Kate Winslet, who lost 5 times before, had two huge, Oscar-baity films coming out so as you can imagine, people were saying she'd win even if she was God-awful in both. I have to agree with that to an extent, but in fact, she delivered two of the best performances she'll ever give throughout her career.
Winslet was campaigned as Lead for Revolutionary Road and Supporting for The Reader, which I would agree with. Oscar Buzzers were quick to jump and accuse Harvey Weinstien of category fraud because Winslet is in The Reader for a substantial about of time. (I believe her screentime was around 40 minutes?) I can see the argument there, but I don't agree with it. Either way, both great performances.
She won the Critic's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress (The Reader), but was left out of the Lead Actress race there (Revolutionary Road). She also managed to win the SAG award in supporting with a nomination in lead. Then the Golden Globes came along and she won both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress; to say the least, it put ideas in my head.
I thought holy cow! She could win both at the Oscars, too!
Then BAFTA nods came out and Winslet was honored twice in the Lead Actress category for both films (won for The Reader). However, when the Oscar nominations were announced, Kate was ignored in Best Supporting Actress, but honored in Lead Actress for The Reader (not Revolutionary Road; actors can't get two nominations in the same category in the same year, but they could she would have).
I personally think that was the wrong way to go, even though there was a marvelous perk to it: Penelope Cruz could win for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, who is also one of my favorite actresses. However, I wish that the Oscars could've repeated the Golden Globes and rewarded Cruz for Nine this past year. Winslert waited her turn (even lived through the awful robbing of her career defining Eternal Sunshine role), and should've been awarded both.
She is all-time worthy in both roles. She's as solid as they come as Hanna Schmitz and April Wheeler. Never have I seen an actress be so consumed in two roles in one year.
I could relate to Revolutionary Road's character, April Wheeler in so many ways that really made me appreicate everything about Winslet's performance. Winslet's line deliveries are gripping; she induced April full of life and when looked at the screen, I saw April not Kate. Her highs, her lows, one of the best female performances of the past decade.
Winslet's other character, Hanna, is completely opposite of April. She's a nazi guard, who had an affair with a 15 year-old Ralph Fiennes. She nailed her accent, but that's beside the point. Especially in Act 2 & 3, Winslet nailed the character. She was handed one of the most unsympathetic characters an actress can be handed and in the end my heart wrenched for her. I felt cold while watching the film and I couldn't get the performance out of my head for weeks.
Why she couldn't have been honored for both in beyond me because she deserves both statues more than anyone ever could. And to think, Winslet achieved this monumental year in the year where Lead and Supporting Actress were at its finest (L: Hathaway, Streep, Beckinsale, Jolie, Leo, Cruz; S: Farmiga, Cruz, Adams, Tomei, Clarkson, Olin) At least the Hollywood Foreign Press got it right!
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