‘Hillbilly Elegy’ star Glenn Close is nominated for an Oscar — and a Razzie
EGOTs are nice. But when the 2021 Oscar nominations were unveiled Monday morning, screen veteran Glenn Close achieved a rare feat of her own.
For the eighth time in her illustrious career, the actress picked up an Oscar nomination for her latest star turn. But get this — she also landed a Razzie nomination for the same role.
At both the Academy Awards, which honor the best in filmmaking, and the Golden Raspberry Awards, which honor the worst in filmmaking, Close has been recognized for her work as tough-loving grandmother Mamaw in Netflix’s “Hillbilly Elegy.” Close, 73, is nominated in the best supporting actress category at the Oscars and the worst supporting actress category at the Razzies.
“I’m so thrilled because to get a Razzie and an Oscar nomination in the same year, it’s pretty cool,” Close told NBC’s “Today” show Monday. “To still be in the room, to still have my work recognized by my peers, it’s thrilling to me.”
“Hillbilly Elegy,” which critics largely panned upon its buzzy November release, also earned Razzie nominations for worst director (Ron Howard) and worst screenplay. On the other hand, it also received an Oscar nod for makeup and hairstyling.
The addiction drama, based on the divisive memoir of the same name by J.D. Vance, explores the tumultuous family dynamics among Mamaw, her daughter (Amy Adams) and her grandson (portrayed by Owen Asztalos and Gabriel Basso at different ages).
“The faintly scolding, moralizing tone of Vance’s prose has largely evaporated, only to be replaced by the hectoring profanities of Amy Adams and Glenn Close, two Hollywood royals who have subjected themselves to one of the industry’s most time-honored traditions: deglamorization in service of a dubious artistic cause,” wrote The Times’ Justin Chang in his review of the film.
At the Oscars April 25, Close will vie for best supporting actress alongside Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”) and Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”). A day before that, at the Razzies, Close will compete for worst supporting actress against Lucy Hale (“Fantasy Island”), Maggie Q (“Fantasy Island”), Kristen Wiig (“Wonder Woman 1984”) and Maddie Ziegler (“Music”).
2021 Oscar nominations: The complete list
This marks Close’s fourth Oscar nomination for supporting actress, following three consecutive nods for 1984’s “The Natural,” 1983’s “The Big Chill” and 1982’s “The World According to Garp.” According to the Wrap, she is the third actor in history to draw both an Oscar and a Razzie nomination for the same project, joining the ranks of James Coco (“Only When I Laugh”) and Amy Irving (“Yentl”). (Neither Coco nor Irving won either prize.)
Among the performers who have scored nominations for both Oscars and Razzies in the same year — but for different roles — are Sandra Bullock, Eddie Redmayne, Sylvester Stallone, Uma Thurman and Jack Nicholson, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
If Close wins both awards this year, she’ll be the first to do so for the same performance.
J.D. Vance’s divisive memoir, ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ has been neutered of politics and reduced to its most histrionic parts in Ron Howard’s movie adaptation.
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