Last year, Tom Hanks had the potential of scoring Oscar nominations for two high-profile roles: the title character in “Captain Phillips” and Walt Disney in “Saving Mr. Banks”. While many experts, including myself, thought Hanks was at-least a lock for “Phillips”, it turned out he failed to snag either nomination. This awards season, a fellow Oscar winner could be in line for THREE acting nominations, which would be an Academy first.
Chances are, Reese Witherspoon (who captured a Best Actress statue in 2006 for playing June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line”) won’t make Oscar history. However, she could become the 9th woman (and only 12th person overall) to score acting nods for two different films in the same year. And the fact that Witherspoon, who generally stars in only one movie a year, is at the center of three early Awards contenders, is quite an accomplishment.
In Warner Bros.’ “The Good Lie” (limited release open on Oct. 3), Witherspoon plays Carrie Davis, a woman who takes-in a Sudan refugee and then fights to get additional family members to come to America. The role has a little Sandra Bullock/Leigh Anne Tuohy/”The Blind Side” vibe to it. Five years ago, that sports drama, also released by WB, earned Bullock a Best Actress Oscar.
Based on a true story, “Wild” (distributed by Fox Searchlight; limited open Dec. 5) stars Witherspoon as strong-willed and troubled Cheryl Strayed, who goes on a solo hike of more than 1,000 miles. This is director Jean-Marc Vallee’s follow-up to “Dallas Buyers Club”, which won Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto Oscar gold last year. Early reviews for “Wild” from the Telluride Film Festival premiere have been very strong.
And Witherspoon is also part of director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ensemble crime drama “Inherent Vice” (also from WB; limited – Dec. 12; nationwide Jan. 9, 2015). No specific details are known, as yet, for her character, but Anderson’s track record with Oscar nomination success for his actors (“Magnolia”, “Boogie Nights”, “There Will Be Blood”, “The Master”) speaks for itself.