Oscar-Nominated Actors Who Began 2014 in Their 30s

don't know enough about many of these actors, but based on what i do know -- amy adams.

joaquin or winslet

i like cruz best over cotillard. in terms of who is the best actor this would've been winslet once but lately i gotta go w/ joaquin.

Adams and Fassbender.

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams is great too, I like a lot of these tbh.

Jonah Hill!

hawkins

it is weird to me that michael shannon is the same age as chloe sevigny

Voted Joaquin, now wondering whether I should have voted Sevigny, but it's down to those two for me, for sure.

cotillard and gosling are the best actors here. gosling got a bit too far up his own ass. cotillard went briefly off the map but really there's no one better here. stunning craft. she knows what it's all about.

Witherspoon vs Ejiofer vs Fassbender vs Ledger.

Fassbender probably the best technical actor.

First Oscar nominee born in the '70s: justin henry
First born in the '80s: anna paquin
first in teh '90s: keisha castle-hughes
first in teh '00s: quvenzhane wallis

lol children as vessels of indigenous wisdom

it should be weird that Chloe Sevigny will be 40 this year, but haven't seen any of her TV stuff so I've barely noticed her in the last ten years. (don't really remember her in Zodiac)

Phoenix

Casey Affleck and Samantha Morton rank highly btw

iirc sevigny in zodiac was like spacek in jfk: the only waste

is there any part more thankless than a spouse in a process movie? your children are growing up without you!

i was stoned earlier and i voted reese witherspoon? idk

i haven't seen reese witherspoon in a movie in like ten years so in my mind she's just freeway, election, legally blonde star turn, then ha i saw "sweet home alabama" and now here i am

witherspoon deserved her oscar iirc

She did...for Election.

is there any part more thankless than a spouse in a process movie? your children are growing up without you!

ugh i hate that there are so many actresses relegated to "why do you work all the time? why are you such a terrible husband and father?" roles.

michelle monaghan, lately

I think CS's role in Zodiac is about as poignant as that kind of role can be--more to it than nagging spouse imo.

Michael Shannon

Is it just me or is this a much stronger list than the proceeding pair?

I'm slightly distressed that I am older than Fassbender...

lol

The below all strike me as reasonably credible choices who I've consistent enjoyed. Morton I've not seen in a while. Probably voting Shannon or Phoenix though.

Amy Adams (1974)
Penelope Cruz (1974)
Joaquin Phoenix (1974)
Chloe Sevigny (1974)
Michael Shannon (1974)
Marion Cotillard (1975)
Kate Winslet (1975)
Sally Hawkins (1976)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (1977)
Michael Fassbender (1977)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (1977)
Samantha Morton (1977)
Michelle Williams (1980)

Voted Cotillard in the end, with Fassbender 2nd and Adams 3rd.

I really enjoy watching Shannon but have seen nothing to convince me he has much in the way of range.

not nominated for an oscar, unfortunately, and he's made some bad project decisions lately, but i'd say joseph gordon-levitt is as good or better than any actor on this list (e.g., mysterious skin and brick).

i'm sure i should be more familiar with fassbender's filmography.

xp have you seen the Runaway's movie?

No, been meaning to for while.

michelle williams

I thought Toby Maguire had been nominated for something

iirc sevigny in zodiac was like spacek in jfk: the only waste

Same point as Ryan--I'd say her role is less thankless than Spacek's. She has a great weird date with Gyllenhaal, and skipping forward to when they're married, she's never the scold that Spacek is (I like the way she leaves the envelope for Gyllenhaal in her last scene). Spacek also had much more stature at that point in her career, so the JFK part seemed especially puzzling.

I suppose I'll vote for Eisenberg, based solely on the fact that he's the one person here in two of my favourite films of the past decade. But I realize his range is (to put it charitably) a little limited. Phoenix or Witherspoon is probably the best.

TS: Jessica Lange in Cape Fear vs Spacek in JFK in the Thankless Wife role

Theron is in the running for me, despite having done reams of garbage.

Had no idea Chiwetel Ejiofor was that close to my age.

You're over 30. 3-0. You look it. You looked it five years ago. You'll look it twenty years from now.

Considering the ilx prevailing gender, I predict a woman actor will win this poll.

xp You're a gibson girl, right?

Seconding Daniel's "Other" vote for Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

It took several years to get that pun (and several Gibsons).

I always down a cocktail onion whenever the party's ended before it even began.

u guys get a room

Chiwetel Ejiofor is my man.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Not much of a surprise, huh?

I didn't realize that Cotillard was so respected, but I've only seen her English-language films. (I know she won an Oscar and everything, but an Edith Piaf biopic is awards bait.)

At this precise moment, no one's further out front.

What now?

Also I just realized that I included Heath Ledger on a list of actors who began 2014 in their 30s. Dude didn't live to see 30 iirc.

I just took it to mean 'who began (or would have begun)...'