USA: Despite a particularly high caliber of Oscar nominees this year, "The Queen's" Helen Mirren is considered the front-runner for film's most coveted prize

Record ID: 477402

  • Title: USA: Despite a particularly high caliber of Oscar nominees this year, "The Queen's" Helen Mirren is considered the front-runner for film's most coveted prize
  • Date: 22nd February 2007
  • Summary: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) ACTRESS JUDI DENCH TALKING TO REPORTER AT RED CARPET EVENT
  • Embargoed: 9th March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA3IEVEP2IN27LX0UZDHAXAAONJ
  • Story Text: Meryl Streep and Judi Dench got nasty. Kate Winslet stripped and Penelope Cruz padded her rear. But it is Helen Mirren and her prim silver curls who looks likely to reign on Oscar night.
    "Helen Mirren has won everything that she's been up for," says Scott Mantz, film critic for "Access Hollywood, "I mean she has to get a whole new house just for her awards. I mean, it's really unbelievable, but she deserves it. I mean, you watch her performance, and you're halfway through the film, the first time you're watching it, you're halfway through the film thinking, 'she's going to win the Oscar.' And she's won every award so far, I would bet the house on it."
    Mirren's performance as Britain's Queen Elizabeth in "The Queen" has brought the British actress her widest acclaim in 40 years on stage, screen and television and she is considered a front runner to add Oscar gold to her clutch of more than 15 trophies.
    Mirren is competing for best actress against 14-time Oscar nominee Streep, who won a Golden Globe as a demanding fashion editor in "The Devil Wears Prada," Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz, who plays the mother of an abused girl in "Volver," and two fellow Britons -- Kate Winslet of the adultery drama "Little Children" and Judi Dench of the psychological thriller "Notes on a Scandal."
    "I would say Kate Winslet, I mean she's 31 years old, she's got five nominations, so that makes her the youngest actor to have that many nominations at this point in her career, the problem is, not to many really saw 'Little Children,' and the people who did see it might have been turned off by its depiction of suburbia, you know, it's really about a pedophile, it's a disturbing movie, but she's very reliable when it comes to giving great performances," says Mantz.
    Dame Judi Dench has already won the Oscar for her supporting role in 1998's "Shakespeare in Love," and has already stated that she believes she will not win this year. She will not be attending the Academy Awards Ceremony on February 25 due to a scheduled knee operation.
    "If I was not going to go with 'The Queen' and Helen Mirren, Judi Dench all the way," says Mantz, "I mean, 'Notes on a Scandal,' it's like 'Fatal Attraction' meets 'Bridget Jones' Diary,' and she is so deliciously evil in this film, and she just goes for it, the way she narrates and the way she manipulates Cate Blanchett, it's just a delectable performance."
    Veteran actress Meryl Streep has already won two Academy Awards, first for her supporting role in 1979's "Kramer vs. Kramer" and her second for leading actress in 1982's "Sophie's Choice." Her role as fashion editor Miranda Priestly has already garnered her a Golden Globe this year, but in the supporting actress category not lead actress, as was the case in the Academy Awards nominations.
    "Meryl Streep -- here's the thing about 'Devil Wears Prada' -- great performance, OK movie, you know, honestly maybe I'm a guy, but I thought that her performance was the best thing about it. I thought it was very interesting because her portrayal of the fashion editor, she never raised her voice once, her signature line 'that's all,' she really just did a great job with making that role her own, but the movie itself wasn't that great," says Mantz.
    Penelope Cruz became the first best actress nominee for a Spanish language role with "Volver," her fourth film with director Pedro Almodovar. No longer considered just a pretty face, Cruz proved her acting chops in "Volver," though this may not help her on Oscar night, considering her competition.
    "Penelope Cruz, you know, she was back in her element with Pedro in 'Volver,' and it was a great performance in a movie that was probably not one of his best, so I think, in terms of being nominated, it's a great first nominated performance, and that's where it's going to end for her, this time," says Mantz.
    The Academy awards will be handed out in Hollywood on February 25.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register