Lily Gladstone’s admiration for Cate Blanchett has become quite well-known. The Killers of the Flower Moon actress has been very vocal about how the Tár actress has a significant influence on her growing up, as well as her career. The obsession is not surprising considering just how talented and successful Blanchett is.
Being an actress and a producer, she has been a part of many masterpieces, which have helped her become one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood. She has been nominated for an Academy Award six times in her career and won the same twice.
Her very first nomination in 1999, for her film Elizabeth, could have very easily been a win had it not been for Gwyneth Paltrow and Harvey Weinstein. This fact seems to have made Gladstone deeply upset.
Lily Gladstone Was Deeply Affected By Cate Blanchett’s Loss
The 1999 Oscar Awards were some of the most controversial of all time. Shakespeare in Love took more than a few awards home and many were upset by it, considering just how many strong contenders were present in that year. The film winning Best Picture was the one that infuriated spectators the most. However, it would seem that Gwyneth Paltrow winning was also not favored.
Lily Gladstone gave an interview with People magazine where she talked about what she thought about the wins of that year, specifically talking about Best Actress. She revealed that she was deeply upset by Paltrow’s win in the category, not because she did not think her to be deserving, but because she could not help but root for another actress.
She mentioned that she had been a big fan of Cate Blanchett when she was younger. When the actress was nominated for her first Academy Award for her work in the 1998 film, Elizabeth, Gladstone could not help but hope that she would win the category.
Interestingly enough, it would seem that there is one person to blame for Gladstone’s disappointment: Harvey Weinstein. The condemned producer and his production company, Miramax, were behind Paltrow’s film and it was his campaigning that got the film the recognition that it did.
Harvey Weinstein Was To Blame
At the time, it was quite well understood that Harvey Weinstein had cracked the code on how he could secure a win for his films; campaigning. Campaigning is something that has been a part of awards season for a very long time, with producers and executives advertising their films as much as physically possible to sway the Academy voters in their direction.
Some would even personally contact the voters and try to persuade them out in the open. Although many would call these practices to be unfair and wrong, it was all completely allowed and practiced by many, While some would try simple tactics, that did not seem to be the style of the controversial producer.
He would aggressively advertise his movie as though it were politics. While Weinstein was putting everything he had into securing the film’s position in the Academy, other directors who were nominated were known for not partaking in such practices.
Steven Spielberg, who was nominated for Saving Private Ryan, famously did not condone campaigning, finding it to be untasteful, especially for a film about a subject as sensitive as war. While it is safe to say that one of the main objectives of Weinstein was to win Best Picture, it would be foolish to think his tedious efforts did not affect other categories, like Best Actress.
