MovieChat Forums > Fences (2016) Discussion > The was not a supporting actress role

The was not a supporting actress role

posted 8 years ago by loopdloop11
6 replies | jump to latest

Viola Davis is campaigning for Best Supporting Actress... how?
She's in nearly every scene. And she's incredible. In fact, she might be in more of the movie than Denzel considering the big block of scenes at the end of the movie with no Denzel at all.
And it's not like this is a movie with special effects or a lot of set locations. All the movie is is acting. They're only scetting is really a backyard. The thing that makes this movie special is that it's all acting. This isn't Avatar or Star Wars with intense battle scenes and crazy animation. This is a movie with just five actors in one backyard.

But hey, if she gets in Supporting than she'll win and that's fine by me. I just don't understand how someone walks away from this movie thinking.. she was a great supporting role. Heck, she was the movie.

Maybe the academy will put her in Best Actress, anyhow. Like with Kate Winslet. Kate cleaned up in supporting at all the precursors for The Reader.. then won Best Actress for the same role come the Oscars. This could very well be the case for Viola.

Viola was the leading lady. She was the lead actress.

[–] ViVaBraZil 8 years ago

They do these kinds of things sometimes because it increases their chances to secure the prize. Alicia Vikander did it last year with Danish Girl, she was basically in every scene, but her chances of winning were stronger as a supporting actress, and it worked.

[–] mussobrennon 8 years ago

Honestly you'd think she'd win in Lead actress too, who does she have to beat Natalie Portman and Emma Stone? I guess she has a better chance in Supporting still, but ultimately it's up to the Academy to decide so it might not matter if she's campaigning for supporting or not, if she's lead, they could nominate her as lead anyways.

[–] RoIn100 8 years ago

She'll campaign in whatever category the studio decides to promote her in and they usually go with whichever one they think is the most winnable.

Acting branch Academy members, however, can choose for themselves which category to nominate in, and if enough of them see past the politics of it all and recognize Viola Davis as a lead then she has a got shot of being nominated in the lead category. The downside to that is that if enough vote to nominate her in lead and enough in supporting there is the risk that her nominating votes are spread too thinly and she misses a nod in either category.

In any case it is a shame. She should have won lead for "The Help" AND supporting for "Doubt." She's overdue. Don't screw it up, (yet again) Academy!

[–] SWLinPHX (246) 8 years ago

Yes, I had never heard of her and was watching "Doubt" when it came out and thought, "My God, who IS that actress?? Awesome scene!".

[–] stevenmorrisseyx 8 years ago

Hello OP it is Hollywood politics and I HOPE the Academy nominates Viola in a the LEAD ROLE. It is a form of Oscar fraud she is CLEARLY the FEMALE LEAD. It is wrong for Viola to campaign for best supporting actress BECAUSE she would take a spot from someone else who deserves it! The Academy has the final say she SHOULD be nominated for BEST ACTRESS.

[–] DanMetsFan 8 years ago

I'm kind of pissed that they're pushing her for the supporting category. The Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role should be Michelle Williams's award to lose. It doesn't make any sense to have someone who is clearly a lead face off against someone who was in her film for about 10 minutes or so.