I love Jamie Lee Curtis and I want that to be very clear up front–this is not an anti-Jamie Lee Curtis article. However, Jamie Lee Curtis’ win for Best Supporting Actress is an incredibly frustrating one. Yes, her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once was incredibly charming and hilarious, but it frankly was not Oscar worthy, especially over the other actresses in the category, one of which played a major role in the same film.
That brings me to the topic of Stephanie Hsu, the incredible young actress who played Joy Wang/Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Some of the argument made in favor of Jamie Lee Curtis’ win is simply because of the magnificence of the film in which her role originates, but Stephanie Hsu is a much more integral feature of the same film. Hsu’s character is an incredibly central feature of the film, serving as both main character and antagonist; her arc in the film is second only to Evelyn’s portrayed by Michelle Yeoh. Hsu magnificently portrays a young, queer daughter of an Asian immigrant trying to find her way in the world and have her mother’s acceptance (and also a multiversal superpower whose powers involve a bagel and incredible fashion sense). When I first saw the film, it was Hsu’s performance that perhaps struck me most, her emotions felt visceral and real, her pain resonated with the viewer, her entire journey brought tears pouring from my eyes. Hsu was a first time nominee, and I have no doubt we’ll see her back again at the Oscars soon, but this performance made her more than deserving of the award.
The other main argument in favor of Jamie Lee Curtis’ win seems to be that it was a legacy win, and there is no doubt that she has an incredible collection of films behind her; but there was another candidate, with a better performance this year who has a mighty legacy of her own – Angela Bassett. Angela Bassett is a powerhouse of an actress, churning out incredible performances one after another, she is a force to be reckoned with. Angela Bassett’s performance as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is what earned her this year’s Best Supporting Actress nomination. And I can say without a doubt that this performance is show stopping. I left the theater after seeing that film in tears, due in large part to her incredible performance of grieving mother and grieving queen, while in real life being a grieving friend following the loss of Chadwick Boseman. She is the beating heart of the film, delivering a performance that brings her character into her own right while also honoring Boseman’s legacy. There are not enough words to truly describe how incredible she is in this film. She deserved a win for this performance alone, but also for all of her amazing performances in the past. After all, she did in fact do the thing.
Really, if you want to know any of my other thoughts about this, just look at this Tweet. Jamie Lee, I love you, but the Academy has some explaining to do.