For his critically acclaimed portrayal of the playwright William Shakespeare In Chloe ZhaoFest Film Fest Darling Hamnet, Paul Mescal will be promoted this awards season to best supporting actor – as opposed to best actor – honors, The Hollywood Reporter learned.
There has been widespread speculation about the path that would be pursued by Mescal – a 2023 Best Actor Oscar contender for 2022 After – and its funders, including Hamnet Distributor tuning features. But a decision has just been solidified.
While Hamnet is a film about the love and loss felt by William and Agnes Shakespeare, the fact is that Agnes – played by Jessie Buckleya Best Actress Oscar favorite — is actually appearing in slightly more film than her famous husband: Mescal appears in 44 minutes and 57 seconds (or 36% of the full running time), while Buckley appears in 63 minutes and 49 seconds (or 51% of the full running time).
In other words, it’s not a stretch to argue that Mescal’s performance is, in fact, proof Buckley. And what’s more, it’s kind of there in the plot of the film: part of Agnes’ frustration with William, as expressed in the film, is that he’s away in London for large chunks of time while she’s back at home dealing with challenges related to their children without him.
While there is no reason to believe this factored into Mescale’s decision, it is nevertheless the case that the 29-year-old is the clear lead of another hopeful prize, Mubi The history of soundso make him go support for Hamnet also serves to prevent him from splitting his own fans’ votes.
Hamnet had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, where it was the talk of the party. It then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People’s Choice Award, which is often a harbinger of Oscar success. It will then play at several regional film festivals en route to concentrating release in select theaters on November 27, then wide on December 12.
