Best Actress this year was an incredibly tough category for the team. Many were confused as to when an actress went from supporting to lead. It is a question we wish weren’t so ambiguous. Sadly, there are still few movies that make waves with a female lead. Fortunately, we sorted out the differences between supporting and lead and came up with a very worthy list of actresses who were the cornerstones of their films. Let’s see how it shook out.
5. LILY JAMES, CINDERELLA
“Forgiving to a fault, kind-hearted, always with hope and always kind. If one isn’t careful, capturing a character with these qualities can easily come off as cliché’, cheesy and disingenuous. Such was the challenge for Lilly James when cast as the too-good-for-real-life Cinderella. It was however a challenge she was more than up to the task of meeting. James captured the innocent beauty we have all only known in animated form and, quite literally, made it come to life.” -Gene Gosewehr
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4. Daisy Ridley, Star Wars The Force Awakens
“Daisy Ridley displayed strength, charm, and vulnerability flawlessly in this, her first big role.” -The Film Avenger
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3. Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
“One of the great things about Brooklyn is that it’s immensely emotional without being overly saccharine, and Saoirse Ronan is largely responsible for this tone. She allows facial expressions and understated delivery to communicate complex characterization. ” -Blaine Grimes
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2. Brie Larson, Room
“Larson’s ‘Ma,’ is raw and visceral. She reaches deep to connect emotionally with a character that experiences the unimaginable and is authentic in both the sympathetic and unflattering moments of the character’s evolvement.” -Laura Fissel
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1. Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road
“More than any other actress this year, except maybe Daisy Ridley, Theron embodies the hopeful evolution of the female actor in an action and/or adventure movie. She stole Mad Max from Tom Hardy and killed it (in more ways than one) with a towering performance that deserved, at least, a nomination.” -Josh Crabb
Despite my immense love for Fury Road, I have to put Brie Larson as the number one. Her performance in Room was absolutely amazing. As was Jacob Tremblay’s, but that’s for a different category
Definitely! It was more or less a two horse race with our contributors, a few had her number one but Theron ultimately came out on top because a few people just hadn’t seen Room yet– and unlike the Academy, we don’t vote on something just on word-of-mouth *sick Academy burn*
Boom, mic drop