It would be stupid to place a bet right now as both “Testament of Ann Lee” star Amanda Seyfried and “The Smashing Machine” star Dwayne Johnson is absolutely, 100 percent, Too safe Will be nominated for Oscars for best actress and best actors in the 2026 race. But that is Fair to say that their performances have already proven to be an average of the rest.
Both films had their world premiere about a week into the 82nd Venice Film Festival, which comes from what has been a mixed bag for critics, with very expected films such as “After the hunt“And”Frankenstein“Not to make a splash in the great actors. Perhaps it was a kind of apathy, or even a complete breach, for the films that came in front of those who were theme” the will of Ann Lee “and” The Smashing Machine “to over-perform with Venice audience, but a closer look was revealed as well as Seyf and Johnon’s.
Seyfried, who was previously an Oscar nominated by turn as Marion Davies in “Mank”, leads an unconventional musical directed by Mona Fastvoldco-screenwriter for “The Brutalist”, who recently earned star Adrien Brody an Oscar for best actors.
The women already turn out to be a formidable duo and say all the right things to platform their movie as one to celebrate. “How many stories have we seen about male icons on a large scale? How many stories, over and over again and again? Can’t we see a story about a woman like this?”, Said Fastvold at the festival’s press conference for the “will of Ann Lee,” in response to why she wanted to make an ambitious biopics of the 1700 religious leaders.
On why she was set to throw Seyfried, she said: “Amanda has a lot of power. She is really strong. She is a wonderful mother. She is a little angry, and so I knew she could access these things. She could have access to kindness, the mild, the tenderness and she could also have access to this power and this madness.” Fastvold added, “At our age, it is something really exciting about exploring the combination of all this, and I saw that Amanda had all this, and that she was ready to really go full force in it.”
Another aspect of the film that impresses is how the religious Shaker music and customs are incorporated into the film. Looking at the quasi-musical makes one feel like Daniel Blumbar’s Oscar-winning point for “The Brutalist” was just an appetizer for the meal, which is his work with “The Testament of Ann Lee”, especially when it was paired with the choreography from Celia Rowlson Hall. This is where the film’s moment of brilliance is most clear, which is also good for the actress’s price chances. Well-presented musical performances are often a safe way against an Oscar nomination (see: Cynthia Erivo in “Wicked”, Lady Gaga in “A Star is Born”, Emma Stone in “La La Land”, etc.).
SPEAking to Those Creative Collaborations That Happened Over the Course of Making the Independent Film, Seyfried Said Said The Press Conference That “The Reason I Was Able To Face these Challenges as an Artist, Which there was fault Surrounded by People Loving Artists, and In a Place Where Everybody Knew the Value of this, of Making this, and Understood Mona’s Vision. And It’s Just Very Rare, I have to say it, this was incredible, and migh -never happen. “
The recently coined best actress also said: “This felt like an opportunity where there were just no teters for anything, basically I follow Mona into the light and everything goes, because you are so much freedom and the only threat is not to use that freedom to your advantage as an artist, go as deep as you can go to make the crazy sounds.
“The Smashing Machine” star Johnson similarly shared how it was The collaboration with co -star Emily Blunt and Director Benny Safdie So did the project, where he plays groundbreaking UFC champion Mark Kerr, Special. “I am very close with Emily and shared a lot of everything I have gone through,” he said during the film’s festival press conference. “And then Benny was on the other side of this saying,” Hi, I have both of you “and” Let’s go for it. “So that transformation could not have happened without my best friend being there to support and encourage and just say” you can do it. ”
Playing a Biopian role tends to lead to prices (half of the last 10 best actor winners played real people), but “transformation” is also a keyword here. To achieve the similarity to Kerr, Johnson worked with makeup artist Kazu Hiro whose three last films were “Darkest Hour”, “Bombshell” and “Maestro.” Not only did Japanese special make-up artist Oscar nominations get for all these films (won for the two last two), they lead he worked with all got the best actor or best actress nominations (with the “Darkest Hour” star Oldman won).
There is some cynicism in online circles about Johnson who is ready to make a price campaign after a series of blockbuster that underperformed, but which should be dissolved when more people watch the movie. The WWE Super star depicts Kerr as humble and vulnerable and records the idea of how Johnson can be behind closed doors.
The extended standing ovation that “The Smashing Machine” received at its world premiere, with Johnson, Safdie, Blunt and the real Kerr All SHDING Tears, called to think of another remarkably Venice moment for two years ago, when Johnson’s “The Mummy Returns” co-star Brendan Fraterner became emotional phras Employees, served ”, earned.
He went on to win the Volpi Cup during the Venice Awards ceremony and eventually Oscar for best actors. This means that the studio already has an award campaign for Johnson to follow.
