Melissa Leo is one of many faces from Sunday's Oscar ceremony who has used her nomination bump to score another role. The Frozen River star, nominated for Best Actress, has joined the cast of Betty Anne Waters, starring alongside fellow former Oscar nominees Hilary Swank and Minnie Driver.
Though Leo was the working-class hero in Frozen River, this time she seems to be cast as the villain. Variety writes that her role will be "the only woman officer at a local police station who's trying to pin the murder on him." "Him" is the brother of the title character (Swank), played by Sam Rockwell, who has been falsely imprisoned on murder and robbery charges.
Leo made such an impression on the small audiences who saw Frozen River, but this is her chance to really be seen by bigger crowds. Everyone figured her Oscar nomination would just be a way to pave the road for bigger and better things; hopefully that's exactly what Betty Anne Waters will turn out to be.
