To Leslie

2023 - 1 - 24

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Today.com"

How Word of Mouth Helped Andrea Riseborough Earn 'To Leslie ... (Today.com)

Hollywood A-listers like Jane Fonda and Gwyneth Paltrow championed Andrea Riseborough's performance in "To Leslie" ahead of her nomination.

[Per Rotten Tomatoes,](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/to_leslie) Leslie has nowhere to go, is “forced to return home to her former friends” and is “unwelcome and unwanted by those she wronged." [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/to_leslie)' Tomatometer and an audience score of 85 percent. along with fine performances from always remarkable Allison Janney and the surprising Marc Maron," she wrote. I don’t want it to become another title in the library. [IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8129806/), Leslie then “fights to rebuild her life and find redemption” years later. It follows a West Texas single mother (played by Riseborough) who wins $190,000 in the lottery. I was weeping." I want it to be seen.” Ready to find out what all the fuss is about? The indie drama is kind of the movie equivalent of "The Little Engine That Could," and it's making major waves after a modest start. It was so hard to believe it might ever happen because we really hadn’t been in the running for anything else. On top of that, celebrities can't stop gushing about the moving film.

'To Leslie': Andrea Riseborough on Surprise Oscar Nom, A-List ... (Hollywood Reporter)

'To Leslie' star Andrea Riseborough says she's baffled by the celebrity support for the movie, which earned her a best actress 2023 Oscar nom.

It’s very difficult to imagine, considering that we’ve not really been in the running for the other previous [awards] ceremonies, and they all tend to go hand in hand. We knew we didn’t have too many takes, and there was a sense of total commitment from every crewmember, every castmember, in order to be able to realize the film. So many more people than we anticipated are going to actually have access to the film, and I hope it brings only good things in terms of being able to see it. Leslie’s really battling with that internally, and the isolation was no picnic. You brought up the attention you’ve received from your peers. Just hours after hearing the news of her Oscar nom, Riseborough spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the significance of the movie and why capturing the attention and appreciation of her acting peers is so important for her. I’m still in a bit of a state of dissociation with all of that, to be honest. [To Leslie follows](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/andrea-riseborough-in-to-leslie-review-sxsw-1235106163/) a woman who, many years after winning a $100,000-plus lottery jackpot, is estranged from her family and caught in the throes of addiction. There were a lot of cheers in the room when your name was called. The creative experience was such that we became such a well-oiled machine, because we had so little time. I’ve actually not been in this position before — not just the position that you and I are talking about today. Norton and Aniston also hosted screenings of the film, as did Charlize Theron and Sarah Paulson.

Oscars 2023: Andrea Riseborough earns a surprise nomination (Los Angeles Times)

“To Leslie” star Andrea Riseborough was nominated Tuesday for a lead actress Academy Award. (Vianney Le Caer / Invision / Associated Press). By Nardine ...

And “Tár” star Blanchett gave Riseborough a shout-out during [her fiery](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellendurney/cate-blanchett-slammed-awards-shows-critics-choice-speech) Critics Choice Awards acceptance speech that took aim at the “patriarchal pyramid.” Just raw & utterly devoid of performative BS.” [‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ leads Oscar nominations with 11, including nod for Michelle Yeoh](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-01-24/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-oscars-nominations-2023) [similar event moderated by Kate Winslet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRi8MdTuFK8), who gushed: ‘You should be up for everything. And four hours before nominations voting closed on Tuesday, six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams led a virtual conversation with Riseborough to support the latter’s role in the film. But for those who’ve been watching celebrity social media accounts, her nod isn’t [that surprising](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-01-24/oscars-nominations-2023-snubs-and-surprises). You should be winning everything. Riseborough, 41, takes a searing turn as the titular addict who is trying to break free from her demons in Michael Morris’ debut film. But a star-studded social media campaign pulled in enough big names — Susan Sarandon, Zooey Deschanel, Melanie Lynskey, Alan Cumming, Rosie O'Donnell, even Howard Stern — who bolstered Riseborough. [tweeting](https://twitter.com/EdwardNorton/status/1612905896304324609), “[F]or those interested in really great acting I’ll share that Andrea Riseborough’s portrayal in ‘To Leslie’ just knocked me sideways. She wins the lottery, then burns through the money. [Film Independent Spirit Award nod](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-22/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-leads-spirit-award-noms) in November for the role and a handful of other nods, but was snubbed when the [ Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2023-01-11/sag-awards-analysis-what-the-nominations-snubs-and-surprises-mean-for-oscars) earlier this month.) [Cate Blanchett](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-10-07/cate-blanchett-tar-classical-music) (“Tár”), [Ana de Armas](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-09-01/ana-de-armas-blonde-marilyn-monroe-netflix-fall-arts-preview) (“Blonde”), [Michelle Williams](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/awards-tracker/story/2011-09-28/michelle-williams-to-receive-hollywood-actress-award) (“The Fabelmans”) and [Michelle Yeoh](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-04-07/miichelle-yeoh-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-asian-representation) (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).

How Andrea Riseborough Got an Oscar Nomination for 'To Leslie' (Variety)

How Andrea Riseborough built a celeb-backed Oscar campaign for indie film 'To Leslie' and scored a nomination.

“To Leslie” director Michael Morris and his wife, actor Mary McCormack, showed the movie to Stern in July during the annual wedding anniversary celebration they share with the Sterns. McCormack sent an email to friends asking them to publicly support the movie and Riseborough’s performance, even including images and suggested hashtags and accounts to tag in social media posts. And what’s more comfortable than posting about a movie every day!” “It genuinely caught everyone by surprise,” a source tells me. It feels like the film community rallied around and made a noise.” [To Leslie](https://variety.com/t/to-leslie/),” an indie film about a woman trying to rebuild her life while battling drug addiction and alcoholism.

Encore: Actress Andrea Riseborough on her new movie, 'To Leslie' (WSIU)

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with actress Andrea Riseborough about her new movie, To Leslie. It's about a single mother who wins the lottery but quickly loses ...