Charlize Theron’s performance in Monster had all the ingredients to win an Academy Award. First, Theron "went ugly" for the role of prostitute-turned-serial killer Aileen Wuornos, gaining 30 pounds, wearing dentures, and even applying liquid latex to her skin to give it that extra leathery finish. Second, Theron played a real-life person, and the Oscars love them a biographic performance. Third, no one expected Theron, then a 28-year-old actress best known for her eye-candy turns in The Italian Job and Reindeer Games, could deliver a performance as harrowing as this one, and the Oscars often enjoy rewarding unexpected range (see: Berry, Halle). And if these reasons weren’t enough, Theron also had a virtual monopoly on the precursor awards, winning trophies from the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, National Society of Film Critics, Broadcast Film Critics Association, and Independent Spirit Awards.
But did Theron deserve the Academy Award over fellow nominees Diane Keaton (Something’s Gotta Give), Naomi Watts (21 Grams), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), and Samantha Morton (In America)? That’s the question we’ve been asking the entertainment industry in our Recall the Gold survey of all the major Oscars from 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years ago, and now, PopWatchers, it’s your turn to have a say.
Keaton was probably the only actress who could have stolen the Oscar from Theron. Keaton’s emotionally (and physically) naked performance in Something’s Gotta Give won her the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a musical or comedy (Theron scored the award in the drama category). Keaton, an Academy darling who’s earned nominations in every decade since the 1970s, seemed to relish the opportunity to play an older, sophisticated playwright who attracts the attention of both Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves — double whoa! Yet Oscar voters may have thought the role was a bit inconsequential, especially when compared to the other oh-so-serious nominees.
In 21 Grams, Watts brought a convincing dose of melancholy (read: lots of crying) to a woman who lost her husband and daughters in a car accident. But the film may have been overly morbid and chronologically cluttered for some voters. As for Castle-Hughes and Morton, they weren’t even supposed to make it into the final five. Not only did Castle-Hughes become the youngest Best Actress nominee ever at age 13, but Whale Rider‘s studio had campaigned her as a supporting actress instead of the lead. It turns out that Castle-Hughes’ performance as Pai, a New Zealand girl yearning for acceptance from her manly-men tribe, was enough of a crowd pleaser to bump her into the big girls’ category. Going against her was history: No actress under the age of 21 had ever won Best Actress. Morton’s nomination was as much of a surprise, although it probably shouldn’t have been. In America, about an Irish family’s immigration to Manhattan, earned a loyal following as a sentimental favorite, winning a SAG nomination for its ensemble cast, as well as six Indie Spirt nods and seven Broadcast Critics award nods, both including Morton. Still, in hindsight, the most memorable performers in the film were the family’s two young girls; the nomination for Morton was the award.
So, PopWatchers, take out your Oscar pens and tell us whom you thought should have won in our poll below. If you need a reminder of each performance, check out clips from each film after the jump (some of the language is NSFW). While you’re at it, if you haven’t already, vote in all the other polls from our ongoing walk down Oscar’s memory lane. On Tuesday, Dec. 23, we’ll examine the 1983 Best Picture race and the 1998 Best Director race, and you can check out coverage of this year’s awards contenders in Dave Karger’s Oscar Watch blog.
addCredit(“Hans Gutknecht/WireImage”)
Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give
Samantha Morton, In America – (trailer)
Charlize Theron, Monster – (language NSFW)
Naomi Watts, 21 Grams – (language NSFW)
This is getting pointless- are you gonna do a Recall the gold for Meryl Streep winning for Sophie’s Choice??? Uma Thurman was robbed this year of a nomination for Kill Bill vol 1. anyway, there was no competition here but I must say I am a HUGE Naomi Watts fan and if she was nominated for Mulholland Drive she wouldve beaten Halle Berry- she was also robbed for falling in love with a giant ape in King Kong. Diane Keaton was overrated in that looooooong rom-com and the other 2 the nomination was the award. again, no competition- hence, the monolopy.
Two things: weak competition, and Theron delivering one of the best, most complete, and most embodied performances delivered on film. Hands down, she delivered and deserved.
It’s always highly subjective and everyone has a different favorite but that’s an extremely well crafted perfomance. Rarely do you see an actor embody a role in this manner and it took more than some fake teeth. You could fully empathize with Alice Wuornos while deploring her actions. Charlize Theron was a deserving winner.
I agree that the competition was weak here. That girl from Whale Rider was lame and Diane Keaton was so overrated for that movie. Samantha Morton was good, but not Best Actress good. That said, I think Naomi Watts should have won, and that Uma Thurman should definitely have been nominated for Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Theron didn’t deserve it, and rather got swept up in the pre awards buzz.
I wanted Naomi Watts to win from the moment she appeared in 21 Grams.
Theron was good in a movie that was mediocre. Watts was amazing in 21 Grams, and Keaton was given her best role since Annie Hall. Morton was overshadowed by the two girls portraying her daughter. For my vote Keisha Castle-Hughes gave the best performance of the 5. To say that this is the greatest performance by a child is to completely miss the point, it is one of the greatest performances of the past decade..period.
I remember watching MONSTER with my parents. My Dad is a huge movie buff, but it’s rare that he verbalizes his opinion of a movie or a performance during the movie itself. But I remember very clearly watching that scene where Theron confessed to Ricci that she killed a man, and she had that long and emotional monologue and a crazed look in her eyes. As soon as it was over, my Dad said in the most awestruck way ‘Wow.’ That was when I knew that she was not only going to win the oscar, but deserved it.
I’m going to throw two names out there. One will ellicit some boos and the other some huzzahs. Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Both at least should have been nominated and I do believe Uma gave the best performance of the year by an actress. Keyshia Castle-Hughes and Samantha Morton, please. Of the nominees, I’m quite partial to Diane Keaton; she’s bubbly, romantic, and more delightful than she’d been in almost 30 years. The light just seems to arrive on her face with an incandescent glow.
I voted Charlize, but Uma was robbed big time.
Charlize absolutely, without question deserved the Oscar that year, a one horse race, if ever I saw one.
Charlize looked at hours of video tape to get everything down right. anybody can do that. I believe it was Janet Maslin of People magazine who said that her performance was like, “Look, Ma! I’m acting!”, and I couldn’t agree more. I would give it to Morton.
I HATED ‘Somethings Gotta Give’. Diane Keaton’s character was grating.
I loved Morton in ‘In America’ but Theron deserved the award.
That this is even being debated is ridiculous. Theron WAS Wuornos, absolutely no trace of herself whatsoever. It wasn’t just the makeup, she immersed herself in the part and pulled it off brilliantly and it’s still stunning to watch. Roger Ebert summed it up best, one of the best female performances ever and deserved this all the way no matter the competition.
Well, I am going to be the contrarian here and go for whale rider, but then again I usually go for subtety rather than Serious Acting. It is also strongly-held minority opinions like mine that probably got her nominated in the first place, with the wacky balloting system they use for nominations.
Theron was phenomenal. There was no competition. Castle-Hughes gave a lovely, understated, simple performance but it was hardly a tour-de-force (nor did it require it). Morton has big eyes, that’s the bulk of her acting. Keaton was a lot of fun and Watts cried and cried very well, but none of that could go up against Theron. The physical transformation was hardly the point, she played a complete human being in which I imagine there was very little of herself.