Actress Kate Winslet said on Sunday (January 17) that she thinks it’s going to be Leonardo DiCaprio’s year for finally winning an Oscar after he was nominated for his lead role in “The Revenant”.
DiCaprio, 41, received his fifth Oscar nod on Thursday (January 14), and his friend and co-star from “Titanic” and “Revolutionary Road” said she was backing him to win.
“I think it probably will be (his year). I do think it probably will be, I think you can sort of feel it. And I think that everyone wants it for him and it would be amazing, it would just be amazing. But it’s also slightly difficult for me too because Michael Fassbender has been nominated and of course I was his right hand woman for three months while we were making Steve Jobs and I saw how hard he worked and I think his performance is so extraordinary. But I think yeah I think you can sort of feel the temperature, it’s probably going to be Leo’s year,” she said.
Winslet was speaking at the 36th annual London Critics’ Circle Awards where she collected Supporting Actress of the Year for her performance in “Steve Jobs”, a role for which she has also been nominated for an Oscar.
The 40-year-old said she was particularly proud to be up for an Academy Award in a year when she felt the field of potential nominees was very strong.
“They were like the golden tickets this year, they were really very coveted spots I think, particularly in this category and so I am absolutely thrilled. You know this was a film I was so proud to be in and I really love the film and I loved the experience of making it so it is the ultimate cherry on the cake to be nominated,” she said.
Asked how she felt that actors of colour were once again shut out from the industry’s biggest honours, she said: “Whenever that happens it surprises me. Yeah, I think there probably should have been. It’s a difficult one because how does one talk about that publicly without saying something wrong or something that’s going to be irritating or be repeated in some way or taken out of context but it is quite surprising yes.”
Judi Dench attended the ceremony to present actor Kenneth Branagh with the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, an award which acknowledges the Belfast-born star’s three decade career on stage and behind the camera.
“I say thank you and I am very happy but I don’t try and get into too much misty-eyed reflection. Because when I do I am always amazed at how long I have been around. So I am grateful but I am basically a present and future kind of guy,” he said.
Branagh also reflected on the death of his fellow British actor Alan Rickman from cancer last week.
“He was an extraordinary behind-the-scenes guy, a lot of unsung work, he was basically supporting other people’s endeavours and that about him I found the most impressive as much as I was also thrilled to work with him the odd time. But it was just his commitment to giving something back that I thought was really special,” he said.
The other big winners of the night included “Mad Max: Fury Road” which won Film of the Year and Director of the Year, and marital drama “45 Years” which won British Film of the Year.
Young British or Irish performer of the year was won by “Game of Thrones” star Maisie Williams for her role in “The Falling”.
When asked about the future of the character Jon Snow in the show, she said: “I don’t think Jon Snow is back, I am really sorry. Jon Snow is dead. Heartbreaking, but find out more on the 24th April.”
Fan speculation on Jon Snow’s fate has ranged from sightings of the actor who plays him Kit Harington on set in Ireland to the actor’s decision not to cut his shoulder-length brown locks, which have become a trademark of his character.
The sixth season will air on HBO in April 2016. (Reuters)
