3. Cameron Diaz - The Counselor
I am not really a fan of Ms. Diaz's work and I have to admit to cringing a bit as I typed her name in the heading above. Best known for playing sassy blonde leads in romantic comedies and action flicks (as well as voicing Princess Fiona in the Shrek series), her screen persona has often been the cinematic incarnation of vapidity. However, she has done some good work in the past (specifically her nearly unrecognizable work in Being John Malkovich), and she was a legitimate Oscar contender for her performance in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, so the notion of Diaz receiving an Oscar nomination isn't wholly unreasonable. In fact, it may be a real distinct possibility with her upcoming role in The Counselor. Based on an original screenplay penned by author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) and directed by Ridley Scott, the film is said to focus on a lawyer's unfortunate tangling with a drug trafficking ring. The film has a terrific cast lined up that includes Michael Fassbinder as its star, and supporting parts for Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, and Penelope Cruz. Ms. Diaz plays the role of Malkina, who is described by the film's production company as a "hyper-sexualized Argentinean woman". She plays the boyfriend to the protagonist's main drug connection (Javier Bardem), and by all accounts from those who have read the script, it's a juicy role. You may think (as I tend to) that this may sound like a bit much for Diaz to take on given her past work, but early reports from the film is that she gives a superb performance, although those reports undoubtedly come from people who have an interest in the public believing this. Who knows though, we've seen plenty actors and actresses give stunningly good performance which challenged our preconceptions of what they were capable of in the past, and this may be just the type of performance Ms. Diaz gives in the film. If the movie is successful with critics though, the performance may not even need to be all that transformative to put Diaz in the running for her first ever Oscar nomination.