Questions swirling over Riseborough
Andrea Riseborough may not be a name that rings many bells for the average moviegoer.
But, chances are, your favorite actor in that one movie you love knows exactly who she is. And they want her to win an Oscar.
It's, frankly, a strange tale — one that began in October with the limited release of a small-time independent film called “To Leslie,” about what happens when a single mother wins the lottery and runs out of money. Riseborough plays the titular Leslie, in a performance widely praised by critics as some of the best work of her career. And last week, Riseborough was nominated for a best actress Academy Award, her first Oscar nomination.
But there are questions surrounding her nomination, which came after a very public push by multiple big-time Hollywood stars — think Gwyneth Paltrow and Amy Adams. Now, without specifically mentioning Riseborough or “To Leslie,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it is investigating this year's campaign procedures to ensure no rules were broken. (Contacting academy members to promote a film or push for an award is forbidden.)
So dim the lights and cue the suspenseful music. Here's everything you need to know:
Until recently, most Americans hadn't heard of “To Leslie.” Premiering at the South by South West festival in March, the film made just $27,000 at the box office during its limited release.
This month, that changed when some of the biggest names in film threw their weight behind the movie. Paltrow praised the film on Instagram, saying Riseborough should win every award, including “all the ones that haven't been invented yet.”
Adams hosted a conversation with Riseborough and director Michael Morris, calling the movie an “amazing, amazing feat of filmmaking.”
Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Edward Norton and Charlize Theron have all also publicly supported the film in various ways, through screenings or moderated discussions.
And yet, not every actor has the kind of connections Riseborough does. Critics of the nominations have pointed out that Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”), two Black actresses who were considered front-runners, were not nominated for the award. (Both films also drew larger audiences.)