Oscars 2018: Who Should Win Every Award (And Who Actually Will)
2. Actress In A Leading Role
Nominees: Sally Hawkins (The Shape Of Water), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Meryl Streep (The Post)
Who Should Win
Margot Robbie
Frances McDormand is going to win, and it's really hard to argue with that - she is great in Three Billboards. But Margot Robbie just does more in I, Tonya to make her worthy of the award. She conveys an incredible mix of strength and vulnerability, of charm and repulsiveness. She's unlikable in many ways but also makes you root for her, bringing empathy to a tabloid villain, along with a great mix of physicality and emotion that elevates I, Tonya as a movie.
Who Will Win
Frances McDormand
McDormand, as is the case with most of the actors set to win this year, has been cleaning up over the past couple of months, and it's tough to see that streak coming to an end in the Dolby Theatre. She's a well-regarded talent who last won here two decades ago for Fargo, and this is a powerhouse performance where her character does all manner of horrible things without batting an eyelid, but has a lot of complexity to go with it.