Sir Patrick Stewart is “delighted” by speculation he might be about to be nominated for an Academy Award, saying the idea was “not on [his] horizon at all.”
It’s a typically modest statement from the X-Men star, who’s previously won numerous theater awards and been nominated for Golden Globes, Emmys and Saturn Awards for his on-screen roles. The biggest accolade of all, however, has so far eluded him.
That may be all set to change this year. Sir Pat was recently nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award for his supporting role in Logan, fuelling speculation that he might be about to get the nod from the Academy too. The film was certainly a departure from previous X-Men outings, demanding a lot from its principal cast with a character-driven plot that’s unusual in superhero movies.
In true Professor X style though, Sir Pat is taking it all in his stride, telling The A.V. Club he was determined not to be “sucked in by the craziness of it all.”
“I can go from calm, cool, philosophical statements about ‘nomination is all I want’,” he explained, “to feeling enraged that I only left with one award in my hand. It’s a crazy situation.” Watch:
“Unstable”? Never! We can’t imagine anyone more calm and collected.
If Sir Pat does get a nomination, he’s likely to have some stiff competition. Contenders for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar this year are expected to include Sam Rockwell, who bagged the Golden Globe and went on to beat Patrick to the Critics’ Choice Award on Thursday (January 11); Willem Dafoe, whose performance in The Florida Project is getting rave reviews, and even Hugh Grant, who was recently nominated for a BAFTA for his turn in Paddington 2.
A potential Oscar nomination isn’t the only Sir Pat news that’s had people buzzing this week. An early test shot of him as a young and alarmingly hirsute Captain Jean-Luc Picard surfaced on Friday (January 12). Naturally, fans took to social media thanks to comment on the actor’s resplendent thatch.
I knew that they initially tried to make Patrick Stewart wear a wig for Captain Picard but I’d never seen the test photo and now my day is complete. pic.twitter.com/VadkGygtrI
— Paul Haine (@paul_haine) January 12, 2018
Thankfully producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation decided against the hairpiece, and the rest is televisual history.
The Academy Award nominations are out on January 23. We’re gunning for you, Patters.
Do you think Sir Patrick deserves an Oscar for his performance in Logan?
