‘Lincoln’ star takes home award for Best Actor on Sunday.
By Drew Taylor
Daniel Day-Lewis at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images
Tag Archives: Best Actor
Oscars 2013 Predictions: Best Actor
You Decide The Academy Awards: Best Actor And Actress
We are officially in day two of MTV Movies Blog’s reader-voted version of the Academy Awards. The polls for the Best Supporting categories are now closed, with the winners being revealed this Saturday (Feb. 23).
Today we turn our attention to the main acting categories, Best Actor and Best Actress, and the decisions get that much harder. With no clear cut favorite, the reader choices will be all the more interesting.
Vote in the polls after the jump!
Polls close tomorrow (2/21) at 3 p.m. ET, so vote now!
Don’t forget to tune in for our Oscars red carpet live stream Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on MTV.com.
Stick with us for everything about the 2013 Oscars including nominees, predictions and full fashion coverage!
Jennifer Lawrence At The Golden Globes: ‘I Beat Meryl’
Jennifer Lawrence beat Meryl Streep, and Hugh Jackman beat the flu. Jessica Chastain honored her dreams, and Daniel Day-Lewis (alias E.T.) honored the queen. Those are the headlines of the Best Actor and Actress winners at the 2013 Golden Globes, but our words can only do so much justice — let’s let the winners speak for themselves in their very own hilarious and heartfelt words.
Here are the highlights from the Best Actor and Actress winners’ acceptance speeches.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy — Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings Playbook”)
Reading The Award’s Fine Print: “What does this say? ‘I Beat Meryl!’”
Obligatory Harvey Weinstein Shout-Out: “Harvey, thank you for killing whoever you had to kill to get me up here today.”
Obvious Statement Alert: “To the entire cast of this movie: you guys are the heartbeat of this film. It wouldn’t be the same without you guys … because then there wouldn’t be a cast.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy — Hugh Jackman (“Les Miserables”)
Sickest Confession: “Sorry, I’m on the tail end of this flu. I was kicking myself for not getting this flu shot but it appears that I don’t need one. I feel great!”
Generosity In A Nut-Shell: “I just have to say, to the guy or girl who stole the wheels off my bike while I was auditioning for ‘Les Miserables,’ we’re all good. We’re good. Keep ‘em. In fact, I’m going to put the frame in the exact same spot. Take it on Monday morning.”
Loveliest Love Letter, Part One: “Three weeks before we started filming, we had a terrible day of rehearsal. A humiliating day. I came home to [my wife] and said, ‘It’s time. I have to call [director Tom Hooper] and withdraw.’ I really thought I had bitten off more than I could chew. My wife talked me off of that cliff, like she talks me off on most days. Baby, I’m going to say it now in front of the entire world: thank you for always being right.”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama — Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”)
Dreams Come True: “I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was a little girl. I worked for a really long time. I’ve auditioned, struggled, fought and been on the side lines for years — and to be here now, in this moment? It’s a beautiful feeling to receive this encouragement and support.”
Why Kathryn Bigelow Rules: “I can’t help but compare my character of Maya to you: two powerful, fearless women who allow their expert work to stand before them. You have said that filmmaking for you is not about breaking gender roles, but when you make a film that allows your character to disobey the conventions of Hollywood, then you’ve done more for women in cinema than you take credit for.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama — Daniel Day-Lewis (“Lincoln”)
Best Bill Clinton Shout-Out: “Are you sure there’s room for another ex-President on this stage?”
Best Bill Clinton Shout-Out Follow-Up: “If you thought that was showing off, Her Majesty, the Queen of England, is going to parachute down in a couple of minutes to make a last-minute pitch for ‘Skyfall.’”
Loveliest Love Letter, Part Two: “When I go to work, [my wife] opens a window for me and I jump out into the night to hunt and scavenge. At the end of it, I come back with whatever it is, and drop it like a mouse at her feet; I hope so much she’ll think I’ve done a good thing.”
From the red carpet to backstage to the after-parties, stick with MTV for complete Golden Globe coverage. We’ve got you covered with red carpet photos, complete winners list, highlight clips and much more.
Golden Globes 2013 Predictions: Best Actor
In previous years at the Golden Globes, the competition has been particularly heated and hard to predict… but not this year.
It’s true that there were many great performances by actors in dramas, musicals and comedies this year, but because of particularly two stand-out efforts in the drama and musical category, there is not a lot of speculating or disagreement over who will win the Golden Globes in the actor categories.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
So much talent and emotion delivered here, whether Denzel Washington’s boozy antihero in “Flight” to John Hawkes’ sweet and touching turn in “The Sessions,” Joaquin Phoenix’s total unhinged tour de force in “The Master” and Richard Gere’s bold, baddie banker in “Arbitrage.” A job well done by all, but this award will go to the man who became our 16th President.
Who should and will win: Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln.” Why? Because people were predicting his multiple award nominations the day his casting was announced, and later, when people finally got to see him in action, his performance has dominated most conversations about the film.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical of Comedy
Once again, this is a category bursting with stellar performances but also one that includes and celebrates a bit more variety in that it recognizes the work of actors in comedies, which rarely receive stand-alone attention, as well as musicals. Out of the five nominees, Jack Black for “Bernie,” Bradley Cooper for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Hugh Jackman for “Les Miserables,” Ewan McGregor for “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” and Bill Murray for “Hyde Park on Hudson,” there is one clear front-runner.
Who should win: Bradley Cooper and Jack Black in a tie-vote, because Cooper charmed us all with some serious acting chops in the critical darling, “Playbook” and Black stepped outside his standard raucous, loud comedy route to deliver a subdued and quirky performance in “Bernie.”
Who will win: Hugh Jackman. Cooper has a chance to upset here, but Jackman is the shoo-in.
Check out our prediction for Best Actress!
Can “Zero Dark Thirty” track down victory? Will “Les Miserables” hear the voters sing? Check in with MTV News on Sunday night for the 2013 Golden Globes winners, and don’t miss all the fashion from the Golden Globes red carpet!
Critics’ Choice Movie Awards 2012: The Complete Winners List
After a high-stress day in Hollywood, stars were more than ready to party Thursday (January 9) at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
The ceremony, featuring honors from the Broadcast Film Critics’ Association, took place just hours after the exciting and highly anticipated announcement of this year’s Oscar nominations, but 2012′s finest actors and filmmakers were relaxed, refreshed and even a bit cheeky by the time they gathered at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, to celebrate each other’s achievements.
The evening’s biggest wins ranged from predictable to vindicating. Anne Hathaway, the front-runner on everyone’s list, won for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Fantine in “Les Misérables,” as expected, then got a laugh when she pointed out that her name was misspelled on the slip of paper announcing her win. And Jennifer Lawrence proved herself a serious heavy-hitter despite her short time in the spotlight: She took home awards for Best Actress in both the Action and Comedy categories for “The Hunger Games” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” respectively.
The most exciting honor, however, was for Ben Affleck and “Argo.” After a shocking snub by the Academy, which left him off the list for Best Director, he took the stage to accept the same award from the BFCA and joked, “I’d like to thank the Academy!” before laughing and declaring, “This is the one that counts.” And an extra feather in Affleck’s cap: “Argo” took home Best Picture too.
The full list of CCMA winners:
Best Picture
“Argo”
“Beasts of the Southern Wild”
“Django Unchained”
“Les Misérables”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“The Master”
“Moonrise Kingdom”
“Silver Linings Playbook“
“Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
John Hawkes – “The Sessions”
Hugh Jackman – “Les Misérables”
Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”
Denzel Washington – “Flight”
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard – “Rust and Bone”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook“
Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”
Quvenzhane Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts – “The Impossible”
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin – “Argo”
Javier Bardem – “Skyfall”
Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
Matthew McConaughey – “Magic Mike”
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – “The Master”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Ann Dowd – “Compliance”
Sally Field – “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway – “Les Misérables”
Helen Hunt – “The Sessions”
Best Young Actor/Actress
Elle Fanning – “Ginger Rosa”
Kara Hayward – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Tom Holland – “The Impossible”
Logan Lerman – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Suraj Sharma – “Life of Pi”
Quvenzhane Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Best Acting Ensemble
“Argo”
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
“Les Misérables”
“Lincoln”
“Moonrise Kingdom”
“Silver Linings Playbook”
Best Director
Ben Affleck – “Argo”
Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Tom Hooper – “Les Misérables”
Ang Lee – “Life of Pi”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook“
Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”
Best Original Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino – “Django Unchained”
John Gatins – Flight
Rian Johnson – “Looper”
Paul Thomas Anderson – “The Master”
Wes Anderson Roman Coppola – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Mark Boal – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio – “Argo”
Tony Kushner – “Lincoln”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook“
David Magee – “Life of Pi”
Stephen Chbosky – The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Best Cinematography
“Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda
“Lincoln” – Janusz Kaminski
“Les Misérables” – Danny Cohen
“The Master” – Mihai Malaimare Jr.
“Skyfall” – Roger Deakins
Best Art Direction
“Anna Karenina” – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer, Katie Spencer/Set Decorator
“The Hobbit” – Dan Hennah/Production Designer, Ra Vincent Simon Bright/Set Decorators
“Les Misérables” – Eve Stewart/Production Designer, Anna Lynch-Robinson/Set Decorator
“Life of Pi” – David Gropman/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
“Lincoln” – Rick Carter/Production Designer, Jim Erickson/Set Decorator
Best Editing
“Argo” – William Goldenberg
“Les Misérables” – Melanie Ann Oliver, Chris Dickens
“Life of Pi” – Tim Squyres
“Lincoln” – Michael Kahn
“Zero Dark Thirty” – William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor
Best Costume Designing
“Anna Karenina” – Jacqueline Durran
“Cloud Atlas” – Kym Barrett, Pierre-Yves Gayraud
“The Hobbit” – Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor
“Les Misérables” – Paco Delgado
“Lincoln” – Joanna Johnston
Best Makeup
“Cloud Atlas”
“The Hobbit”
“Les Misérables”
“Lincoln”
Best Visual Effects
“The Avengers”
“Cloud Atlas”
“The Dark Knight Rises”
“The Hobbit”
“Life of Pi”
Best Animated Feature
“Brave”
“Frankenweenie”
“Madagascar 3″
“ParaNorman”
“Rise of the Guardians”
“Wreck-It Ralph”
Best Action Movie
“The Avengers”
“The Dark Knight Rises”
“Looper”
“Skyfall”
Best Actor in an Action Movie
Christian Bale – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Daniel Craig – “Skyfall”
Robert Downey Jr. – “The Avengers”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Looper”
Jake Gyllenhaal – “End of Watch”
Best Actress in an Action Movie
Emily Blunt – “Looper”
Gina Carano – “Haywire”
Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
Anne Hathaway – “The Dark Knight Rises”
Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games”
Best Comedy
“Bernie”
“Silver Linings Playbook”
“Ted”
“This Is 40″
“21 Jump Street”
Best Actor in a Comedy
Jack Black – “Bernie”
Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Paul Rudd – “This Is 40″
Channing Tatum – “21 Jump Street”
Mark Wahlberg – “Ted”
Best Actress in a Comedy
Mila Kunis – “Ted”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Shirley MacLaine – “Bernie”
Leslie Mann – “This Is 40″
Rebel Wilson – “Pitch Perfect”
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie
“Cabin in the Woods”
“Looper”
“Prometheus”
Best Foreign Language Film
“Amour”
“The Intouchables”
“A Royal Affair”
“Rust and Bone”
Best Documentary Feature
“Bully”
“The Imposter”
“Queen of Versailles”
“Searching for Sugar Man”
“The Central Park Five”
“West of Memphis”
Best Song
“For You” (performed by Keith Urban/written by Monty Powell Keith Urban) – “Actor of Valor”
“”Skyfall”" (performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins Paul Epworth) – “Skyfall”
“Still Alive” (performed by Paul Williams/written by Paul Williams) – “Paul Williams Still Alive”
“Suddenly” (performed by Hugh Jackman/ music by Claude Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil) – “Les Misérables”
“Learn Me Right” (performed by Birdy with Mumford Sons/written by Mumford Sons) – “Brave”
Best Score
“Argo” – Alexandre Desplat
“Life of Pi” – Mychael Danna
“Lincoln” – John Williams
“The Master” – Jonny Greenwood
“Moonrise Kingdom” – Alexandre Desplat
Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence Thrilled Over ‘Eclectic’ Oscar Mix
On most days, a phone call at 5 a.m. is an unpleasant, rude awakening but not on Oscar nomination day! Now that the 2013 Academy Award nominees have been announced and the lucky Oscar hopefuls have woken up with the good news, we’re happy to see and share their joyful reactions.
“I’m so honored and grateful for this nomination and to be in the company of such talented actresses,” Best Actress nominee Jennifer Lawrence said in a statement. ” This was a labor of love that we all poured our hearts into and could not be more thankful to The Weinstein Company and Harvey Weinstein for their unyielding support of the film.”
Oscar-winner Denzel Washington was happy to express his thanks for the recognition of his work in “Flight,” Washington said in a statement. “It’s always nice to be asked back to the show, and it will be fun to share the evening with our nominated screenwriter John Gatins.”
One-time host and now a Best Actor nominee Hugh Jackman admitted that he wasn’t even planning on listening to the announcements but fate intervened.
“I hadn’t planned to listen live to the announcements, but when I got into the car this morning to go to work, the driver had the nominations streaming as they were being broadcast,” he said in a statement. “To be honest, it’s very exciting but all a bit surreal, and it hasn’t fully sunk in yet. This is a brilliant awards year that has been defined by an eclectic list of stories that have been told by incredibly talented and courageous filmmakers, and it’s an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other nominees in the Best Actor category.
“I am very pleased that the Academy has chosen to honor the many individuals who were a part of ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ ” Best Supporting Actor nominee Robert De Niro stated.
The Academy’s youngest nominee to date, 9-year-old Best Actress nominee Quvenzhané Wallis from “Beasts of the Southern Wild” was so excited about her nomination, you could almost hear her jumping for joy through her reaction.
“Everyone who made ‘Beasts’ happen is so happy! Thank you to all you Oscar folks, from me, my mom and my dad,” Wallis said. I am so happy for Benh and Lucy and the gang in Louisiana. Meeting all these great new people is one of the best parts for me. I want to thank my family, friends, fans and everyone so much. Beast it!”
Wallis’ fellow Best Actress nominee Naomi Watts was equally enthusiastic with her response: “I am so thrilled and humbled with this morning’s wonderful news,” she said of her work in “The Impossible” being recognized. “The journey of telling Maria Belon‘s miraculous story of survival has been an incredible experience and I am so grateful for this acknowledgement of our film. I am truly honored.”
“Life of Pi” director Ang Lee was especially over the moon with his film receiving 11 nominations total, including Best Picture and Best Director. “I am deeply honored and frankly a little overwhelmed by all of the nominations that “Life of Pi” has received this morning.
Another director feeling grateful for the Academy’s recognition is Tim Burton, whose pet project “Frankenweenie” received a nod for Best Animated Feature.
“Frankenweenie is a very personal film for me. The idea of telling a feature-length version was in the back of my mind for many years,” Burton said in a statement. “Stop Motion was the perfect medium for this project, and one I’ve always loved for its expressiveness and dimensionality.
Stick with MTV News for everything about the 2013 Oscars including nominees, predictions and full fashion coverage! We’ll be bringing you non-stop coverage until the big night on February 24, when the 85th annual Academy Awards go live from Los Angeles.
Exclusive ‘Seven Psychopaths’ Clip: Colin Farrell Steals The Wrong Pooch
“Seven Psychopaths,” the latest film from Irish playwright-turned-director Martin McDonagh, teaches a valuable lesson to any of the would-be dognappers out there: If you’re going to go around stealing pets from people, make sure the Shih Tzu doesn’t belong to a crime boss.
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In this exclusive clip from “Seven Psychopaths,” which won the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell learn that lesson, only after making a bit of a mess.
Farrell leads the pack of titular psychopaths as a screenwriter, whose friends drag him into a dognapping ring that preys on the wrong pooch. Woody Harrelson plays Charles Costello, a gangster and spurned dog owner, desperate to get back his pet.
The scene sampled in the clip takes place soon after Farrell’s, Walken’s and Rockwell’s characters find themselves in possession of Bonny, Costello’s beloved Shih Tzu. Farrell arrives home covered in blood and vomit (his puke, not his blood) with Bonny in tow. The trio take a breath to figure out what’s going on and if the dog, whose collar reads “Return to Charles Costello or you will die,” belongs to the gangster.
This insanity only sets up the rest of the craziness, so expect things to get even darker and more out of control from there.
“Seven Psychopaths” marks the second feature film from the Academy Award-winning director. His first film, “In Bruges,” earned him an Oscar nomination and Farrell a Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.
“Seven Psychopaths” opens October 12 and also stars Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko and Tom Waits.
Check out everything we’ve got on “Seven Psychopaths.”
Telluride Fest Films To Know For Oscar Season
The Telluride Film Festival concluded in Colorado earlier this week, and as is the case most years, festival-goers have already pegged a few movies as early Oscar frontrunners.
If you’re the type of person that already has their eye on their local Oscar pool, we have a few suggestions for films you’ll need to know when award season roles around.
“At Any Price”
This racing drama could win favor with two different types of moviegoers. The director, Ramin Bahrani, has been a darling of the independent film scene for years with films like “Man Push Cart” and “Goodbye Solo” and a flawless record for minimalistic, human stories. “At Any Price” marks his most mainstream effort to date, as made clear by his two leading men Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid, who could help Bahrani find his biggest audience yet. “At Any Price” won over crowds at Telluride and could make a strong, but modest showing later this year.
“Argo”
Ben Affleck surprised everyone at Telluride, not only by deciding to premiere his next directorial effort in a previously unannounced festival screening, but also by the fact that “Argo” was easily one of the best reviewed films of the festival. The fact-based story of a previously confidential CIA mission to liberate U.S. citizens from hostile Iran played overwhelmingly well, many praising it as smart, suspenseful thriller. “Argo” opens on October 12.
“Frances Ha”
Noah Baumbach is back with a stripped-down approach to the kind of drama he’s known for making. Once again teaming with real-life love interest Greta Gerwig, Baumbach tells a simple tale, using black-and-white video, and the critics have declared the writer-director never better.
“Hyde Park on Hudson”
Though the film and its star received mostly mixed reviews, casting Bill Murray in the role of FDR is sure to grab some attention and potentially Oscar votes. Look at the facts: stunt casting, plus historical figure, plus physical handicap. Need we say more?
“The Iceman”
In this true crime drama, Michael Shannon kills people… lots of people. Shannon has always stuck close to the Best Actor race, and the way people have been writing about his performance in “The Iceman,” he may be headed back to Oscar night for the nomination he deserved for “Take Shelter.”
What are you looking forward to seeing from Telluride? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!
‘Green Mile’ Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Dies At 54
By Kara Warner
Green Mile actor Michael Clarke Duncan died on Monday (September 3) at the age of 54 from complications after suffering a heart attack in July.
Duncan’s publicist, Joy Fehily, released a statement from Clarke’s fiancée, reality star Omarosa Manigault, confirming that the 54-year-old actor died in an L.A.-area hospital, according to the Wrap. The “Green Mile” actor’s death came after nearly two months of treatment in the wake of his cardiac arrest earlier this summer.
News of Duncan’s death broke on Labor Day afternoon, and “RIP Michael Clarke Duncan” and “Green Mile” instantly became Twitter trending topics as numerous fans expressed their sadness upon learning the news.
The Chicago-born actor is perhaps best-known for his portrayal of gentle giant/ mystic healer John Coffey in 1999′s “The Green Mile,” a critically praised performance for which he received an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. After his breakout role, Duncan parlayed his popularity into a string of memorable roles in films like “Sin City,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Armageddon, “The Whole Nine Yards” and “Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
When MTV News caught up with him a few years ago, the actor expressed interest in making “Sin City 2″ — if it ever got off the ground.
“I’d love to come back as Manute,” he said in 2009. Working with Robert Rodriquez was really cool. He’s the type of director that goes around playing his guitar all day, he doesn’t holler, he doesn’t fuss, he doesn’t fight. He’s a real mellow director.”
More recently, Duncan voiced the character of Kilowog in 2011′s “Green Lantern.”
