‘To Leslie’ with Andrea Riseborough: What is this Hollywood-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated indie film? – She

Published on January 25, 2023 at 2:57 p.m.

‘To Leslie’ with Andrea Riseborough: What is this Hollywood-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated indie film? – © Mister Smith Entertainment

Andrea Risebourough is nominated in the best actress category at the 2023 Oscars for her role in “To Leslie”, an independent American film that went off the radar. A surprise nomination supported by the mobilization of many Hollywood stars.

Each year, the announcement of nominations for the Oscars – the most prestigious award for filmmakers, actresses and actors around the world – brings its share of disappointments… and surprises. On January 24, the full list was unveiled, six weeks before the ceremony to be held in Los Angeles on March 12. Thus, the Irishman Paul Mescal created a surprise with his nomination for the Oscar for best actor for his role in “Aftersun” (at the cinema on 1er february). On the contrary, the absence of “Nope” by Jordan Peele and “Babylon” by Damien Chazelle were clearly noticed in the best film category.

Andrea Risebourough, lead actress of “To Leslie”

As for the best actress category, one of them also created a surprise. Despite missing her nomination for the Golden Globes (usually setting the trend for the Oscars) and Critics Choice Awards, Andrea Riseborough is nominated for her role in “To Leslie”, along with well-known actresses in Hollywood: Cate Blanchett (“Tár”), Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”), Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) or even Ana de Armas (“Blonde”).

However, a few weeks ago, no one imagined that this name would be on this list. The reason ? “To Leslie”, starring Andrea Riseborough, is a small independent film – the first of director Michael Morris (known for his work in the universe of the series) – released in the United States last fall, and which there is no release date in France yet.

“To Leslie” tells the story of a Texas single mother and alcoholic who spends the thousands of dollars won in the lottery on alcohol and drugs. The American media “vultures” underlines the very positive reception received by the film during its presentation at the American independent festival SXSW, in March 2022. But due to its lack of budget, “To Leslie” did not benefit from sufficient promotion so that the public is interested in it and its cinema release went almost unnoticed. Result: he collected only $25,000 in revenue.

The spotlight of Gwyneth Paltrow and Edward Norton

To talk about this film and especially the performance of Andrea Riseborough, several big names in Hollywood, having already met the actress on a film set (and not necessarily), have praised its merits on their social networks. It was at the beginning of January 2023 that several stars took up their pen to sing the praises of the Englishwoman’s bluffing game in the film, starting with Gwyneth Palthrow, who, in an Instagram post, informed her followers that ‘To Leslie’ is a masterpiece” and continued, “I am amazed by all the performances. Andrea should win all the prizes that exist and all those that have not yet been invented. »

The same day, Edward Norton (recently seen in “Glass Onion”) also praised the Briton “I don’t post much about movies or acting performances (…) But for those interested in great acting, I’m going to share Andrea Riseborough’s performance in ‘To Leslie’ which m ‘has shaken. This is the most engaging, emotionally deep and physically harrowing performance I’ve seen in a while. »

Within hours, a real media campaign began on social networks and in the American media. The number of celebrities enticing moviegoers to see “To Leslie” has only grown. Laura Dern, Kate Winslet, Liam Neeson, Amy Adams are among the dozens of names all with the same goal: to attract the attention of the Academy of Oscars whose votes for nominations had just begun. High point on January 16: Cate Blanchett even praised the performance of Andrea Riseborough (not even named) by accepting her trophy for her role in “Tár”, during the Critics Choice Awards.

Andrea Riseborough, soon in a film with Marion Cotillard

“To Leslie” marks the first Oscar nomination for Andrea Riseborough, a 41-year-old actress with more than fifteen years of career to her credit. In 2010, she had a secondary role in “Never Let Me Go”, carried by the unforgettable trio Keira Knightley-Carey Mulligan-Andrew Garfield. She was then chosen by Madonna for “WE”, a film devoted to the romantic relationship between Edward VIII (more simply called the Duke of Windsor after his abdication in 1936) and Wallis Simpson. These big-budget films then gave a spotlight to the Englishwoman, who then gave the reply to Tom Cruise in “Oblivion” (2013) and starred in “Birdman” (2014) by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Recently, it was in “Amsterdam” (2022) by David O. Russell that she distinguished herself with the XXL cast carried by Christian Bale and Margot Robbie.

On January 24, the actress reacted to her Oscar nomination with “Deadline” “The response we’ve had throughout has been so personal. You judge Leslie (her character, editor’s note) at certain times, you identify with her at others and you take so many trips. It’s as if there was this possibility that the film touches so many people. It remains to be seen whether she could win the Oscar on March 12. For now, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh remain in the best position to achieve a Golden Globe-Oscar double.

Andrea Riseborough will be on our screens in 2023 or early 2024 anyway since she plays one of the main roles in “Lee”, the biopic on war photographer Lee Miller, played by Kate Winslet, also starring Marion CotillardNoémie Merlant and Josh O’Connor.

We want to give thanks to the writer of this short article for this remarkable material

‘To Leslie’ with Andrea Riseborough: What is this Hollywood-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated indie film? – She