An Oscars voter has revealed why she picked Adam Driver over Joaquin Phoenix for Best Actor.
The voter is one of three who spoke anonymously to the Los Angeles Times ahead of the ceremony. Identified only as a female writer in her forties, she’s one of more than 8,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Asked to reveal her picks for several major categories including Best Actor, the voter explained why her preference went to Driver, who’s nominated for Marriage Story, rather than Phoenix, who’s in the running for his turn in Joker.
“I thought Joaquin’s performance in Joker was fantastic. Complicated. Upsetting. Moving,” the voter said.
“But here’s a perhaps strange calculation I’m making.”
She then said that she decided to consider both actors’ skill in a more general manner, instead of focusing on each of the films they’re nominated for.
“I think that Adam Driver could have played Joker just as well as Joaquin Phoenix, but I don’t think that Phoenix could have played Driver’s character in Marriage Story,“ she added.
“I thought Driver knocked it out of the park in a much less showy, more internal role. I’d be happy with Phoenix winning too, though.”
The Best Actor category is one of the most crowded ones this year. In addition to Driver and Phoenix, Leonardo DiCaprio is nominated for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Jonathan Pryce for The Two Popes, and Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory.
You can view a full list of nominations here.
