Golden Globe Musings: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced shortly, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anything important. A reminder that the Globes are wildly unpredictable and that, especially this year, it’s hard to know which films and performances will end up being honored.

Last year’s nominees:
Cynthia Erivo (Harriet)
Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
Saiorse Ronan (Little Women)
Charlize Theron (Bombshell)
Renee Zellweger (Judy)

This category seems like it could be set. Frances McDormand (Nomadland) is surely at the head of the pack, but Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman), and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) shouldn’t be far behind. Next could be Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead), Jessie Buckley (I’m Thinking of Ending Things) or Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man), and it’s possible that her recent Emmy win and the strength of reviews will propel a late-breaking contender, Zendaya (Malcom and Marie), to that final slot. Watch out also for Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Kate Winslet (Ammonite), Amy Adams (Hillbilly Elegy), Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth) or Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday).

Current predictions:
Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)
Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead)
Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)