How Actors Can Influence the Best Picture Race, From ‘Marriage Story’ to ‘Joker’

Awards season is in full swing, and Academy members are getting all kinds of opportunities to see many of the most acclaimed movies of the year. In the past two weeks alone, Netflix heavy-hitters “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story” both received flashy premieres attended by voters keen on seeing it all, even as two earlier releases — “Parasite” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” remain popular favorites. But how does “Joker” figure into all this? To address the state of the Best Picture race, it helps to focus on one major contingency that could play a key role in the final determination: the actors branch.

In this week’s episode of Screen Talk, co-hosts Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson sit down in Los Angeles to recap their experiences at a recent party for “Marriage Story,” and how enthusiasm for Noah Baumbach’s divorce drama could impact other frontrunners. They also explore the good will toward Shia LaBeouf’s intimate screenplay for “Honey Boy,” opening this week, and anticipate some additional fall festivals just around the corner.

Listen to the full episode below. 

Screen Talk is available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud. You can subscribe here or via RSS. Share your feedback with Thompson and Kohn on Twitter or sound off in the comments. Browse previous installments here, review the show on iTunes and be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear the hosts address specific issues in upcoming editions of Screen Talk. Check out the rest of IndieWire’s podcasts on iTunes right here.