Continuing with our rankings of the acting categories throughout the 2020s, we turn our attention to Best Actress in a Leading Role. Historically, the category is quite competitive, leaving pundits and fans guessing until awards night. The 2020s (so far) provide a mixture of actresses receiving their long-awaited due and powerhouses going for a victory lap with a repeat win.
Here are my rankings for the Best Actress winners of the 2020s so far:
5. Renée Zellweger in Judy (2019)
From the moment Judy premiered at Telluride, critics hailed Renée Zellweger as the frontrunner to win the Oscar. After 2010, Zellweger did not appear on screen until 2016’s Bridget Jones’ Baby. She soon lined up several independent films and began mounting a comeback, and her transformative performance as Judy Garland launched her back into the mainstream.
Zellweger was nominated for an Oscar three years in a row—twice in Lead Actress for Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and Chicago (2002) and once in Supporting Actress for her work in Cold Mountain (2003). Despite winning for her work in the latter, Zellweger’s win for Judy felt like an overdue recognition that celebrated a culmination of terrific lead performances.
While her performance is solid, it does fall into the typical biopic realm that the Academy loves to favor. Zellweger approaches Garland with endless compassion and warmth, never exploiting her plight. However, there are moments when it teeters into an impersonation rather than a character while the movie around her feels like a Wikipedia article.
4. Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
Similar to Zellweger, Jessica Chastain took home the coveted statue for a generic biopic for a performance hailed as a transformation that sometimes teeters into impersonation territory. The biggest difference is that Chastain takes Tammy Faye to more places than Zellweger’s Garland. Generic format aside, The Eyes of Tammy Faye sees Chastain running the emotional gamut all while making this larger-than-life woman feel dimensional. Her wide-eyed optimism is endearing, and her heartache amid her crumbling marriage is devastating. By the end of the film, you find yourself rooting for her.
3. Frances McDormand in Nomadland (2020)
This was a Best Actress race where anything felt possible. Andra Day and Rosamund Pike took home the Golden Globe, Viola Davis took home the SAG, Carey Mulligan took the Critics Choice, and Frances McDormand took BAFTA. McDormand emerged victorious, though, and took home her third Best Actress trophy.
While many have since cooled on Nomadland since its triumphant year at the Oscars, McDormand’s work remains a subdued performance that packs an emotional punch. Her work as Fern showcases an actress at the top of her game, operating with confidence and precision. In a world where awards bodies tend to recognize the most acting, McDormand’s restrained performance feels refreshing.
2. Emma Stone in Poor Things (2023)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Emma Stone delivering a completely go-for-broke performance as Bella Baxter in 2023’s Poor Things. Somehow, Poor Things shows Stone as her most uninhibited and unapologetic. While watching, I felt like I was watching her ascend to a whole new level in her artistry. She’s always been a dynamic and interesting performer, but Bella allowed Stone to cement herself as one of the best in her generation. While a victory for Lily Gladstone’s quiet storm of a performance in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) would have certainly been monumental and well-deserved, Stone certainly earned her second victory in the category.
1. Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Michelle Yeoh has over fifty film credits to her name and has steadily worked since 1984. Yet, despite her storied career, she somehow feels underrated and overlooked as a performer. Enter Evelyn Wang.
Everything Everywhere All At Once hands Yeoh quite an undertaking, yet she effortlessly rises to the occasion with a performance that allows her to show off every tool in her acting arsenal. She’s performing intricate stuntwork, hitting every comedic beat, and driving the heartbeat of the film with quiet, emotional scenes. Evelyn is one of those roles that feels like a marathon, and Yeoh soars across the finish line.
The win proved to be a landmark victory, as Yeoh was the first Asian performer and only second woman of color to win Best Actress. Yeoh’s win for this role and this movie specifically serves as a beacon of possibility in the Academy as to who can win and what kind of stories can be recognized. There have been naysayers declaring Yeoh as undeserving and that she only won for her narrative. That feels reductive and microaggressive. Yeoh’s win is monumental and deserved, pushing the boundaries of who can be recognized and what types of performances we recognize. There truly hasn’t been a winning performance quite like hers.
List Courtesy of Adam Patla
Image Courtesy of A24 Via Entertainment Weekly