Golden Globe Winner Predictions: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

The competition: Glenn Close’s closeted waiter (Albert Nobbs), Viola Davis’ trailblazing maid (The Help), Rooney Mara’s hacker (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Meryl Streep’s Margaret Thatcher (The Iron Lady), and Tilda Swinton’s conflicted mother (We Need to Talk About Kevin)

For your information: Astonishingly, this represents Meryl Streep’s 24th film acting nomination. She has won six times, twice in this category in 1981 and 1982. Her last win was in 2010. Close has three film nominations and additional seven TV mentions, for which she won twice. She is also nominated for the song “Lay Your Head Down” from her film this year. This is Swinton’s third nomination, and the second for Davis. Mara is a first-time nominee.

Who should win: I have yet to see Streep and Swinton’s films, but out of the rest, it’s Mara.

Who will win: It could be Mara, it might be Davis, and it will probably be Streep, who will presumably sweep the awards circuit this year, though the fact that her movie is not nominated elsewhere could tip it in Davis’ favor.