More than three-in-four Americans have not seen any of the Best Actor/Actress-nominated films from this year’s Academy Awards
When it comes to the 2019 Academy Awards, Americans prefer what (and who) they know. That’s clearly the case with the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress this year. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, most adults have seen none of the films with Best Actor and Best Actress nominees, making the best-known actors often the favorites.
Only 5% have seen at least three of the five nominees in the Best Actor category; just 4% have seen at least three of the five Best Actress finalists. One in three adults say they aren’t interested in seeing any of the Best Actor nominees; nearly half (47%) aren’t interested in seeing any of the Best Actress pictures.
As for who should win, name recognition is an advantage, but there are differences between those who have seen no Best Actor nominee films and those who have seen any. Among all adults, Bradley Cooper, who starred in (and directed) A Star is Born, and Rami Malek, who portrayed Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody are basically tied as the choice for the Best Actor Oscar.
However, those who have seen none of the nominated performances favor Cooper, those who have seen at least one like Malek, who is less well-known than Cooper. Christian Bale, a former Batman, who played former Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice, is third overall; while Viggo Mortensen, in Green Book, is in third place among those who have seen any of the nominated performances.
There is less of a difference between those who have seen at least one nominated Best Actress performance and those who have seen none. That’s because of the dominance (and the fame) of Lady Gaga for her work in A Star is Born among both groups. Glenn Close in The Wife and Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? are both well-known and gave critically acclaimed performances in relatively little-seen films. Only one in 20 say they have seen each of these films.
See full toplines and tables results here.
Image: Getty
