This year, Frances McDormand has a shot at doing what only one other actress has done before in the 93-year history of the Academy Awards. If she brings home another Best Actress trophy for “Nomadland,” she will follow Katharine Hepburn as the second triple winner in the category. And she will be just one step behind Hepburn’s record of four lead wins.
“Nomadland” marks McDormand’s sixth nomination for acting (she is also contending as one of the film’s producers). These half dozen bids make her one of the 20 most-nominated actresses in Oscar history.
McDormand’s half dozen nominations are evenly split between the lead and supporting acting categories. In terms of screen time, her average for her starring roles that were singled out by the actors branch is 53 minutes and 35 seconds (or 49.50% of the respective films). For her featured turns that merited academy recognition, the average is 13 minutes and 30 seconds (or 10.76%). Whether or not screen time has factored into her wins and losses, the possibility is worth examining.
Check out our gallery and screen time analysis of McDormand’s six Oscar-nominated performances, and be sure to tune in to the 93rd Academy Awards, airing Sunday, April 25 on ABC.
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2021 – “Nomadland” (Best Actress)
Image Credit: Searchlight Pictures 1 hour, 20 minutes, 56 seconds (75.21% of the film)
This year, McDormand is looking to maintain a perfect Best Actress record by triumphing for her portrayal of Fern, a widow whose life is devastated by the Great Recession and subsequently decides to live as a van-dwelling nomad. Her screen time places her in the middle of her lineup, while her percentage ranks as the highest. In terms of screen time, there has not been much rhyme or reason to the academy’s recent lead female choices, but they have shown slight favoritism toward longer performances over the past decade.
At the low end of the group is Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) with 26 minutes and 41 seconds (28.36%), followed by Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”) with one hour, 18 minutes, and 32 seconds (61.53%). Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) places ahead of McDormand with one hour, 23 minutes, and nine seconds (73.36%), while Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) ranks highest with one hour, 27 minutes, and 42 seconds (67.38%).
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2018 – “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Best Actress)
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures 53 minutes, 19 seconds (46.27% of the film)
McDormand won her second Best Actress prize three years ago for playing Mildred Hayes, a woman who begins to demand justice for her daughter’s murder after months of police inactivity. In this case, she had the second lowest amount of screen time and ranked over five minutes and 6% below the average.
Her competitors’ screen times ranged from 46 to 71 minutes and 39 to 76%. She was the third actress with the second lowest screen time in her lineup to win during the 2010s, after Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings Playbook”) and Brie Larson (“Room”).
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2006 – “North Country” (Best Supporting Actress)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 15 minutes, 11 seconds (12.03% of the film)
McDormand’s third and most recent supporting bid came for her role as Glory Dodge, a Minnesota iron miner who, alongside her female coworkers, takes a stand against sexual harassment. She had the second least screen time among her fellow nominees and ranked over six minutes and 6% below the average.
Rachel Weisz was chosen as the winner for appearing in 30 minutes (or 23.34%) of “The Constant Gardener.” She had the second most screen time in the category that year.
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2001 – “Almost Famous” (Best Supporting Actress)
Image Credit: Dreamworks LLC 12 minutes, 10 seconds (9.88% of the film)
McDormand earned her second Best Supporting Actress nomination for playing Elaine Miller, the overbearing mother of an aspiring teenage music journalist. Her screen time was the lowest in her group at over 11 minutes and 9% below the average.
She lost to Marcia Gay Harden (“Pollock”), whose screen time totaled 45 minutes and 44 seconds (or 37.06% of the film) and was the highest in her category.
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1997 – “Fargo” (Best Actress)
Image Credit: Metro Goldwyn Mayer 26 minutes, 29 seconds (27.01% of the film)
McDormand’s first Oscar win came for playing the lead role of Marge Gunderson, an astute Minnesota police chief who becomes involved in a complex kidnapping case. She had less screen time than all of her competitors and fell over 29 minutes and 15% below the year’s average.
Her fellow nominees’ screen times ranged from 47 to 94 minutes and 29 to 59%. She was the first to prevail for delivering the year’s shortest lead female performance since Louise Fletcher (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) 21 years earlier.
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1989 – “Mississippi Burning” (Best Supporting Actress)
Image Credit: Orion Pictures 13 minutes, 8 seconds (10.36% of the film)
McDormand was first recognized by the academy for her supporting turn as Mrs. Pell, a deputy sheriff’s wife who helps the FBI find answers following the disappearance of three civil rights workers. She had the second lowest amount of screen time that year and ranked over seven minutes and 7% below the average.
Geena Davis won the award for “The Accidental Tourist” with 29 minutes and 30 seconds (or 24.37%) of screen time. She had the highest amount by actual time and the second highest in terms of percentage.
