HLS Movie Awards 2021: Best Actress Nominees!
Welcome back to HLS Entertainment! Today we are going over the Best Actress nominees for the Third annual HLS Movie Awards. The two categories regarding individual acting performances are not split up between leading and supporting roles. It does not matter if the performer had five or ninety minutes of screentime, if that is among the best performance by an actor or actress that year then they deserve that recognition.
I feel like this is a solid place to remind readers that how the HLS Movie Awards works is we consider only films that were released to wide audiences in that specific year to be eligible. A great example for this year would be Minari, it premiered so far back as Sundance in January 2020, but did not get a wide release until February 2021. I have always felt that awards like these should be for films actually available for everyone to view and enjoy the incredible art being displayed. Anyways, enough ranting on to this year's Best Actress nominees!
The nominees will be in alphabetical order by last name, this is not a ranking of the performances.
Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Jessica Chastain did a great job embodying this role, truly changing herself (with a lot of help from the amazing hair and makeup department) and really gets lost in this role. I feel like you really know a performance was great when you did not really like the movie itself but the actor still stands out and Chastain certainly did.
Jodie Comer - The Last Duel
This movie is going to be one that gains popularity long after its release and I hope Jodie Comer gets more and more of her deserved love for this role. Playing a character that went through a tragedy while having to deal with so many obstacles and trials from every angle, Comer is amazing.
Andra Day - The United States vs. Billie Holiday
I feel bad for Andra Day, she put on a great performance in a film that did not match it. She delivered the highs and lows of the incredibly talented Billie Holiday with such grace and vitriol I really would love to see Andra Day in more and more films.
Ann Dowd - Mass
Ann Dowd puts on such a heartbreaking, moving performance in Mass. The hiding and revealing of emotions on her face, the realization and desire to help or comfort, just so much incredible work done with facial expressions in this film.
Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog
Kirsten Dunst plays a much bigger role in this film than I thought she did going in, and I was so pleasantly surprised. Playing all of the emotions of a mother who is worried about her son and herself, and man oh man that piano scene(s).
Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos
This was a strange performance for me. I only have a little prior knowledge of the I Love Lucy show, growing up watching old reruns here and there, but her performance does not match that memory of Lucy to me; Yet strangely surpassed it? Nicole Kidman's performance washed away my prior memory of how I thought Lucielle Ball would be in an outstanding performance.
Frances McDormand - Nomadland
What can be said new about this award-winning performance? I want to give Frances McDormand so much credit and praise for making this movie feel almost like a documentary about her characters life. With so many people in this movie that simply are not actors, McDormand just slides on in with them and seemingly becomes one of them.
Kristen Stewart - Spencer
Kristen Stewart has always had great talent when it comes to acting, but the roles she was previously known for did not fit her skill set and gave people an incorrect assessment of her abilities. She is incredible and this movie really lets her shine.
Yuh-Jung Youn - Minari
Yuh-Jung Youn brought so much light and joy to Minari. I loved conversations with Alan S. Kim's character David. The quiet stillness all the way to loud rambunctiousness while playing games, this performance was so good top to bottom.
