Similarly to the Lead Male Actor category, things here have started to finally shape up as we have seen a number of televised events, as well as the guild nominations in recent weeks. The frontrunner for Actress in a Leading Role has been leading the pack for months now, and I cannot see anything other than a first Oscar for Jessie Buckley on Oscar night for her performance in “Hamnet”. Her closest rival comes from what was an unlikely source when I last did my predictions, Rose Byrne, who in the months since has performed equally as well as Buckley amongst the critics groups. The Aussie actress also has not missed any precursor nominations, and took home the Golden Globe for Actress – Musical/Comedy on Sunday.
I would say the top five is started to look more likely as we edge closer to nomination morning next week, as Emma Stone and Chase Infiniti are also yet to miss any precursors, having been nominated at the Globes, Actor Awards, Critics Choice, and are amongst the BAFTA longlists. This is also the case for Renate Reinsve, who like Infiniti and Byrne will be hoping for her first ever nomination, but she did miss out at the Actor Awards, possible due to bias against the International films this year.
On the outside looking in are Amanda Seyfried, who has seemingly dropped off a cliff in recent weeks, with not only her, but “The Testament of Ann Lee” being completely absent from the guild and BAFTA mentions. Kate Hudson has had a mini surge of late, earning an Actor Award nomination, as well as her Globe and BAFTA mentions. Whilst Cynthia Erivo is looking less likely by the day despite getting in last year for her starring role in “Wicked”, having only got a Globe nomination so far.
Final Lead Actress predictions:
Strong Contenders
- Jessie Buckley “Hamnet”
- Rose Byrne “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
- Renate Reinsve “Sentimental Value”
- Emma Stone “Bugonia”
- Chase Infiniti “One Battle After Another”
Possible Contenders
- Amanda Seyfried “The Testament of Ann Lee”
- Kate Hudson “Song Sung Blue”
- Cynthia Erivo “Wicked: For Good”
- Jennifer Lawrence “Die, My Love”
- Eva Victor “Sorry, Baby”
Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards are announced Thursday 22nd January
Dan Loves Film 
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