2023 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress in 2022!

The New York Times dropped a bombshell in their profile of Emma Thompson, two-time Oscar winner, when they revealed that Searchlight Pictures, who released Thompson’s Good Luck to You, Leo Grande directly to Hulu on June 17 after its Sundance 2022 debut, had appealed to the Academy to have the film considered for the Oscars (and not the Emmys, as was expected). Before being made available on VOD or a streaming platform, a picture must typically have a minimum seven-day theatrical run in a large metropolitan city (not just LA and NY anymore). When it came to Oscar eligibility in the two years prior, the lines were muddied as the Academy made concessions while theatres were closed for the better part of 18 months due to the COVID outbreak.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is now up for consideration for film awards at the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, SAGs, PGAs, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes, and more on the grounds that it was originally meant for a theatrical release in the United States (it did receive one abroad) but was hampered by the ongoing COVID pandemic. Thompson’s performance, in which she plays a woman who hires a sex worker (played by Daryl McCormack) in a comedic and poignant narrative about female sexuality that takes place almost completely in a single hotel room, has been hailed as “career best” by critics and audiences alike.

If this is the case, where does that leave Thompson in the Best Actress competition, given that she hasn’t been nominated in this category in almost 25 years after winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility? Thompson is one of the few significant characters whose film and performance have been seen and are receiving plaudits as we approach the autumn festivals when we will see some of this year’s contenders for the first time.

It’s what’s maintained Michelle Yeoh (Everything, Everything, All At Once) at or near the top since March and what provides Thompson a boost in the final stretch. Competition for her spot is fierce, with big names like Olivia Colman, Cate Blanchett, Margot Robbie, Naomie Ackie, Ana de Armas, and Danielle Deadwyler all on the horizon.