Zoe Saldaña’s ‘Emilia Perez’ Extensive Screen Time Sparks Oscars Category Debates

As a seasoned film critic with over three decades of experience under my belt, I have seen countless instances where the categorization of performances can be as intriguing as the films themselves. The debate surrounding the classification of Zoe Saldana’s role in “Emilia Perez” is yet another fascinating example of this ongoing discussion.

The long-standing debate about what separates a lead from a supporting performance has resurfaced this awards season. Case in point: Netflix’s high-profile contender “Emilia Pérez.” The Spanish-language musical, directed by acclaimed French auteur Jacques Audiard, has already garnered enthusiastic reviews and is poised to be a significant player across multiple Oscar categories. But the studio’s decision to campaign Karla Sofía Gascón as best actress while positioning her co-star Zoe Saldaña as a supporting actress has sparked a heated discussion.

Saldaña’s character, Rita – a lawyer who assists the drug lord Manitas by staging her own demise, subsequently undergoes a gender transformation, reemerging as Emilia Pérez. This character evolution significantly drives the storyline of the film, with Saldaña having substantial on-screen presence to back this claim.

As stated by Matthew Stewart from Screen Time Central, Saldaña’s screen time amounts to approximately 57 minutes and 50 seconds, which equates to about 43.69% of the entire movie length. This is slightly longer than Gascón’s screen time of 52 minutes and 21 seconds (39.54%). In comparison, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz have 27 minutes and 14 seconds (20.57%) and 11 minutes and 17 seconds (8.52%) of screen time respectively in the film.

Stewart explains to EbMaster that it’s not just about the time spent on the screen; Emilia and Rita are unique characters with their own perspectives which remain consistent throughout. Rita, in particular, seems to represent the audience viewpoint more strongly. Although I understand the strategies, I’d change the campaigns for the sake of integrity. This decision might lead to one of them not being nominated.

The time difference of approximately 5 minutes and a half would rank as the 12th largest gap among acting category awards, and it would be the fourth greatest disparity between two actresses, following the instances in 1957’s “Peyton Place” (Diane Varsi over Lana Turner with a difference of 1 hour, 31 minutes), 2018’s “The Favourite” (Emma Stone over Olivia Colman with a difference of 7 hours, 32 minutes), and 2015’s “Carol” (Rooney Mara over Cate Blanchett with a difference of 5 hours, 52 minutes). Stewart’s screen time is calculated based on when her character appears physically or speaks on the screen, regardless of whether she remains in the frame.

In an exceptional circumstance, Emilia Pérez’s role in the film stands out as one where a “supporting” character spends more time on screen than the main character. If Saldaña is nominated for a supporting role, it would be the 22nd instance in Oscar history where this has happened. Notable examples are Timothy Hutton in “Ordinary People” (1980), whose winning performance as a supporting actor surpassed Mary Tyler Moore’s lead actress-nominated role by approximately 32 minutes.

As a passionate cinephile, I’m thrilled to share an interesting fact: If Zoe Saldana were to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress, her performance would rank among the top 16 longest in terms of percentage and the top 11 when considering runtime. Should she win, she’d join the elite company of Patty Duke (“The Miracle Worker”), Tatum O’Neal (“Paper Moon”), and Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”).

The term “category fraud” refers to a tactic used by studios and campaigners during award seasons like the Oscars, though it may seem a bit overly dramatic. It’s about manipulating the categories in which a film or actor is submitted for consideration, subtly increasing their chances of winning an Oscar. Although the Academy allows voters to decide category placement without studio influence, strategists often subtly guide these decisions to maximize nomination possibilities. For example, Alicia Vikander in “The Danish Girl” (2015) and Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (2007) were submitted in categories where they had significant screen time and narrative impact, despite sharing billing with other prominent actors.

Stewart points out a common misunderstanding: the belief that leading and supporting roles are determined strictly by screen time. “I don’t solely rely on numbers,” he clarifies, “It’s more about subjective interpretation. If someone suggests she’s merely supporting, it becomes questionable when you consider the bigger context.

It’s important to mention that when casting their votes, people aren’t concerned with the length of time spent on the screen, and the goals of filmmakers are indeed significant.

Zoe Saldaña’s ‘Emilia Perez’ Extensive Screen Time Sparks Oscars Category Debates

In the movie “Emilia Pérez,” the main character is Emilia, as both Netflix and filmmakers have stated. Interestingly, Gascón portrays the courageous roles of Manitas and Emilia. This suggests that the story primarily revolves around Emilia’s journey. Despite Saldaña having more screen time in “Emila Pérez” compared to Gascón, her categorization as a supporting actress follows a historical trend set by films like the Best Picture winner “Chicago” (2002), where Catherine Zeta-Jones won in the supporting category while Renee Zellweger competed for lead actress. The classification debate also applies vice versa. For instance, some argue that Michelle Williams in “The Fabelmans” and Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon” should have been considered supporting roles instead of leads. Occasionally, switching categories can be advantageous; as exemplified by Anthony Hopkins’s Best Actor win for “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), where he only had 24 minutes of screen time.

To clarify, Saldaña’s role has been recognized in the supporting category by the Golden Globes. On the other hand, the SAG Awards and BAFTA have recognized the campaign’s placement as a whole. Come January, when the Academy fills out their ballots, going against the traditional flow seems improbable. However, if they were to perform an unexpected maneuver similar to Kate Winslet’s switch (where she received a lead nomination instead of supporting for “The Reader”), she could find herself sharing the spotlight with her accomplished co-star.

It’s unusual for a film to secure two ‘Best Actress’ nominations, as only five films have managed this: “All About Eve” (1950) with Anne Baxter and Bette Davis, “Suddenly, Last Summer” (1959) with Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, “The Turning Point” (1977) with Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine, “Terms of Endearment” (1983) with Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger, and “Thelma & Louise” (1991) with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. However, only Shirley MacLaine was the winner among these films. In contrast, male co-leads have had double nominations on 12 occasions, with the most recent instance being “Amadeus” (1984), where both Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham were nominated; Abraham emerged victorious in this case.

The topic of category manipulation isn’t exclusive to Saldaña; industry voters have expressed similar opinions about her counterparts like Ariana Grande from “Wicked” and Saoirse Ronan in “Blitz.” Both actresses are heavily featured on screen. However, whether the members of the Acting Branch ultimately find it convincing is what truly counts.

If Saldaña’s story and screen presence appeal to voters, they might choose to disregard the recommendations of campaign strategies and select her for the leading role instead. Conversely, they could adhere to the studio’s positioning and give Saldaña a supporting actress nomination while nominating Gascón for the lead actress category.

Ask yourself: Is this called “Emilia Perez” or Emilia Perez’s lawyer? Only voters decide.

2024-11-22 18:19

Zoe Saldaña’s ‘Emilia Perez’ Extensive Screen Time Sparks Oscars Category Debates

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