- Title: USA: RUSSELL CROWE AND DENZIL WASHINGTON ARE NOMINATED FOR OSCAR FOR BEST ACTOR
- Date: 11th March 2002
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 11, 2002) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH ) DADE HAYES, SENIOR EDITOR FOR TRADE PUBLICATION VARIETY SAYING " "A lot of people feel like Denzel Washington is due; he's had so many brushes with victory on Oscar night and this is his time to shine. The film 'Training Day' is certainly a vehicle for his skills, so it kind of sets
- Embargoed: 26th March 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA5LL5GMGELICE36WJ62T2SC1OE
- Story Text: The race for the Oscar in the Best Actor category is quickly turning into a two man competition. Most analysts and veteran Oscar-watchers agree the golden statue will go to either "A Beautiful Mind" star Russell Crowe or "Training Day"
star Denzel Washington.
He may be moody, rude, prone to outbursts of temper and a drink too many -- after the cameras have stopped rolling.
But there is no question that Russell Crowe sure can act, not just act up.
Crowe, the Australian-raised actor barely known to world audiences four years ago, could be on the brink of joining Hollywood's most beloved next Sunday by winning two best actor Oscars in a row -- an honour bestowed only on Tom "Mr. Nice Guy" Hanks, and curmudgeonly 1940s and 50s leading man Spencer Tracy.
Three stellar performances in three years -- from the whistle-blowing tobacco executive in "The Insider" to the noble Roman soldier in "Gladiator" and now his riveting performance as schizophrenic math genius John Nash in "A Beautiful Mind" -- have brought Crowe his third consecutive Oscar nomination.
Some industry experts are wondering if Crowe, 37, may have blown his chance to join that elite club because of an angry confrontation last month, seen by only a handful of people but reported round the world, with a BBC producer who cut a poem from Crowe's acceptance speech at a British Academy of Film and Television Awards broadcast. The ugly outburst seemed to confirm long-standing industry gossip about Crowe as a man with a reputation for loutish behaviour and was reported just as ballots landed in the mail boxes of Academy voters.
Crowe both apologized to the producer and testily dismissed the incident.
However, the incident didn't affect his chances with the Screen Actor's Guild last week, where Crowe carried off a best actor award to add to those he has already garnered from the British Academy and the Golden Globes.
Daily Variety Senior Editor Dade Hayes says that Academy voters could also feel that Denzel Washington is due for a victory after having had so many brushes with the Best Actor award over the years. He also notes, however, that it would be unusual for the award to an actor playing a bad guy character, like Washington's in "Training Day."
Washington has displayed his versatility over the years in roles ranging from black activist Malcolm X in the 1992 movie of the same name, to a homophobic lawyer in the AIDS courtroom drama "Philadelphia." He is nominated this year for his role as a cop gone bad in the violent "Training Day."
The role is a change of direction for Washington, an actor better known for playing strong but sympathetic characters that seem to reflect his own persona as a modest family man, father of four, and discreet worker on behalf of charities such as the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.
Many felt he was robbed of an Oscar in 2000 for his powerful portrayal of boxer Rubin Carter in "The Hurricane", and with the Academy apparently eager this year to redress its past neglect of black movie talent, Washington would be a worthy candidate to succeed Sidney Poitier, the only other African-American to be awarded a best actor Oscar -- and that was in 1963.
Other nominees in the Best Actor category include Sean Penn in "I Am Sam," Will Smith in "Ali" and Tom Wilkinson in "In the Bedroom." All three are currently seen as long shots for the top honour.
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