There is no denying that the Oscars favour a certain type of movie. Franchises that occupy sci-fi and fantasy territory are often overlooked as blockbuster fare, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Harry Potter series full of renowned actors but only receiving recognition at the Oscars for technical categories such as visual effects and scores. These awards are well-deserved, but it is very rare to see even a nomination for an actor who stars in a movie of this genre. The same is true for the Star Wars movies, with the saga continuing to expand with little recognition from the Oscars.
An Oscar drought
The Oscar selection committee in 1978 cannot be accused of dismissing Star Wars as a serious movie, with the film receiving ten nominations that were converted into six awards. This made Star Wars, as it was known before it was retconned into being called A New Hope, the biggest winner of the awards in terms of volume. However, it was Annie Hall that claimed the hallowed Best Picture and Best Director gongs, and the Star Wars movies have never got so close again. In fact, there has been a stark decline in terms of Oscar recognition, even for the technical categories. The Empire Strikes Back won one of three nominations, and that has proven to be the last Oscar for the Star Wars series. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi may have won an Oscar in the shape of Oscar Isaac, but there has been no recognition in award form.
While the soundtrack and visual appeal of the movies have been acknowledged across the years, it looks increasingly unlikely that an actor will pull out an Oscar-worthy performance in a Star Wars movie. JJ Abrams suggested that Mark Hamill should receive an Oscar for his role in The Last Jedi, but Hamill failed to even earn a nomination in a movie that was, according to Forbes, tipped to gross 36% less than its predecessor. That may be a result of the bias against perceived blockbuster movies, but not even a legendary actor in the movie with the most critical acclaim could grab what has since proven to be an elusive Star Wars Oscar.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope
Alec Guinness stands alone in unique territory as the only actor in the Star Wars series to have been nominated for an Oscar. Acknowledged for the gravitas he brought to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, Guinness was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor category but lost to Jason Robards’ performance in Julia. Robards was winning that Oscar for the second consecutive year, so it took an incredible talent to fend off the Star Wars actor. Guinness’ grounding in Shakespearean theatre made him a special talent in cinema, bringing the nuance and power of his stage performances to now-classic movies such as Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.
It was his portrayal of Col. Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai that claimed Guinness the Oscar for Best Actor in 1957 at the age of 43. Betway have analyzed the profiles of award-winners across entertainment industries, with first-time winners, on average, aged 32. Guinness’ switch from stage to screen explains his relative lateness to the world of the Oscars, although if he had been successful for his role in Star Wars, then he would have been a full 25 years senior to the average award winner in modern film and television. Guinness’ experience and success made his appearance in Star Wars a real coup for George Lucas, although it is not like there has been a dearth of star quality since.
Putting the ‘star’ in Star Wars
The huge success of the original trilogy has made, and will forever make, appearing in Star Wars movies attractive to all types of actors. The subsequent movies have continued the tradition of the original films by giving starring roles to relative unknowns, with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega making astronomical leaps in terms of global recognition when chosen as the leads in The Force Awakens. While Ridley and Boyega have become famous, Hayden Christensen has become infamous for his interpretation of Anakin Skywalker as a moody man-child. In defence of Christensen, not even Alec Guinness could redeem the stilted ruminations on the qualities of sand.
Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman’s careers survived the prequel trilogies more successfully than Christensen, with McGregor perhaps the standout performance across all three movies because he managed to avoid many of the bureaucracy and diplomacy scenes. Liam Neeson added established star quality to The Phantom Menace, having been nominated for an Oscar for his gripping performance in Schindler’s List in 1993. Samuel L. Jackson appeared in all three of the prequels, having previously been nominated for his performance in Pulp Fiction. Jackson has since become the world’s highest grossing actor in the US with movies that had raked in $4.63 billion by 2016, although The Guardian reported how a certain Harrison Ford usurped him with the release of The Force Awakens. While the star quality of Neeson and Jackson cannot be argued with today, at the time they were still lacking the undoubted success of an Alec Guinness. Given that the recent Solo: A Star Wars Story may put Disney up to $50 million in deficit due to its box office failure, a huge star may be needed to turn things around for the next movie.
