Golden Globe nominations put Redmayne, Cumberbatch and Oyelowo into Oscar contention
A TRIO OF British stars established themselves as early Oscar favorites on Thursday following the release of the Golden Globe nominations.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are among a host of British stars in contention for the baubles, which are handed out by the often-derided but still hugely influential Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Cumberbatch, Redmayne and fellow Briton David Oyelowo make up three of the nominees for best actor in a drama.
Felicity Jones, Redmayne’s co-star in Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, is up for best actress in a drama, as is Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike.
The 72nd Golden Globes will be held in Beverly Hills on 11 January.
Cumberbatch’s citation comes for his role as World War II code breaker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, for which Keira Knightley gets a best supporting actress nod.
Bookmakers William Hill make Redmayne their 10/11 favourite to win the best actor in a drama award, with Cumberbatch just behind at 6/4.
Redmayne said he was “beyond thrilled” and would “have a few mulled wines to celebrate”, while Jones, who plays Hawking’s first wife Jane in The Theory of Everything, said it was “a tremendous moment to get the news”.
Oyelowo, (above, left) who got his start in the British spy drama Spooks, got the nod for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights saga Selma, which is also up for a best drama prize, competing with Boyhood, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything and Foxcatcher.
Other British names in the mix include Ralph Fiennes, nominated for his comic turn at the center of The Grand Budapest Hotel. The Wes Anderson directed comedy joins Birdman, Into the Woods, St Vincent and the British film Pride in the best film comedy or musical category.
And the redoubtable and oft-nominated Dame Helen Mirren is also in with a shout, shortlisted for best actress in a musical or comedy for The Hundred-Foot Journey, as is Emily Blunt for Into the Woods.
