Oscar Predictions 2016: Who Will Win Best Actress?
There are only a few days until the 2016 Oscars are finally underway, which means it's time to firm up those predictions and get your ballot all ready to go.
This week, leading up to film's biggest night of the year, Moviefone's editors will be revealing our predictions in the ceremony's biggest categories. Let's start with a Best Actress. The nominees are:
Cate Blanchett, "Carol"
Brie Larson, "Room"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy"
Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"
Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"
Here, we've filled you in on who we think will win, as well as who we feel truly deserves to take home that coveted golden statue.
Tim Hayne
Who Will Win: Brie Larson for "Room." She's a lock at this point. She's already won the Golden Globe, SAG Award, and BAFTA for Best Actress (the trifecta!), so if she loses, it's gonna be a shocker -- and the Academy doesn't do shockers. Her stiffest competition is Cate Blanchett, who's already won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, and the buzz around her Oscar-nominated performance in "Carol" is quickly fading. Plus, the Academy loves an ingenue, and Brie Larson has ingenue written all over her.
Who Should Win: Brie Larson. Have you seen "Room"? Because that's all it takes to know she delivered the best performance of 2015.
Phil Pirrello
Who Will Win: Brie Larson.
Who Should Win: Brie Larson. Up against actors Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence — who can basically score a nomination just by showing up — Larson emerged early on as a frontrunner with her compelling, and at times unlikable, portrayal of a mother held captive with her son in a room for years. Larson is scary-good at delivering on the role's emotional and physical demands, creating a character you can't help but root for — even when the pressures of raising a young child in these conditions get the better of her.
Rachel Horner
Who Will Win: Brie Larson. Even though I would love Saoirse Ronan to win for "Brooklyn," it's going to Brie Larson this year for "Room." She's the clear frontrunner and I would be legitimately shocked if it went to anyone else.
Who Should Win: Brie Larson. She put on a great performance that was vastly different than what we've usually seen her in. She deserves it.
Alana Altmann
Who Will Win: Brie Larson, considering she's the trophy queen of the season thus far. Blanchett may be an Oscar fave, but her "Carol" performance hasn't garnered the accolades we all thought it would early on.
Who Should Win: Brie Larson. Her gripping portrayal of a mother fighting for survival was the most original and raw performance of the bunch. The vast emotional range she was able to showcase is an acting force to be reckoned with.