Netflix could push entire ‘Trial of the Chicago 7′ cast up for Oscar nominations: report
The entire cast of “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” the Netflix film released earlier this month, could be in contention for best supporting actor at the 2021 Oscars, according to a new report.
The all-star cast, who played prominent anti-Vietnam War activists, have each earned buzz and critical reviews for the legal drama, which depicts the trial of a group of protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention who were charged with conspiring to riot.
The cast includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance and Jeremy Strong. Sources close to the film told The Hollywood Reporter that despite differing amounts of screen time, each could be put forth for a nomination.
The activists put on trial, including Abbie Hoffman (Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Strong), Tom Hayden (Redmayne) and Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale (Abdul-Mateen), protested even during the proceedings, with constant interruptions to register displeasure with the judge’s rulings, recounted Simon and Schuster, which has republished the court transcript to coincide with the film’s release.
The five-month trial ended in convictions that were later overturned on appeal, “but the trial remained a political and cultural touchstone, a mirror of the deep divisions in the country,” as Simon and Schuster described it.
The Trial of the Chicago 7: The real story behind the Netflix movie
The move to promote the ensemble cast’s members equally for Oscar contention is reminiscent of the way nominations were handled for “Spotlight” in 2015, when the entire cast was put forward for consideration, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
