Hollywood's early Oscar picks: Stars at Governors Awards loving 'Get Out,' 'Florida Project,' and 'Lady Bird'
The Governors Awards, held for a ninth time Saturday, exists mainly as a forum for the Academy to pay tribute to honorary Oscar recipients, which this year counted Donald Sutherland, filmmakers Agnès Varda and Charles Burnett, and cinematographer Owen Roizman. But the black-tie affair also signals the unofficial start of Oscar season, as scores of hopeful contenders from the year’s best-reviewed films turn up for the ceremony.
As we did last year, Yahoo Entertainment asked the actors and directors in attendance which film or performance would have their early vote on the Oscar ballot (remember, actors make up the biggest branch of the Academy). And there were a few movies that emerged as clear favorites.
Jordan Peele’s scary racial satire Get Out blew away Hugh Jackman (Logan, The Greatest Showman) and wife Deborra-Lee Furness, Andrew Garfield (Breathe), Alejandro G. I?árritu (who was also recognized by the Governors Awards for his VR installment Carne y Arena), and Jason Mitchell (Detroit, Mudbound). “It’s so inspiring to see people reveal all of themselves as creative beings,” Garfield said. “I find it so inspiring.”
The Florida Project, Sean Baker’s colorful low-budget drama about a precocious child in a low-end motel, had plenty of fans, too, including Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, and musicians Diane Warren (who wrote the Common-Andra Day single “Stand Up for Something” for the Marshall soundtrack) and Questlove (whose Roots crew recorded the track “It Ain’t Fair” for Detroit). “I’ve seen Florida Project three times,” said Questlove, who hosts an annual Oscar pool. “That really hit me.” Warren and Questlove were particularly high on 7-year-old breakout star Brooklynn Prince, whose own enthusiastic pick was Wonder Woman.
Speaking of wonder women, Greta Gerwig’s autobiographical coming-of-age drama Lady Bird, which she wrote and directed, earned some heartfelt love from Garfield, Kaluuya, and Dave Franco (The Disaster Artist).
Could they be onto something come March’s Oscars ceremony? All we’ll say is last year the most popular pick was future Best Picture winner Moonlight, so…
Watch Jason Mitchell reveal he passed up lead role in Get Out:
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