Best Actress 2004: Just a Girl from a Trailer Park Who Had a Dream Part II

The last edition of this series was here, the Best Actress race a year before 2004 was covered here, and Just a Girl from a Trailer Park with a Dream Part I was covered here.  This year's (2012) Best Actress may prove to be an exception of sorts.  You have two films that may end up proving to be formidable contenders at the box-office.  Zero Dark Thirty just took in $24M and claimed the #1 position its first week in wide release.  Silver Linings Playbook has been plugging away under the radar and, as far as exploding ala Shakespeare in Love, remains sitting on the fence.  Generally, however, within the race each year, there's only one blockbuster, if any, among the five nominees.  Last year, The Help and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo both neared or passed the $100M-mark, but who really thought Rooney Mara, who snuck in with a nod, had a chance at winning?  And against Helen Hunt and others, did Kate Winslet ever have a chance with Titanic?  Black Swan, The Blind Side, Juno, The Devil Wears Prada, Something's Gotta Give, Chicago, American Beauty.  Certainly, financial success doesn't guarantee a win.  And I'm not suggesting Precious and The Queen weren't hits, because they both did very well.  But, when a movie like Million Dollar Baby went unchallenged at the box-office in 2004 with Hilary Swank in a baity role, one wonders (well, I do) how she would have done against, let's say, Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line, or Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich?  Does the America's Sweetheart vote trump Physical Transformation, especially if its a previous winner, who is young and just won five years previously?   In 2004, you didn't have an America's Sweetheart.  You had a respected fortysomething in a delightful, but light role, a gangbusters performance from another older woman whom no on had heard of at that point, a youngster who was also unknown and appeared to be very unmarketable, and another youngster who had been around and gave a great turn without any bells or whistles.  So, what you end up getting is the randomness of Oscar.  An actress who hadn't shown much versatility outside of baity characters, with a manufactured commercial appeal, would snag a second statue while so many of her respected peers have and would go without.  Filming for Baby wrapped mid-Summer 2004, and the movie was rushed out to limited release and blindsided everyone within five months.

The Nominated:
-Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby: SAG, GG Drama, National Society, Satellite, Kansas City, Boston, Phoenix, Central Ohio, Dallas-Fort Worth, Florida, Broadcast winner; DC, Vancouver, Online, Empire nominee (Budget: $30M, Domestic: $100M, Worldwide: $216.8M; 92% RT)

-Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake: National Society, LA, New York, Chicago, DC, Seattle, San Diego, Vancouver, Toronto, London winner; SAG, GG Drama, Satellite, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeastern (2nd), Broadcast, Online nominee ($3.8M, $13.3M; 92%)

-Annette Bening, Being Julia: GG Comedy, Satellite, Southeastern, NBR winner; SAG, Boston (2nd), DC, Dallas-Fort Worth, Broadcast, London nominee ($7.7M, $14.3M; 76%)

-Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine: Las Vegas, Online winner; SAG, GG Comedy, Satellite, DC, Dallas-Fort Worth, Broadcast nominee ($20M, $34.4M, $72.3M; 93%)

-Catalina Sandion Moreno, Maria Full of Grace: Seattle, ISA winner; SAG, Satellite, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, Broadcast, London nominee ($6.5M, $12.6M; 97%)

The Also Nominated/Winning (for supporting):
-Cate Blanchett, The Aviator: Empire (lead) nominee; SAG, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Central Ohio, DC, Online, BAFTA supporting winner; Golden Globe, LA (2nd), Boston (3rd), Dallas-Fort Worth (2nd), Vancouver, Broadcast, National (2nd), Satellite supporting nominee ($110M, $102.6M, $213.7M; 87%)

-Natalie Portman, Closer: London (lead) nominee; Golden Globe, San Diego supporting winner; Dallas-Fort Worth (3rd), Vancouver, Broadcast, Online, BAFTA, Satellite supporting nominee ($27M, $34M, $81.5M; 68%)

-Laura Linney, Kinsey: Vancouver (lead) winner; London (lead) nominee; Florida, NBR, Phoenix supporting winner; Golden Globe, SAG, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeaster (2nd), DC, Broadcast, National Society, Satellite, Online supporting nominee ($11M, $10.3M, $16.9M; 89%)

The Also-Ran's:
-Julie Delpy, Before Sunset: San Francisco, Online, Empire winner; National Society (3rd), LA (2nd) nominee ($2.7M, $5.8M, $10.2M; 95%)

-Nicole Kidman, Birth: Palm Springs winner; GG Drama, London, nominee ($20M, $5.1M, $23.9M; 39%)

-Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: Vol. 2: GG Drama, Satellite, Broadcast, Online, Empire nominee ($30M, $66.2M, $152.2M; 84%)

The Rest of the Competition:
-Samantha Morton, Morvern Callar: Toronto, British Independent winner ($0.3M; 84%)

-Anne Reid, The Mother: Chlotrudis, BAFTA, British Independent nominee.  ($2.5M / $1.1M / $3M; 77%)

-Ashley Judd, De-Lovely: GG Comedy nominee ($15M, $13.5M, $18.6M; 48%)

-Kim Basinger, The Door in the Floor: Boston (2nd) nominee ($7.5M, $3.9M, $6.7M; 66%)


-Kerry Washington, Ray: Satellite nominee ($40M, $75.3M, $124.7M; 81%)

-Natalie Portman, Garden State: Satellite nominee; Vancouver supporting nominee ($2.5M, $26.8M, $35.8M; 86%)

-Scarlett Johansson, A Love Song for Bobby Long: GG Drama nominee ($0.2M, $1.8M; 42%)

-Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera: GG Comedy, Satellite nominee ($70M, $51.3M, $154.7M; 33%)

-Jena Malone, Saved!: Satellite nominee ($5M, $8.9M, $10.2M; 61%)

-Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: GG Comedy nominee ($40M, $40.2M, $262.5M; 27%)