2010 Oscar Nominees

Best Supporting Actress

Mo’Nique (Precious: Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire)

The story of Precious, an overweight and illiterate 16-year-old who is abused by her parents and lives in abject poverty is as inspiring as it is heart-shattering, and the general consensus is that Mo’Nique’s performance as Mary, the abusive mother, is flawless. Mo’Nique’s acting background is heavy on comedy and satire, but in this role she flexes an entirely different acting muscle, and it turns out it’s well developed. She’s already won the Sundance Festival’s Special Jury Prize for her performance, plus countless best supporting actress awards this season. Add to that her Golden Globe and Screen Actors’ Guild wins, and it’s easy to see why she’s favoured to win this one.

Vera Fermiga (Up in the Air)

Vera Fermiga will likely become a household name if she earns the Oscar for her role opposite dashing George Clooney in Up in the Air, a dramedy with a romantic twist or two that was adapted from Walter Kirn’s 2002 novel, Air. Cool beauty Fermiga plays Alex, a professional woman who holds as much testosterone as Clooney, but also an alluring softness that lurks just below the surface in many scenes, especially when she and Clooney tango. Fermiga has said that because Clooney is also a director, he often focused on coaxing the best performance he could out of her rather than worry about his own. Perhaps the performance he encouraged his co-star to give will be worthy of an Academy Award.

Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)

Anna Kendrick was once best known for her role as Bella’s sometimes-high school pal Jessica in the Twilight Saga, but she soon graduated to the ranks of the Hollywood elite. Kendrick’s breakthrough role as the career-driven wunderkind Natalie in Up in the Air sees the diminutive actress hold her own against George Clooney’s cutthroat corporate character and, at times, overshadows the Oscar-winning star. Kendrick has also been nominated for a Screen Actors’ Guild and a Golden Globe award for this role.Will an Oscar win be a sure thing for Kendrick? It’s still up in the air.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)

Maggie Gyllenhall inhabited her role in Crazy Heart so well that her nomination probably shouldn’t have been a surprise—but it was. The trick now will be for the impish beauty to surprise the world with a win. Gyllenhaal plays Jean, a young journalist who falls in love with Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), a heavy drinking, scraping-rock-bottom former country singer who’s as endearing as he is, well, bad. Bridges received a Golden Globe award for his role and an best actor Oscar nomination, too, and some say that’s because his female co-star brought out the best in him.

Penélope Cruz (Nine)

Penélope Cruz proves in Nine that she’s truly a gifted actress with passion to burn. The provocative musical is about film director Guido Contini’s complicated existence. Cruz plays burlesque dancer Carla, Contini’s mistress. She’s certainly not the only woman in his life: Cruz’s character shares space with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his confidante, and his costume designer. But she’s definitely the best dancer. Only time will tell if Cruz’s—already a two-time Oscar nominee—sizzling moves and her deft handling of Carla’s inner life and external conflicts will garner her another golden statue.

 

By Marissa Stapley-Ponikowski