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Mark Harris
interviewed by Anthony Qaiyum on January 11, 1996
"I don't think Babe is going to get a Best Actor nomination."
Mark Harris is senior editor of "Entertainment Weekly".
Tripod: Everyone knows that the members of the Academy vote for the Oscars, but can you explain who's in the Academy, and how they got there?
MH: Sure. The Academy is divided into different craft groups. You belong either to the actors branch, or the composers branch, or the writers branch, or the directors branch. The membership is several thousand. I don't know the exact numbers, but, by far, the biggest chunk of it is actors. There used to be a rule that if you had three Screen Actors' Guild credits, you could get in. But in the last couple of years studios have started sending out tapes of all the movies that they want to get members to nominate at the end of the year, and that has made joining the Academy very popular. So they've tightened the restrictions somewhat, and now you have to, I think, apply for membership and be recommended by someone who's already in. Then they look at your screen credits and decide if you're of sufficient merit to be in the Academy.
Tripod: Reading your current issue (Jan. 12), it seems that the Oscar for Best Picture will be a showdown between "Sense and Sensibility" and "Leaving Las Vegas." Would you say that's pretty much a sure thing, or is there a chance for a spoiler?
MH: I think there's definitely a chance for a spoiler. The spoiler could be something as big as "Apollo 13," which could win just because more people saw it, than will have seen either of the other two movies. It could be something like "The Bridges of Madison County," which has a lot of appeal to older voters, who are a big, big part of the Academy. Or it could be something really out of the blue like "Babe" or "Toy Story" or even "Braveheart."
Tripod: You don't think those are too lighthearted?
MH: They could be, they could be. This is the first year in quite a while when there really is no front-runner. My personal hunch is that "Sense and Sensibility" is going to win, because it's a well made movie that's gotten great reviews. It's not too big and too popular like "Apollo" is, but it's not too small and too dark like "Leaving Las Vegas" is. So it's kind of the perfect compromise.
Tripod: What would you pick, personally?
MH: Personally, of the films that have a chance of getting nominated, I really liked both "Bridges of Madison County" and "Leaving Las Vegas." It would be close between the two of them, and I'd probably give it to "Leaving Las Vegas."
Tripod: Are there any pictures you'd recommend that wouldn't get the nomination?
MH: Boy, yeah. There were a lot of really great movies last year that don't even stand a chance at a nomination. Spike Lee's movie "Clockers" was, I thought, the best movie he's ever made. Audiences just did not go for it. They stayed away completely. It's really not considered an Oscar contender, but it's a great movie. "Dead Man Walking" with Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. Another really terrific movie -- that may end up sneaking in there and getting a nomination. Definitely one of the best movies of the year.
Tripod: Is there something that the Academy looks for? For instance, what was your opinion on last year's selection of "Forrest Gump" over "Pulp Fiction?"
MH: Last year was a real light versus dark contest. You had this huge independent hit -- very grim, very violent, very funny, very hip -- on the one hand, "Pulp Fiction." And then this even bigger hit that was this feel good, baby boomer, nostalgia trip -- "Forrest Gump." We tend to interpret the Academy's choices probably more than we should. It's not as if "Forrest Gump" winning was a refutation of "Pulp Fiction." The amazing thing was that "Pulp Fiction" was in there and got maybe seven or eight nominations.
It's hard to say that the Academy goes with lighter, more mainstream stuff over heavier, grim movies. The year before "Schindler's List" won, and that was about as grim a movie as you could get, although obviously it had the kind of social importance that the academy likes. But "The Silence of the Lambs" also won best picture in a year when the conventional wisdom was that the Academy would never pick a thriller, and would never pick a movie that had opened that early in the previous year.
So I don't think that it's going to be decided dogmatically. I think that "Leaving Las Vegas" has a real shot. I think "Sense and Sensibility" has a chance. I think "Apollo" has a chance. And I think something like "American President" even has an outside chance. But I think "Sense and Sensibility" is probably going to win, because it seems like the movie that the most people like. People are really coming out of it happy.
Tripod: Can you give us the scoop on Best Actor? Is it a two person contest?
MH: I think the big question is -- Can anybody stop Nicholas Cage for "Leaving Las Vegas?" He has won every single award that's been given so far -- of any importance. He's got the New York Critics', the L.A. Critics', the National Board of Review. He has a Golden Globe nomination. He won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award. It's just a great performance, and the only question is, who can stand in his way? I think the only two contenders are John Travolta for "Get Shorty." A really popular actor. He hasn't won before. He was very gracious last year in losing to Tom Hanks, and people may feel that he's finally earned it.
And also, Sean Penn for "Dead Man Walking." Never been nominated before, but it's a great performance in a movie that's getting really good reviews. And I suppose you could say that even Anthony Hopkins in "Nixon" has a chance. But I don't think that movie has the kind of momentum that would get him a win. So if I had to bet, I would certainly say Nicholas Cage.
Tripod: Your magazine has mentioned that this might be the year for women as far as Best Actress is concerned. Why is that?
MH: Well, usually the Academy has a hard time finding even five worthy nominees for Best Actress, because Hollywood has done such a terrible job at writing good roles for women, and casting them.
This year is different. Nicholas Cage has won all of the Best Actor awards. The Best Actress awards, so far, have been split five or six different ways -- Nicole Kidman for "To Die For," Jennifer Jason Leigh for "Georgia," Emma Thompson for "Sense and Sensibility," and Elisabeth Shue for "Leaving Las Vegas" have all won awards from one group or another. And besides that, there are legitimate contenders -- like Susan Sarandon for "Dead Man Walking," Meryl Streep for "Bridges of Madison County," Sharon Stone for "Casino" -- who could really be in there. So there is no front runner -- even a narrow front runner in that category.
Tripod: So, you wouldn't put your money anywhere?
MH: Umm, I would bet right now, as a long shot choice, for Susan Sarandon for "Dead Man Walking." She's been nominated three or four times. She's never won. It's a very good performance in a movie that's just now beginning to open around the country, so it's momentum is only going to build in the next few weeks.
It's sort of a funny situation. If she can get the nomination, I think she has a really good chance of winning. But, because it's such a crowded field, she might not even get nominated.
Tripod: Are there any surprises we should be looking out for in the Oscars?
MH: Well, I don't think Babe is going to get a Best Actor nomination. (Laughs.) I guess the most I can do is tell you where to look for surprises. Look in the Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress categories, because that's where, traditionally, the Academy pulls at least one or two names that have never even been mentioned, out of thin air and they get nominations.
Right now, for Best Supporting Actor, there's a lot of talk about Kevin Spacey for "The Usual Suspects," and Ed Harris for "Apollo 13." For Best Supporting Actress it's Mira Sorvino for "Mighty Aphrodite," and Joan Allen for "Nixon" have both won a couple of awards. But somewhere in those categories will be a nominee or two that takes everyone by surprise. And I can't guess who it is. (Laughs.)
Tripod: Are there any movies that aren't going to get much recognition at all, but were standouts in your mind?
MH: I think the two movies that are going to get ignored are "Clockers" -- the Spike Lee movie, which I mentioned before -- and "Priest" -- the movie from England that caused a great deal of controversy earlier in the year. The movie about the gay cleric. Linus Roach who starred in that movie, gave, I thought, a huge star-making performance, and I'm sure that we'll be seeing more of him in the coming years. I think the movie is just too controversial and didn't do enough business to get recognized by the Academy. But I thought it was definitely one of the year's best movies.
Tripod: Just to give our readers a preview of the coming year, do have any advice for movies to look out for in '96?
MH: Not Oscar contenders, necessarily, but I just saw the trailer for "Mission: Impossible" which looked pretty great. So, looking ahead towards summer movies, that's one that I think people can get really excited about. Also "A Time to Kill," the adaptation of John Grisham's first novel, has a really strong cast including Sam Jackson and Kevin Spacey. This could really turn out to be a terrific movie. I would also say look out for Disney's animated version of "James and the Giant Peach." It's not going to be a traditional Disney animated movie. It's going to be a lot like "Nightmare Before Christmas" was -- very weird, cool, interesting movie. I hear that visually it's really unlike anything that's been seen so far. Those are three completely random picks out of what looks like it could be a very good year.
For more information about the Oscars visit Entertainment Weekly on the Web at:
http://pathfinder.com/ew/
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