Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan are breaking up, at least when it comes to their Oscar campaign. “She Said,” which premiered at the New York Film Festival and then a day later at the Middleburg Film Festival in Virginia, will be campaigned by Universal Pictures in the highly competitive category of best actress for Kazan while Mulligan will seek attention in the wide-open supporting actress race.
Directed by Maria Schrader, “She Said” tells the story of New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Kazan), who helped start the #MeToo movement by exposing the silence surrounding sexual assault in Hollywood. , and in particular Harvey Weinstein .
With 30 reviews counted so far, the film currently sits at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics highlighting the performances of its cast, particularly Mulligan and Samantha Morton, who plays Zelda Perkins, Weinstein’s former personal assistant in the 1960s. 1990. Considered a single scene, Morton’s performance appears to be another wonder of a scene from the two-time Oscar-nominated actress from “Sweet and Lowdown” (1999) and “In America” (2003). His other performance this year is as Brendan Fraser’s 600-pound ex-wife Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.”
Competing alongside co-star Mulligan, also twice nominated for “An Education” (2009) and “Promising Young Woman” (2020), could present a hurdle for both performers. About 33% of the time, the Best Supporting Actress category produced two nominees from the same film. However, this year, a great abundance of films seek to capitalize on this common event, including “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu), “The Woman King” (Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu) and ” Women Talking” (Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey and Rooney Mara, pending official placement in the category).
It’s also worth noting that next year Mulligan has a highly anticipated turn in Bradley Cooper’s second directing effort, “Maestro,” and the industry could be waiting for that to go all-in for the star.
The cast of “She Said” includes, from left, Andre Braugher, Patricia Clarkson, Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan.
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
For Kazan, she arrives at the feet of a fierce lead actress race that includes Cate Blanchett (“Tár”), Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) and Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”). With an impressive resume of roles that includes notable turns in “Ruby Sparks” (2012), which she wrote, and later co-wrote her real beau Paul Dano’s first film “Wildlife,” the granddaughter of directorial legend Elia Kazan (“On the Waterfront” and “A Streetcar Named Desire”) has yet to really dip his toe into an awards conversation. We will wait to see if she can gain any traction this season.
Lily: the latest predictions, visit Variety Oscar Center.
The film will also be submitted for all eligible categories, including supporting actor (Andre Braugher), supporting actress (Patricia Clarkson and Jennifer Ehle), adapted screenplay (Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on the book by Kantor and Twohey), cinematography ( Natasha Braier), editing (Hansjörg Weißbrich) and original music (Nicholas Britell).
“She Said” opens in theaters November 18.