Perhaps the hardest category to call this early out, Best Actress will be one of the most exciting awards of the night at the 2017 Oscars. From this reviewer’s perspective, it is a hearty three-horse race. However, a recent video from the folks at GoldDerby featured a debate over the category and who could win. They suspect the field is more wide open than even that.

Best Actress:

• Isabelle Huppert – Elle
• Ruth Negga – Loving
• Natalie Portman – Jackie
• Emma Stone – La La Land
• Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins

Will Win: Emma Stone

Could Win: Isabelle Huppert or Natalie Portman

Dark Horse: Meryl Streep

 

Emma Stone remains the favorite as of today (the day of the Oscar nominations announcement). The fervor over La La Land is giving her an edge over the competition.

Isabelle Huppert and Natalie Portman both gave incredible performances in their respective films, and they have been getting the deserved attention for that. Portman’s loss to Huppert at the Golden Globes shifts the balance of power between them some, but this category is going to come down to the SAG award. Whoever wins there becomes the favorite.

But even then, there is plenty of room in this category for an upset. The GoldDerby folks mentioned the possibility of Streep coming from behind to nab the award given her fiery Golden Globe speech and 20th Academy nomination. This seems a long shot, but if anyone is going to do it is Meryl.

This is the tightest race of the night in the major categories, all things considered. Keep an eye out for the shifting dynamics as awards season continues.

 

As always, thanks for reading!

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—Alex Brannan (@TheAlexBrannan)