For our eighth Rundown article, we look at leading women. After the jump, you’ll find our winner and runner-up predictions for Best Actress as well as general commentary about the race. Next week, we’ll start off on Monday with a category the category that can render people unrecognizable or perhaps recognizable as someone else.

Best Actress

Winner Predictions

• Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
• Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
• Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
• Charlize Theron – Bombshell
• Renée Zellweger – Judy (WL O) (PP O) (TB O) (TL O)

Runner-Up Predictions

• Cynthia Erivo – Harriet (PP R) [New]
• Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story (WL O) (TB R) [New]
• Charlize Theron – Bombshell (TL O)

(color and symbol key at bottom of page)

Wesley Lovell: Her chief competition (Lupita Nyong’o) wasn’t nominated, so Hollywood will fete the return of Renée Zellweger with a second Oscar for playing Hollywood legend Judy Garland.
Peter J. Patrick: Oscar voters will see a win for Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of Judy Garland at the end of her career and life as a win for both the actress and the legendary star she’s so brilliantly playing. It’s difficult to imagine they will vote for anyone else. If there is an upset, it could really be any of the other nominees, but Cynthia Erivo’s superb portrayal of the legendary African-American abolitionist would be a good one.
Tripp Burton: I keep waiting for someone other than Renée Zellweger to make a dent in this race, and it never happens. I guess that if double nominee Scarlett Johansson picks up heat she could upset here, but the frontrunner since August seems locked in.
Thomas La Tourrette: Ever since Judy opened, this award has seemed destined to go to Renée Zellweger who did an amazing job becoming Judy Garland and is well deserving of all accolades she receives. With SAG and Golden Globe awards now, she is destined to keep up that streak. Charlize Theron in any other year would probably win for her nuanced portrayal of Megyn Kelly in Bombshell, but even she will not stand a chance. Scarlett Johansson scored a pair of rare double acting nominations but will go home empty-handed for both. Cynthia Erivo did strong work as Harriet Tubman but will have to be content with the nomination. And Saorise Ronan continues to impress with her portrayal as the strong-willed Jo in Little Women. Some day she will go home with an Oscar, and maybe more than one, but it will not be this year. Renée Zellweger easily wins.

KEY: