“Its so sad that our country has gone so far backwards that ‘Barbie’ is considered radical feminism.
Its still a movie about a doll,” a director tells EW.
I dont look at it as a snub.
EW interviews 4 anonymous Academy voters for their secret ballot Oscars picks.Adobe Stock; Warner Bros; Universal Pictures; Focus Features; Netflix - Design: Alex Sandoval
The Director:This award-nominated filmmaker has earned their reputation of excellence on screens both big and small.
The Marketer:An industry veteran who regularly promotes both awards season darlings and major commercial projects.
The headline should be to stop releasing movies in the last two months of the year.
Cillian Murphy in ‘Oppenheimer’.Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
I didnt care forTheZone of Interest.
Director:Nobody was more excited to seePoor Thingsthan me, and then I hated it!
I was so shocked.
Christopher Nolan directing Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy in ‘Oppenheimer’.Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
I dont think Leonard Bernstein had blue eyes.
I think he famously did not.
That was such an actors vanity show.
Jeffrey Wright in ‘American Fiction’.COURTESY OF TIFF /ORION RELEASING
Writer:[I’m voting for]Oppenheimer.
Everything about it was done to perfection.
Everything about it was just brilliant, and it didnt lag, there wasnt a boring moment in it.
Lily Gladstone in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.Apple TV+
Actress:The Best Picture of the year for me was[J.A.]
BayonasSociety of the Snow.
Of the films up for the award, I voted forAmerican Fiction.
Sterling K. Brown in ‘American Fiction’.Claire Folger
Writer:I did not likeMaestro.
I thought it was more of a put-down of the main character, Leonard Bernstein.
It centered mostly on his sex addiction.
Jodie Foster and Annette Bening in ‘Nyad’.Kimberley French/Netflix
I thought it was a poor movie.
Why focus on that when he had so many fabulous things about him?
The techniques they used, how it was shot, the storytelling was so incredible.
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in ‘Barbie’.Warner Bros. Pictures
I didnt even know that they stashed hidden cameras or all of the techniques they used in making that.
After I read all that, I watched it again and liked it even more.
The incredible use of storytelling techniques to have the horrors be sounds off-camera.
Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in ‘Past Lives’.Jon Pack/Twenty Years Rights/A24 Films
It was beautiful [filmmaking.]
It was a long movie, and for me, it just sped by.
It was seamless, and I never lost interest.
I think it was an excellent movie.
Actress:My vote wouldve gone to [J.A.]
Marketer:This isChristopher Nolans year, its his time, its his film.
Its his time to have an Oscar.
I take a stab at fill it with all female directors.
Writer:I dont know what it was, but Greta Gerwig shouldve got a nomination.
Its very hard to carry a film like that with only two other characters.
But Im voting for Paul for this incredible, Oscar-worthy performance.
Writer:Cillian Murphy.I thought he disappeared into the role again.
Thats the highest compliment that I can give.
He was the character.
I think Paul deserved to be nominated, but Cillian deserves to win.
[TheHoldoverscharacter] isnt far from Pauls persona, but Cillian Murphy just disappeared intoOppenheimer.
Paul is kind of that character, hes played that before.
I wasnt surprised by his performance, whereas I was surprised by Cillians.
[Bradley Cooper was] terrible.
He didn’t take his cigarette out of his mouth the whole time, I could hardly hear him.
He was mumbling all the time.
I thought it was a terrible performance.
Like personal runner-up, Paul Giamatti, Wright is an actors actor who makes everything hes in better.
How was he not nominated forBasquiat(hello, #OscarSoWhite)?!
In my opinion, he not only deserves this nod, he deserves the win.
Oscars secret ballot picks for Best Actress
Actress: Lily Gladstone.
And then, we get that last scene.
That scene with Mollie confronting Ernest will go into the cinematic canon.
Lily for the win.
Marketer:Best Actress is, hands-down,Emma Stone.
That film could not have existed without this incredible symphony of actors.
And that dynamic duo [of Emma and Mark Ruffalo] was nothing short of exceptional.
Director:I think itsLily Gladstone, for sure.
That movie is nothing without her.
Scorsese is one of my favorite filmmakers….
I thought she really put herself in the role completely, and I was really blown away by her.
Marketer:I thinkMargot Robbies work was reflective of the [Barbie] script.
I think these five nominees are representatives of the Best Actress.
[Margot was not snubbed] in my estimation.
However, my vote went with [Poor Things']Mark Ruffalothis year.
Marketer:Its probably the toughest to pick.
What could have been a two-dimensional role, I think he brought to life.
I feel likeRyan Goslings Ken was really good.
He threw himself into that role in a great way.
I love [American Fiction’s]Sterling K. Brownso much, so I want him to win everything.
Writer:Robert Downey Jr.He disappeared into the role.
He wasnt himself, he was the character, and that was fantastic.
I stopped thinking it was Robert Downey Jr., which is hard to do.
Marketer:I dont think Id eliminate any of them.
If I could add one more, Id putPaul Mescalin there [forAll of Us Strangers].
I was like,hey dont be the Black woman that takes care of everybody.
She did it with such subtlety, dignity, and beauty.
Shes the clear winner…. We know all those things.
Actress:DaVine Joy Randolph, with America Ferrera a close second.
Two things I love in an unexpected pairing like strawberry and basil.
Marketer:Im voting with my heart.Danielle Brooks.
What she did in [The Color Purple] was timeless, its a masterclass in acting.
Writer:I sawNyad, I thoughtJodie Fosterwas fantastic.
Thats a high point for me.
I thought [Da’Vine] was good, but I liked Jodie more.
Marketer:I wouldve lovedClaire Foyin this category [forAll of Us Strangers].
I think Claire lent such a nuance of warmth.
She was able to make that character so warm, so human, so multi-dimensional.
Thats something that still smarts that she wasnt nominated.
Its so hard because if Greta had been nominated for the other things, Id be like, alright.
Its still a movie about a doll.
Ill go withAmerican Fictionbecause I loved it so much.
I did finally watch [Oppenheimer] to see what all the hoopla was about.
I think it was a brilliant screenplay.
The characters, the structure, the whole thing was brilliant.
I didnt seeBarbie, so I dont know about that one.
It just didnt strike me as interesting.Poor Things, I didnt see.
No, [I didnt watchAmerican FictionorZone of Interest].
Not all those movies come [to where I live].
Cue: Greta Gerwig andNoah Baumbach.
Marketer:My vote is going toBarbie.
The screenplay is so smart and wickedly funny…. That being said, I will be addingThe Holdoversto my annual Christmas movie watchlist right next toLove, Actually.
Director:Past Lives, all the way.
I thought it was so romantic.
Its so skillfully crafted….
The philosophy of fate, I thought it was so layered and nuanced.
I loved watching Greta Lee as a leading lady.
I didnt realize how much I needed to see her as a leading lady until this.
Writer:The Holdovers.I liked it.
I thought it was a good movie, I thought the characters and story were good.
I thought it was a powerful piece.
Marketer:This is one of the most challenging categories.
Im going to vote for that.
