'Alpha female' actresses nominated, front and center at Oscars 2024
NEW YORK -- The Oscars will be given out one week from Sunday in Hollywood after what's being called a great year for movies.
The biggest hit of last year, "Barbie," is up for eight awards and another blockbuster, "Oppenheimer," leads the field with 13 nominations. "Poor Things" goes in with 11 nominations, while "Killers of the Flower Moon" has 10.
All of these movies earned recognition for the powerful women who star in them.
One definition of an "alpha female" is a strong and successful woman who embraces her leadership skills, and those words can be used to describe the roles played by this year's female nominees.
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To think pink is to feel empowered thanks to "Barbie," the first movie directed by a woman to earn more than a billion dollars.
"When I first read the script, I was just so giddy with how it subverted anyone's expectations of what a 'Barbie' movie might be or try to be," said actress America Ferrera.
Ferrera's monologue in the film proved truly memorable, and she is only one of many strong women who are front and center in this year's Oscars race.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph's role in "The Holdovers" was honored first by the National Board of Review.
When asked about why this film has struck a chord within so many people, Randolph said it is because of its focus on everyday people.
"It's authenticity, and the ability to make ordinary people seem special by zooming in on them," she said.
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Randolph has won frequently in the best supporting actress category -- just as Lily Gladstone has earned numerous trophies for her lead role in "Killers of the Flower Moon."
The movie was re-written before filming to feature Gladstone's character instead of telling the story from a male point of view.
"When that was all scrapped and really centered on the people, I think that's why audiences have been touched," Gladstone said.
"Nyad" is a tale of one woman's determination to swim a vast ocean at an age when many are retired.
"She has incredible willpower, but then she's also got a lot going on behind her eyes, and she's a very deep soulful woman, and I just wanted to try and do that" said Annette Bening, who plays main character Diana Nyad in the film.
Another film, "Poor Things," is a version of "Frankenstein" and tells the story about a woman who is hardly a monster.
Even "Oppenheimer," which is about a male scientist, has a tale to tell about the perils of patriarchy, and earned Emily Blunt an Oscar nomination for playing his wife.
"She was a woman who was meant for vast intellectual pursuits, and I think had to contort herself on being a housewife which I simply think was just not in her DNA," Blunt said.
The fundamental and distinctive characteristics of all these nominees?
Strength and power.
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