The Gandolfini Discussion – What’s up for our New Jersey mob boss in the 86th Academy Awards?

James Gandolfini, aged 51, unfortunately passed away on June 19, 2013. He was well known for the mob boss in the TV series Sopranos (1999-2007) and in 2000, he won a Golden Globe in the drama category for his role. Having a very successful career in the TV business, he has also appeared in many films, such as Killing Them Softly (2012) starring Brad Pitt, Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001). However his appearances in Hollywood films were rather short and vague that moviegoers would hardly notice if they were not Soprano fans.

Yet, Gandolfini has gained respect and fame over the years within the entertainment business. His latest film performance in Enough Said (2013) had gained awareness among voters in the film business, in particular when they knew of the misfortune in losing him. He recently earned a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), as well as in other notable film awards. Therefore the buzz still goes on for Gandolfini in whether he would earn a posthumous nomination in the Oscars.

Personally, I have nothing against Gandolfini and I wish I could have seen Enough Said (2013) before I made my final judgment on my 86^th Academy Awards Predictions. However, I do have a logical reason in not putting him on the list of predictions in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role, based on the Oscars’ past records, especially with reference to posthumous nominations.

Posthumous nominations for Actors in History

Best Actor

       ·      James Dean

v East of Eden (1955): 4 noms; 1 win

v Giant (1956): 10 noms; 1 win

·      Peter Finch

v Network (1976): 10 noms; 4 wins

·      Spencer Tracy

v Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967): 10 noms; 2 wins

·      Massimo Troisi

v Il Postino (1995): 5 noms; 1 win

Best Actress

·      Jeanne Eagels

v The Letter (1928/1929): 1 nom; no wins

Best Supporting Actor

·      Ralph Richardson

v Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984): 3 noms; no wins

·      Heath Ledger

v The Dark Knight (2008): 8 noms; 2 wins

From all of these posthumous nominations, they share one thing in common: The films in which the actors or actresses were nominated had at least several nominations in other categories, except for Jeanne Eagels when her performance was the only nomination for The Letter. Circulating reviews and predictions from film critics, the possible nominations for Enough Said are limited to Best Original Screenplay and maybe, but very unlikely, Best Supporting Actor. Considering such a weak link, we wonder if the voters have noticed Enough Said ‘enough’. More evidently, posthumous nominations in the past had strong support from other categories. Therefore, I feel that it is highly unlikely that James could get a posthumous nomination when there are other strong contenders this year.

To re-list my predictions for the supporting actor category:

Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave)

Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)

Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Daniel Bruhl (Rush)

Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)

If it were not the posthumous findings, I would have swapped Gandolfini with Jonah Hill, as Jonah is not nominated at all in major awards. However, I fancy going for wild calls and it has been observed that The Wolf of Wall Street is picking up the confidence after its late release. James does not hold the same bargain power as Jonah because a nomination on his own for Enough Said would not be enough.

I would not dispense the possibility of the Academy making an exceptional choice, which would alter the past records on posthumous nominations, but this would be a favourable move for actors in the TV business that they could be honored in films as well. Every actor deserves a chance to be nominated or even win the trophy.