An Oscar-winning cocktail: Andrea Riseborough is latest Best Actress nominee to portray heartbreak of addiction [PHOTOS]

Ronald Meyer and Denton Davidson
·2 min read
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Hangovers and regret make many an Oscar-winning cocktail, giving new meaning to the expression “breakfast of champions.” Andrea Riseborough’s successful 25th-hour campaign adds the British actress to a long line of performers who’ve been recognized by the academy for playing characters with substance abuse issues (or on the receiving end of someone else’s). Her role in the microbudget “To Leslie” exemplifies all the hallmarks of a classic movie drunk: She is charismatic but volatile, tender yet selfish.

SEE Andrea Riseborough (‘To Leslie’) on her marathon of prep to play ‘cycles of shame’

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Inspired by a true story, the film is about a single West Texas mom who wins the lottery but finds herself homeless six years later. The Guardian’s Adrian Horton describes Riseborough’s performance as the kind of “intense, full-immersion transformation that would draw the respect of other actors.” Film critic Emanuel Levy once hypothesized, “Actors love to play dipsomaniacs because these roles allow them to have ‘big’ attention-grabbing scenes, and to display a wide gamut of emotions and behaviors.”

Given the gobsmacked reactions from Riseborough’s peers – Kate Winslet said, in no uncertain terms, that the actress gives “the greatest female performance” she has ever seen–the accuracy of Horton and Levy’s combined assessment is tough to deny. The underdog is ranked fourth in Gold Derby’s combined odds for 2023 Best Actress. Scroll through the gallery above (or click here for direct access) to see our rankings for the 12 best Oscar-nominated turns by a lead actress in movies about alcoholism and/or drug abuse. Where would you rank Riseborough?

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Launch Gallery: Oscars: Top 12 Best Actress nominees in films about addiction

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