Well, that ended quickly. Just as buzz was starting to finally build for Scarlett Johansson thanks to her much-hyped performance in Spike Jonze’s upcoming Her, the starlet’s hopes for one of the movie industry’s biggest awards has been dashed on a technicality. Because she doesn’t actually appear in the film, like as a physical body, she doesn’t qualify for any of the acting categories at the Golden Globes.
The disappointing rejection was first reported by The Wrap yesterday. The ruling was supposedly confirmed to the outlet by sources within the HFPA, and while the organization hasn’t spoken on the record, the report is very believable. The Hollywood Foreign Press has a long history of taking a hard stand on voting criteria, as exemplified recently by a new rule that bars documentaries from the Best Foreign Film category starting next year. It would have been a shock if they would have considered Johansson, frankly. Still, that hasn’t stopped a whole host of writers on the Internet from lazily claiming sexism.
At this point in the campaign, it’s very difficult to project what Johansson’s actual chances at a nomination might be. Her performance has been very well received thus far. She’s earned praise across the board, including a Best Actress at the Rome Film Festival. That could certainly translate into momentum once the Actor’s Guild lays out its nominations and critics start picking their year end Best Of lists, but then again, there’s also a distinct chance it won’t. That’s the thing about smaller film festivals and critics’ groups. The voters are not the same as for the Golden Globes or any of the other bigger name events. So, for all we know, Scar Jo may not have earned a nomination even if she was eligible.
Her follows a man who interacts with a computer operating system who possesses artificial intelligence and plans his schedule and keeps his life organized. Through the familiarity of essentially sharing their lives, the two get closer and closer and start developing real feelings for one another. Johansson obviously plays the virtual voice. Warner Bros has already announced it will spend money pushing her and all of the film’s co-stars for various awards over the next few months.
To check out the full trailer for Her, you can go ahead and watch the embed below. The film opens on December 18, though it’s played at several film festivals already…
