Andrea Riseborough Explains ‘To Leslie’ Oscar Campaign

In six degrees of separation between gwyneth paltrow and Andrea Riseborough, the dotted line is not very clear. Well, what the hell is going on with the Best Actress Oscar campaign for Indie Riseborough?to LeslieAnd why are celebrities from Paltrow to Kate Winslet, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Courteney Cox, Demi Moore, Mia Farrow, Joe Mantegna, Mira Sorvino, Charlize Theron, Sarah Paulson, Edward Norton, Jennifer Aniston and Jane Fonda all of a sudden supporting it?

During a final Q&A with Riseborough moderated by Winslet herself, the fellow actress called Riseborough’s role in the Michael Morris-directed film “one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen”. (Nobody can be left behind, Amy Adams is on deck to supervise her Q&A later today.)

Paltrow described the film as a “masterpiece” and said she was “stunned” by Riseborough, who said she deserved to “win every prize that exists and all that have yet to be invented.” Accepting an onstage Critics Choice Award for TÁR on Sunday, Blanchett’s performance of Riseborough as an alcoholic single mother in West Texas seeking redemption after wasting her lottery win was one of the best overlooked pieces of the year.

Memes popping up over the weekend – Baby Annette Stans Riseborough for Best Actress! Barack Obama Check out our list of his best movies of the year to include “To Leslie”! – which looks like a plot. Remember when Melissa Leo went rogue in 2011 with FYC’s “The Fighter” ad campaign, filling the pages of print trade publications with a glamorous shot that called on voters to “think…”? Or when Sally Kirkland managed a Best Actress nomination for “Anna” in 1987? Or when Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor for Bridge of Spies in 2016 despite not campaigning at all? None of these were completely out of left field—all were in the conversation in some form, even if they were fifth or tenth—but “To Leslie” is an unusual precedent.

On the other hand, is Hollywood really so cynical and cynical that critics can’t believe that the goodwill of a truly remarkable performance by an actress of otherworldliness is worth their weight behind it? And To Leslie, on the other hand, made just $27,000 in a small October release from Momentum Pictures, so how could this happen otherwise?

IndieWire spoke with insiders close to the campaign, and there’s less intrigue to untangle here than you might think. Riseborough is represented by the moneyed and powerful CAA, so it’s hard to take it easy that Hollywood would suddenly defend a relatively obscure (in star-studded Hollywood terminology) actress without Some sweeten the deal. Maurice THR saidWe can’t afford advertising.

As insiders explained to IndieWire, word of mouth really started to show at the SXSW premiere of “To Leslie” in October, when Charlize Theron and Ed Norton joined in to help out with the screenings after a few well-placed calls from film director Michael Morris, who directed episodes of Better Call Saul. “,” 13 Reasons Why “,” Shameless. “Bloodline”, and more. (“To Leslie” is his first appearance.)

As filmmakers and talent began responding to the film, Riseborough and her team got serious about a breaking campaign late in December, spurred on by her Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress. then, it was Paltrow’s Instagram post, who has 8.2 million followers, that got all her celebrity friends interested. Because, as an insider pointed out, if there’s one thing this movie doesn’t have, it’s money.

However, while it may be too late for Riseborough to fire one of the actresses currently in the Best Actress Oscar bubble, if anything this campaign has shed light on what more people should have known all along: Riseborough is a gorgeous, daring actress. Who could wear any hat from the musical “Matilda” to “Body Snatch” in Brandon Cronenberg’s “Possessor”. She also delivers the best performance of any episode of “Black Mirror,” the ruthless 2017 Scandi-noir-inspired episode “Crocodile.”

Voting ends today, so it’s sparse too small Too late. Even if Riseborough doesn’t get the nomination — and she’s at least in a better position to win the Film Independent Spirit Award in March — more people know who she is, putting her closer to being nominated next time around.

And if she’s nominated, well, maybe good things will happen in Hollywood.

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