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The year is 1938 and the nominees are:

1. Luise Rainer - The Good Earth 

2. Irene Donne - The Awful Truth 

3. Greta Garbo - Camille

4. Janet Gaynor - A Star is Born

5. Barbara Stanwyck - Stella Dallas 

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In 1938 Luise Rainer became the first performer to win back-to-back Oscars as well as the first performer to have two Academy Awards. Her first Oscar was won the year prior for The Great Ziegfeld. If you weren’t aware, this is perhaps one of the most controversial Oscar wins because Luise Rainer, a German born woman, is portraying a Chinese woman in yellow face in The Good Earth. A big part of her win for this Oscar was the major financial support from the MGM studio she was represented by. The other nominees gave career standouts in their respective films but were freelance actors and couldn’t campaign to the same lengths as a major studio. Luise Rainer was only in Hollywood for a total of 3 years before eventually leaving as a result of the lack of interest in “the glam” of movie stardom. Regardless, she set an Oscar record that has only been repeated (in leading roles) by Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Tom Hanks. 

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Chris as they discuss. 

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The year is 2023 and the nominees are:

1. Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once

2. Cate Blanchett - Tár

3. Ana de Armas - Blonde 

4. Andrea Riseborough 

5. Michelle Williams - The Fabelmans 

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In 2023 Michelle Yeoh became the second woman of colour in the 95 year history of the Oscars to win Best Actress in a Leading Role for the critical smash hit, Everything Everywhere All at Once. This was one of the most exciting Best Actress Oscar races in recent memory. In my opinion it really came down to Yeoh, Blanchett, and Riseborough (the dark horse nominee of the century). I think a lot of people were expecting Riseborough to be the upset since her nomination shocked everyone, including the Academy, and called for a recount and investigation, which turned out to be above board. Blanchett as Tár is arguably one of Blanchett’s greatest performances on screen. Yeoh was utilizing all her skills in this powerhouse performance in EEAAO. It was a real nail biter! I think the correct winner was Yeoh however when it comes down to personal taste, I have my opinions. I’m sorry to say I don’t think Williams or de Armas had a real shot at this trophy. Not this year. Who do you think should have won?

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Cathryn Naiker as they discuss. 

[ For full episode catalogue please subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/BestActress ] The year is 1985 and the nominees are:

1. Sissy Spacek - The River 

2. Vanessa Redgrave - The Bostonians 

3. Jessica Lange - Country

4. Judy Davis - A Passage to India 

5. Sally Field - Places in the Heart

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In 1985 Sally Field won her second Oscar playing a widow struggling to save her farm in Places in the Heart. This was an odd year in that there were 2 other similarly nominated roles for both Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek. Each of films portrayed a woman trying to keep her family and farm from being foreclosed by the bank. Honestly these films began to blur together while viewing. Oh this is also the famous year when Field said the famously misquoted quote, “I can’t deny the fact that you like me! Right now! You like me!” Judy Davis became a first time nominee for the David Lean epic in A Passage to India. This was Lean’s return to screen after a 14 year hiatus following the negative reviews from critics for the film Ryan’s Daughter. Finally, Vanessa Redgrave plays a suffragette in the extremely queer coded The Bostonians. Who do you think should have won?

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Dylan Mahaney as they discuss. 

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The year is 1959 and the nominees are:

1. Susan Hayward - I Want to Live!

2. Deborah Kerr - Separate Tables

3. Shirley MacLaine - Some Came Running

4. Rosalind Russell - Auntie Mama

5. Elizabeth Taylor - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

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In 1959 Susan Hayward won the Oscar for her portrayal of alleged murder accomplice Barbara Graham and her eventual execution in a gas chamber. Hayward was known for delivering top shelf performances dealing with dark subject matter and she does not disappoint in, I Want to Live! Baby Shirley MacLaine received her first Oscar nomination for Some Came Running playing an uneducated naive girl from Chicago who falls in love with Frank Sinatra. Deborah Kerr gave a brief but memorable performance in Separate Tables, one of two films this year that had to be adjusted for the Hollywood Production code as to avoid discussing topics of homosexuality (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof being the second). Rosalind Russell delivers an amazing performance as the eccentric aunt (perhaps a precursor to Travels with my Aunt with Maggie Smith) known for her quirky lifestyle and outgoing personality. Finally, Elizabeth Taylor plays Paul Newman’s wife desperately trying to get him to love her again (even physically (same girl)) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Who do you think should have won?

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Joe Arsenal as they discuss. 

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The year is 1945 and the nominees are:

1. Ingrid Bergman - Gaslight 

2. Claudette Colbert - Since You Went Away

3. Bette Davis - Mr. Skeffington

4. Greer Garson - Mrs. Parkington

5. Barbara Stanwyck - Double Indemnity 

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In 1945 Ingrid Bergman won her first of three Oscars for a role that we currently use as a psychological term in Gaslight. Bergman plays a woman who becomes suspicious of goings-on in her home but is manipulated by her husband into doubting herself which leads her to question her own perceptions and behaviours; which we colourfully refer to these days as ‘gaslighting.’ I think her biggest competition this year came down to Claudette Colbert or Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck never won a competitive Oscar but Colbert had. Perhaps Stanwyck was the bigger competition. Each film was very enjoyable minus Mrs. Parkington. Of all the Garson performances this is not one of my fav’s. Who do you think should have won?

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Josh Murray as they discuss. 

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The year is 1954 and the nominees are:

1. Audrey Hepburn - Roman Holiday 

2. Leslie Caron - Lili

3. Ava Gardner - Mogambo

4. Deborah Kerr - From Here to Eternity 

5. Maggie McNamara - The Moon is Blue

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In 1954 Audrey Hepburn won the Oscar for Best Actress playing a princess going from ‘riches to rags for a day’ in the classic film, Roman Holiday. I’ve always wondered why she won the Oscar for this film and not for something like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or The Nun’s Story. Now having seen the other nominated performances, I get it. I wouldn’t say this was a weak year necessarily but I would say there were some odd choices of nominees. Deborah Kerr was incredible in From Here to Eternity but I don’t think we saw enough of her to warrant a win. Leslie Caron gets so many brownie points for having to sell those scene with those creepy ass puppets in Lili. Ava Gardner in Mogambo is the most confusing nominee in this category, as we discuss at length this episode. Who do you think should have won?

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Cathryn Naiker as they discuss. 

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The year is 2015 and the nominees are:

1. Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night

2. Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything 

3. Julianne Moore - Still Alice

4. Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl

5. Reese Witherspoon - Wild

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In 2015 Julianne Moore finally won her Oscar after her fifth nomination for arguably one of the most heartbreaking performances put to screen as a woman suffering from early on set Alzheimer’s disease. An incredibly powerful performance that won her the Golden Globe, SAG, Critics Choice, BAFTA, and Oscar - the “quintuple crown.” This year was nothing short of amazing performances from each nominee. Felicity Jones absolutely slays as Steven Hawkins life partner and caretaker in another heartbreaking performance in The Theory of Everything. Marion Cotillard received her second Oscar nomination playing a woman struggling with depression fighting for her job. Rosamund Pike delivers a ‘she’s fabulous but she’s evil’ performance in Gone Girl. Finally Reese Witherspoon gives one of her grossest (in the best possible way) performances of her career in Wild. Who do you think should have won?

Join host Kyle Brownrigg with guest host Robert Watson as they discuss.