2026 is here, and that means it’s officially “awards season.” From the Critics’ Choice to the Golden Globes to the Oscars, and many more in between, the awards will be there in the coming months. It’s a big deal in Hollywood, but as Gwyneth Paltrow points out, it’s also a big deal.
Gwyneth Paltrow won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1999 for Shakespeare in love, and even though the actress is now somewhat retired, her new film, Marty Supremeis likely to be a strong contender at most award shows (it’s already been nominated for the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice). During a recent appearance on the Awardist podcast, Paltrow acknowledges that nominations are a recognition of great works, but she realizes that it’s also about money. She said…
So it comes down to, I think the awards are designed, I think, yes, to recognize people’s incredible achievements, but it’s also a monetization tool for a broader industry. And so I think you have to understand them from that perspective as well, and know that even though your film is part of the conversation, that in itself is an honor. That in itself is wonderful for a film and for this business model of cinema, which I hope continues to be viable.
While it’s nice to imagine that awards like the Oscars are given entirely on merit and there’s no politicking involved, that’s not the case, and it’s nice to hear someone willing to say that out loud. There’s a lot of money at stake in awards season. For Your Consideration campaigns pump millions of dollars into the Hollywood ecosystem to try to get voters to notice particular films.
We know that some voters don’t watch every movie. Campaigns like this can therefore have a real impact, encouraging people to watch films they would not otherwise see. This may lead to legitimate votes, but the money spent on the campaign itself is part of the Hollywood system. This money can come back to the studios in the form of ticket sales, Blu-ray purchases, streaming views of films that receive nominations and wins.
Of course, since these winners come from a combination of talent and campaign, this can often lead to discontent among those watching the awards ceremony, who feel that the wrong film won a particular award. This is great for Gwyneth Paltrow, because she says no one will ever fully agree on these things, such is the nature of cinema. She continued…
I think there’s always a debate about what people like and don’t like because art is subjective. That’s the goal. The purpose of art is to arouse emotion and to help you process emotion and to help you take something abstract and put it into a reference that you understand.
None of this is to say that the nominees and winners don’t deserve it. When every studio spends money to get attention, it levels the playing field somewhat. There’s still great work to be done making these films, and those who receive recognition in the form of awards should be proud.
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