place them in the wrong category because, in their eyes, children can’t lead a movie. However, the Academy is also prone to nominating child performances in strong films if the role is an obvious supporting role; like Anna Paquin for “The Piano”; Justin Henry for “Kramer vs Kramer”; and Abigail Breslin for “Little Miss Sunshine.” There are also rare occasions, like in 2013, when the Academy nominated Quvenzhané Wallis for Best Actress. Even though she was nine at the time, she was placed in the right category and nominated for her work simply because she deserved to be there. Wallis is currently the last child to be nominated for an Oscar. Today, this award season has two extremely strong youth performances that deserve to be in the conversation: Roman Griffin Davis in “Jojo Rabbit” and Noah Jupe in “Honey Boy.” Both actors serve as the leads and emotional core of their films and more than deliver. Additionally, both films have had successful runs on the festival circuit and are starting to gain in popularity from general audiences over the country. But again, both youth performances are nowhere to be found in predications for Best Actor or even Best Supporting Actor. Instead, Oscar predictors are predicting them for the Young Performer award at the Critics Choice Awards and stating that, if these young men continue acting, they can get nominated when they’re older. But why not now when they already have a strong performance? It’s safe to say that without these performances, their respected films wouldn’t be nearly as successful as they are. If the films themselves are being considered for Best Picture and stand a decent chance at several Oscars, shouldn’t their leading men also be considered? Both Fox Searchlight and Amazon Studios have broken one glass ceiling by campaigning Davis and Jupe in the Lead Actor category, a category where they both deserve to be. But will any awards or critics branch give them the chance or will they overlook their performance because they are under 18 like they did with Jacob Tremblay and Brooklynn Prince in previous years? There shouldn’t be an unspoken age restriction on when one can get nominated for an Oscar. If the performance is strong and deserving of a nomination, then they deserve it. It’s as simple as that. If they are old enough to play the part and play it well, they deserve to be nominated for their work. If one thing is clear, it’s that these two boys definitely deserve a fighting chance where their age doesn’t hurt them. So what do you think? Do you think Roman Griffin Davis and Noah Jupe deserve to be in the conversation for Best Actor? Who else do you think deserves to be in the conversation this year but may unfairly get looked over due to their age? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Twitter account. You can follow Lauren and hear more of her thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @laurenlamango
Comments
|
BEST PICTURE Nomadland (30) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BSFC, CFCA, CIC, DFWFCA, GG, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, IPA, KCFCC, LFCC, NDFS, NSFC, NTFCA, OFCS, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, TFCA, TIFF, VENICE, VFCC, WAFCA Promising Young Woman (7) - COFCA, KCFCC, MCFCA, NFCS, OAFFC, SCA, SDFCS Minari (4) - NCFCA, NYFCO, OFCC, UFCA Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (3) - BFCC, CIC, PFCC Da 5 Bloods (2) - CIC, NBR First Cow (2) - FFCC, NYFCC The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2) - DFCS, HFCS Another Round - EFA Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains - ICS Rocks - BIFA Small Axe - LAFCA BEST DIRECTOR Chloé Zhao (38) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BFCC, BSFC, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, MSFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, NTFCA, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SDFCS, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, TFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Spike Lee (3) - CIC, HFCS, NBR Regina King (2) - BFCC, UFCA Emerald Fennell - NFCS Darius Marder - SCA Steve McQueen - LFCC Andrew Patterson - GOTHAM Kelly Reichardt - ICS Thomas Vinterberg - EFA Remi Weekes - BIFA BEST ACTRESS Frances McDormand (22) - AWFJ, BOFCA, CFCA, FFCC, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, IPA, LFCC, NCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, OFCC, OFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Carey Mulligan (17) - AFCC, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, HFCS, KCFCC, LAFCA, MCFCA, NBR, NFCS, NTFCA, NYFCO, OAFFC, PFCS, SCA, SDFCS, StLFCA Viola Davis (3) - BFCC, CIC, PFCC Sidney Flanigan (2) - BSFC, NYFCC Maria Bakalova - IPA Paula Beer - EFA Nicole Beharie - GOTHAM Andra Day - GG Rosamund Pike - GG Wunmi Mosaku - BIFA Isabel Sandoval - ICS BEST ACTOR Riz Ahmed (18) - AFCC, COFCA, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IPA, KCFCC, NBR, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, SCA, SDFCS, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA Chadwick Boseman (17) - AWFJ, BFCC, CFCA, CIC, DFCS, DFWFCA, GG, IFCA, LAFCA, LFCC, MSFCA, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Delroy Lindo (8) - BOFCA, HFCS, IFJA, NCFCA, NSFC, NYFCC, OFCS, PFCC Anthony Hopkins (4) - BIFA, BSFC, FFCC, NFCS Sacha Baron Cohen (2) - GG, IPA Mads Mikkelsen - EFA Aditya Modak - ICS Steven Yeun - NTFCA BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Youn Yuh-jung (24) - AWFJ, BFCC, BSFC, COFCA, GWNYFCA, IFCA, KCFCC, LAFCA, MCFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NTFCA, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, PFCS, SCA, SEFCA, SDFCS, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Maria Bakalaova (15) - AFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, CIC, FFCC, HFCS, IFJA, LFCC, MCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, NYFCC, OFCS, TFCA, UFCA Amanda Seyfried (3) - DFWFCA, IPA, PFCC Ellen Burstyn (2) - DFCS, NYFCO Kosar Ali - BIFA Sônia Braga - ICS Glenn Close - NFCS Olivia Cooke - HFCS Jodie Foster - GG BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Paul Raci (16) - AFCC, BOFCA, BSFC, CFCA, COFCA, FFCC, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCA, NBR, NSFC, OFCC, SCA, SDFCS, SFBAFCC, StLFCA Leslie Odom Jr. (9) - AWFJ, BFCC, HFCS, IFJA, KCFCC, NYFCO, OFCS, UFCA, WAFCA Daniel Kaluuya (8) - DFWFCA, GG, NFCS, OAFFC, PFCS, SFCS, TFCA, VFCC Sacha Baron Cohen (6) - DFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NTFCA, SEFCA Chadwick Boseman (4) - CIC, IPA, NYFCC, PFCC Francisco Barreiro - ICS D’angelou Osei Kissiedu - BIFA Shaun Parkes - LFCC Glynn Turman - LAFCA BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Nomadland (14) - AWFJ, CFCA, COFCA, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFJA, KCFCC, LFCC, NCFCA, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, SEFCA, WAFCA The Father (5) - BIFA, IPA, NFCS, SCA, SDFCS I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (5) - BOFCA, BSFC, FFCC, StLFCA, UFCA First Cow (4) - DFCS, ICS, PFCC, SFBAFCC Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2) - BFCC, CIC News Of The World - NBR One Night In Miami - PFCS BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Promising Young Woman (18) - AFCC, AWFJ, CIC, COFCA, DFWFCA, HFCS, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA Minari (8) - BFCC, FFCC, NBR, NCFCA, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, TFCA The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (8) - CIC, DFCS, GG, HFCS, MCFCA, PFCS, UFCA, VFCC Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always (6) - CFCA, GWNYFCA, IFJA, NSFC, NYFCC, OAFFC Another Round - EFA Bacurau - ICS The Forty-Year-Old-Version - GOTHAM Fourteen - GOTHAM BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Nomadland (26) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BSFC, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFWFCA, GWNYFCA, HFCS, MCFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCS, PFCC, PFCS, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Mank (4) - FFCC, IPA, OFCC, SCA Tenet (4) - BFCC, HFCS, NFCS, NTFCA Small Axe (2) - LAFCA, NYFCC Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains - ICS First Cow - SFBAFCC Hidden Away - EFA Saint Maud - BIFA The Vast Of Night - KCFCC BEST COSTUME DESIGN Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (4) - CIC, HFCS, PFCS, SFCS Emma. (2) - CFCA, SDFCS Hidden Away - EFA Misbehaviour - BIFA The Personal History Of David Copperfield - IPA BEST FILM EDITING Nomadland (8) - AWFJ, BOFCA, GWNYFCA, NDFS, OFCS, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (7) - CIC, COFCA, HFCS, IPA, MCFCA, PFCS, UFCA The Father (2) - BIFA, LAFCA I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (2) - BSFC, CFCA The Invisible Man (2) - MCFCA, SDFCS Once More Unto The Breach - EFA Tenet - WAFCA The Wasteland - ICS BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING The Endless Trench - EFA Mank - HFCS Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - CIC Misbehaviour - BIFA BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Soul (22) - AFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, FFCC, GG, GWNYFCA, HFCS, HMMA, LAFCA, NCFCA, OFCC, OFCS, PFCS, SCL, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Tenet (4) - HMMA, IFJA, MCFCA, SCA Mank (3) - DFWFCA, HFCS, NDFS David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (2) - HMMA, IFMCA Minari (2) - BSFC, HMMA Berlin Alexanderplatz - EFA Blizzard Of Souls - SCL The Call Of The Wild - IFMCA Fukushima 50 - IFMCA The Invisible Man - HMMA The Midnight Sky - IPA News Of The World - HMMA Nomadland - IFCA The Personal History Of David Copperfield - IFMCA Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time - ICS Wolfwalkers - IFMCA Wonder Woman 1984 - IFMCA BEST ORIGINAL SONG One Night In Miami (7) - CIC, DFCS, HFCS, HFCS, IFCA, MCFCA, PFCS The Life Ahead (3) - GG, HMMA, IPA Eurovision - SCL Giving Voice - HMMA The Outpost - HMMA Over The Moon - NDFS Trolls: World Tour - HMMA BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Mank (14) - CFCA, CIC, FFCC, HFCS, IPA, LAFCA, MCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, PFCS, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA First Cow - SFBAFCC His House - BIFA The Personal History Of David Copperfield - EFA A Portuguesa - ICS BEST SOUND Sound Of Metal (3) - HFCS, ICS, IPA Little Girl - EFA The Reason I Jump - BIFA BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Tenet (10) - DFCS, HFCS, HFCS, IPA, NCFCA, NFCS, PFCS, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA The Invisible Man (2) - CFCA, CIC The Platform - EFA Possessor - FFCC BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Soul (27) - AFCC, AWFJ, BFCC, CCA, CIC, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, MSFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NTFCA, NYFCO, OFCC, OFCS, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, WAFCA Wolfwalkers (13) - BOFCA, CFCA, COFCA, GWNYFCA, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, NYFCC, OAFFC, SDFCS, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA Josep (2) - EFA, ICS The Wolf House - BSFC BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Another Round (15) - AFCC, AWFJ, CFCA, EFA, IFJA, KCFCC, LFCC, MCFCA, NCFCA, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Minari (10) - COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, GG, GWNYFCA, NTFCA, NYFCO, OFCS, SFCS, VFCC Bacurau (3) - BOFCA, NYFCC, TFCA La Llorona (3) - BSFC, IPA, NBR The Life Ahead (2) - HFCS, SDFCS And Then We Danced - NDFS A Sun - HFCS Beanpole - LAFCA Collective - NSFC His House - CIC Identifying Features - GOTHAM Jumbo - PFCC Los Fuertes - FFCC Martin Eden - OFCC Night Of The Kings - BFCC BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Time (11) - AFCC, BFCC, DFWFCA, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, LAFCA, NBR, NYFCC, PFCC, SDFCS, SEFCA Collective (9) - BSFC, EFA, IPA, LFCC, OAFFC, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, TFCA, VFCC Dick Johnson Is Dead (8) - CCA, CFCA, COFCA, IFCA, IFJA, NCFCA, OFCS, UFCA Boys State (5) - CIC, DFCS, OFCC, PFCS, WAFCA All In: The Fight For Democracy (3) - AWFJ, NDFS, NTFCA The Dissident (2) - KCFCC, NFCS The Painter And The Thief (2) - AWFJ, BOFCA Beastie Boys Story - HFCS Crip Camp - IDA The History of the Seattle Mariners: Supercut Edition - SFCS My Octopus Teacher - HFCS The Reason I Jump - BIFA The Social Dilemma - MCFCA A Thousand Cuts - GOTHAM The Way I See It - NYFCO The Year Of The Discovery - ICS You Don't Nomi - FFCC AuthorsNicole Ackman Archives
March 2021
Categories
All
|