There is a concept that circulates every award season and is pervasive in every conversation about the performance categories. It’s called a “Legacy Oscar.” Essentially, a “Legacy Oscar” is about rewarding a performer who has been consistently good for their entire career but has not received the recognition they deserve for their body of work. It can take many forms but is typically a multiple nominee—think Glenn Close (8 nominations, no wins) or Amy Adams (6 nominations, no wins)—who may not be “past their prime” but is someone the Academy wants on their winner roster before it’s too late. This “legacy” recognition can also be a performer who has never been nominated for an Oscar but has had a terrific career—think Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), or Isabelle Huppert (Elle).
Sometimes, this concept and the wave of emotional reminiscing about a performer’s career can lead to a win. It’s often not necessarily that that particular performance really is the best of the season, but one that arrives at the right time. The concept that it has been a long enough wait is a strange one when it comes to judging art, but really, all an Oscar is is a slap on the back from peer to peer. It has happened several times in Best Actress in the nearly century-long history of the Academy Awards.
In the last 25 years, at least three Best Actress wins, even if they were deserving, can be categorized as “Legacy Oscars.” In 2010, Kate Winslet won her first Oscar for The Reader after five previous nominations for Best Actress and Supporting Actress. In 2012, Meryl Streep took home the trophy for The Iron Lady. It was her third win, but the time between win number two (Sophie’s Choice, 1983) and win number three had been 29 years, and the consensus was that Streep was due for another coronation. In 2015, Julianne Moore won her first Oscar for Still Alice after four previous nominations in Best Actress and Supporting Actress.
It’s a tradition that has spurned endless debates, and the performances from the films of 2024 will be no different. Many are still to be seen, but several have already been released this year and buzzed about (even in this very column). Here are two to consider as the final films of the year make their way into the crowded field.
Saoirse Ronan is one of the actresses vying for her “Legacy Oscar” this year. Yes, Saoirse Ronan. At 30 years old, she is already a four-time Oscar nominee. Her first nomination was at 13 years old in 2008 for her supporting performance in Atonement. She went on to be a constant name on the lips of every pundit in the 2010s by securing nominations for her lead performances in Brooklyn (2016), Lady Bird (2018), and Little Women (2020). She has been a consistent and tremendous performer for her entire career and her work in this year’s The Outrun is just another showcase for her spectacular talent. It’s her most assured and mature role to date and she eases into it effortlessly. She’s a boundless talent, and while often the “Legacy Oscar” comes as people worry a performer doesn’t have another good role on the horizon, this win would be a terrific early career (yes, despite the data, she’s still only getting started and has a long career ahead) achievement for her.
Demi Moore is in a very different position than Ronan, but also in consideration for a “Legacy Oscar.” Despite good performances throughout her career—Ghost (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), G.I. Jane (1997), and Margin Call (2011), Moore has been left on the sidelines of the Oscar conversation. Then came The Substance, a body horror allegory tailor-made for an actress with Moore’s tremendous talents. She bares her soul in the film and captures a magic that few could even come close to, with such raw emotion coursing through every movement and line delivery. If there is to be a “Legacy Oscar” win or nomination this year, it couldn’t go to a more deserving actress in a more deserving role.
Lately, though, the paradigms have shifted, and the voters can and will throw a curveball into a race that was decided several precursors before or is deemed a performer’s time to win. Just remember Glenn Close’s face as Olivia Colman’s name was read on Oscar night 2019, which was supposed to be her triumphant walk to the stage. Anything can happen, and legacy can be overthrown for history. As we learned last year, with the history-making nomination of Lily Gladstone, that kind of narrative doesn’t have the solid foothold it thinks it does as Emma Stone walked home with the gold even as nearly every pundit had Gladstone as a sure bet.
