Hollywood is suddenly obsessed with actress Andrea Riseborough. Here's why.

Andrea Riseborough is living up to the first four letters of her surname by suddenly rising in the Oscar race.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Hollywood is obsessing over the actress' performance in the under-the-radar indie film To Leslie, with star after star coming out of the woodwork to heap praise on her. The movie sees Riseborough portray an alcoholic single mother.
"It's about the most fully committed, emotionally deep, physically harrowing performance I've seen in a while," Edward Norton tweeted, while Gwyneth Paltrow said she was "stunned" by Riseborough's performance. Multiple stars, including Dulé Hill and Meredith Vieira, also posted virtually identical tweets about the "small film with a giant heart."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cate Blanchett praised the actress on stage at the Critics' Choice Awards for her "extraordinary" work, and Kate Winslet even proclaimed Riseborough delivered the "greatest female performance on screen I have ever seen in my life." Others who have endorsed the film (and hosted screenings of it) include Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Paulson, and Charlize Theron. This sudden wave of enthusiasm came amid voting for the Oscar nominations — and Frances Fisher laid out exactly how many votes Riseborough would need to earn a nod.
To Leslie director Michael Morris told The Hollywood Reporter the film is so small, "we can't even afford an ad," so the goal seemed to be to make up for the lack of resources for an awards campaign by getting the movie in front of as many actors as possible right as Oscar voting begins. According to Deadline, Riseborough is also "using largely her own money to bring attention" to the film amid what the outlet dubbed a "guerilla campaign," though Puck's Matthew Belloni reports "rival campaigners believe" the agency CAA, "which reps a lot of the backers," could be behind it.
But will all this pay off? On the awards prediction website GoldDerby, at least one pundit is now forecasting Riseborough will, in fact, earn an Oscar nomination, potentially meaning Viola Davis gets left out for The Woman King. It would be a highly unusual case of a film receiving an acting nod at the Oscars despite having little-to-no presence in the awards race beforehand and not being pushed in a big way until the last minute — marking a potentially big win for procrastinators everywhere.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
America's academic brain drain has begun
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the Trump administration targets universities and teachers, educators are eying greener academic pastures elsewhere — and other nations are starting to take notice
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Musk targeting a Wisconsin Supreme Court race?
Today's Big Question His money could help conservatives, but it could also produce a Democratic backlash
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How to pay off student loans
The explainer Don't just settle for the default repayment plan
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Oscars 2025: Anora’s Cinderella triumph
Feature The film about a stripper who elopes with the son of a Russian oligarch takes home four Oscars
By The Week US Published
-
The best body horror movies of the last half-century
The Week Recommends If 'The Substance' piqued your interest, these other films will likely be your speed
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why Japanese residents can't watch their country's Oscar-nominated #MeToo documentary
THE EXPLAINER Shiori Ito became one of the faces of Japan's #MeToo movement
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
I'm Still Here: 'superb' drama explores Brazil's military dictatorship
The Week Recommends Fernanda Torres delivers 'phenomenal' performance as mother whose life is shattered by violence in the Oscar-nominated drama
By The Week UK Published
-
2025 Oscars: voters, record-breakers and precedent-setters
The explainer A walk through Academy Awards history, both past and present
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Is method acting falling out of fashion?
Talking Points The divisive technique has its detractors, though it has also wrought quite a few Oscar-winning performances
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
September 5: 'nail-chewing' thriller explores 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack
The Week Recommends Oscar-nominated film cuts between dramatised events and real archival footage from news coverage
By The Week UK Published