Do Genre Actors Ever Get Nominated For Oscars?
Dear Sara,
Is it true that no matter how big the box office is, actors never get nominated for Oscars for their performances in genre films?
Best, Bobby V.
Dear Bobby,
This is a falsehood that doesn’t get any truer with repetition. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her work as Ellen Ripley in “ALIENS” (1986). Ian McKellen was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Gandalf in “LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING” and a Best Actor Oscar for playing James Whale, director of the original “FRANKENSTEIN” film, in 1999’s “GODS AND MONSTERS’. And of course, Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar for playing the title role in 1965’s “MARY POPPINS”. There are other examples, but these should do for starters.
-Sara Bellum