What If... Glenn Close had won?
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 9:00PM 
Glenn Close in THE DELIVERANCE (2024) Lee Daniels | © Netflix
Oscar obsessives everywhere know the dark and winding road of 'what if' like the back of their hand. What if my favorite had won? How would that change things down the line? What's the domino effect in Oscar history? What about film history? It can be a fun exercise, but it's also a shortcut to madness if you're not careful about it. That's especially true when considering one of those Academy Award sad sacks, the unlucky few who've earned multiple nominations yet never get the gold. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride - the Deborah Kerrs and Peter O'Tooles of the world. Or, for a more contemporary example, the Glenn Closes.
Speaking of that Oscar-less titan, her new movie is now in theaters and will soon arrive on Netflix. As we wait for Lee Daniels' The Deliverance to hit streaming, let's celebrate Close with some awards lunacy. Let's reflect on what would have happened if she had been victorious in one of those eight bids for gold…
1982) Best Supporting Actress, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP
If Close had won in 1982, Jessica Lange would have probably become an instant cause célèbre among awards voters and industry insiders. Such goodwill could have propelled her to a 1984 victory for Country, blocking Sally Field's second win and infamous acceptance speech. Erasing the "you like me!" spiel, a groundswell of support may have materialized later in 1989 when the actress got some buzz for Steel Magnolias. That would be bad news for Pauline Collins or Isabelle Adjani.
But what about Lange? Without the urgency to give her a Best Actress trophy, does Blue Sky still survive its troubled release? Maybe so, since the category was so weird in 1994. Another possibility is Sarandon's premature crowning, which throws the following year's Best Actress race in disarray. I suspect Elisabeth Shue might have somersaulted over the Dead Man Walking star, delivering a pair of His & Hers Oscars to Leaving Las Vegas. If that narrative had surged at the right time, the film might have even landed a Best Picture nod.
1983) Best Supporting Actress, THE BIG CHILL
Winning the Oscar over Linda Hunt changes very little in awards history. The likeliest outcome is a subtle tone change. Instead of coming to every new race as a living legend done dirty by the Academy, she'd get the late-00s/early-10s Meryl Streep treatment. It's not so much a matter of correcting a wrong as it is an eagerness to underline an actress' place in history with another little golden man.
1984) Best Supporting Actress, THE NATURAL
Same thing as with her hypothetical Big Chill win, perchance with an added understanding that she won for a nothing role. That fate could stoke the flames of urgency, making press and industry thirsty to see Close take the stage for a performance worthy of the honor, an Oscar triumph better suited to her legacy. All in all, nothing else would be too different.
1987) Best Actress, FATAL ATTRACTION
A Close victory in '87 wouldn't so much alter the course of Oscar history as it would induce wider industry change. Fatal Attraction's nominations were already a shocking legitimization of erotic thrillers. Still, a Best Actress win could have opened the gates for further hybridization of pulp and prestige, drawing bigger and bigger names into the folds of sex and murder on the big screen. Would that have hastened or delayed the subgenre's decreasing popularity as the world approached the new millennium? Hard to say, but fascinating to imagine.
As for Cher, an Oscar loss for Moonstruck might have put an end to her acting dreams, robbing us of such delights as Mermaids and If These Walls Could Talk. Then again, the reverse could be true. Instead of accepting defeat, the songstress turned movie star could have become even more involved in Hollywood, fighting for that industry validation she was denied. Right now, Cher's Oscar win feels like an ending to the story of her big-screen adventure. Everything else that came after is epilogue. Had she lost, there could have been another chapter to the tale, another verse in the epic poem of her search for glory.
1988) Best Actress, DANGEROUS LIAISONS
By far, Glenn Close's 1988 loss is the most frustrating in retrospect. Nobody knew then, but Jodie Foster was just three years away from a career-defining performance in The Silence of the Lambs, one of those works whose merit is so obvious it's like a black hole bending light around it. That 1991 win for Foster is written in stone, one of the cornerstones of Oscar history that no amount of willful conjecture and 'what if' daydreaming could deny. So that's it. Give Close the Oscar she deserved in 1988, and nothing else changes. Hallelujah!
2011) Best Actress, ALBERT NOBBS
The butterfly effect here mostly concerns Meryl Streep. Take away her Iron Lady win, and that feeling of "it's about time they give her a third" prevails in cinephile circles and in the industry at large. I doubt that would have had much effect on the 2013 and 2014 races – Blanchett was too big a juggernaut and Into the Woods wasn't popular enough. However, 2016 might have been a different story. At the very least, her nomination for Florence Foster Jenkins wouldn't have been seen as such a shocking surprise. Get to 2017 and the goodwill is reaching unforeseen levels, resulting in a win for The Post, only slightly postponing Frances McDormand's return to the Oscar stage.
2018) Best Actress, THE WIFE
What if the expected outcome had come to pass? One hopes Close would have had a better slew of post-Wife projects than she did, perhaps leading her away from the dreck of Hillbilly Elegy. In that case, one supposes Helena Zengel or Dominique Fishback could have crashed the party or that year's Golden Globe winner, Jodie Foster. Without Close, Hillbilly Elegy's struggles only intensify, decreasing its buzz until not even that Makeup nod feels viable. Instead, one of the other finalists scores that honor. Birds of Prey, The Glorias, Jingle Jangle, The Little Things, and One Night in Miami are our contenders, and I have a hunch that the Washington/Leto thriller would get it.
That leaves the matter of Olivia Colman. Considering how much AMPAS loved The Father, it's not inconceivable to picture a world where she takes Best Supporting Actress from Youn Yuh-jung. However, a 2021 victory for The Lost Daughter feels more believable. Consider that not one Best Actress contender that year got all the precursors, and that Jessica Chastain's win was a late-season development. There were even talks of a Penelope Cruz upset. But with a Favourite loss in people's memories, wouldn't Colman have the best narrative going into Oscar night? Seems like a viable alternative to me.
2020) Best Supporting Actress, HILLBILLY ELEGY
It's hard to picture a great change coming from this Close victory. Youn's career wouldn't have been much affected since her Hollywood opportunities remain limited. There may have been more of an industry push to get her an Emmy nod for Pachinko, though that sounds doubtful. The only consequence of note might have been greater scrutiny put on J.D. Vance's life story, unearthing his sheer 'weirdness' before he became Donald Trump's running mate. Oh well, that's too real for this lark of an article, so let's forget about the couch-fucker.
Please don't take any of this seriously. It's just silly fun from an Oscar obsessive. That doesn't mean your own Glenn Close-related alternate timelines are unwelcome. Share them in the comments!
Reader Comments (20)
Fatal Attraction and Dangerous Liasions were her best chances. After that, it started to get at first a bit desperate but now it's much worse.
We must acknowledge that the AMPAS Board of Governors have extended an invitation to Glenn Close for an honorary Oscar. Further, we must accept that she declined. Personally, I would like to see her holding an Oscar. Ah, well.
That stated, this game is fun. I think the most likely could have been scenario to win Glenn an Oscar is the option to retain the original ending of Fatal Attraction where Alex commits suicide in a manner that frames Dan for murder. Glenn Close hated the revised ending making Alex a demon. Close who played Alex as a survivor of child sexual abuse said, "I wasn't playing a generality. I wasn't playing a cliché. I was playing a very specific, deeply disturbed, fragile human being, whom I had grown to love."
For two weeks Close refused to film the ending that made the film such a popular hit. Only her friend Willian Hurt was able to convince her to report to the set to shoot the alternative ending. That decision surely cost her the Oscar. I contend the film’s original final sequence showing Alex killing herself while listenening to Madame Butterfly is the culmination of an Oscar winning performance.
@Finbar McBride
Do you mean Michael Douglas instead of William Hurt? I think I read that interview once where Glenn Close mentioned that her co-star Michael Douglas convinced her to get on with the revised ending. I agree that the original ending was way more convincing and makes her life parallel to the tragic Cio-Cio San character of Madama Butterfly.
Her Marquise de Merteuil character aged quite well - masterful performance.
I can exchange some of her nominated performances with others that were not nominated like:
Sunny von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune in lieu of Iris in The Natural
Ferula in House of the Spirits in lieu of Mamaw in Hillbilly Elegy
Diana in Heights in lieu of Albert in Albert Nobbs
@Owl
William Hurt is credited for influencing Close in the DVD extras as well as a 2014 article in The Atlantic
I loved her in Cookie’s Fortune!
Claudio, super fun article. I agree with thevoid99 that 1987 and 1988 were her best chances to win.
I'm not the biggest Close fan, and I think she's over-nominated. IMO, at least four of her nominations (The Big Chill; The Natural; Albert Nobbs; and Hillbilly) were generous to say the least. That said, she's been a vibrant presence in movies for 40 years, and Glenn Close should have an Oscar. But please never let that Susnet Boulevard musical film happen...it would make less than zero sense...movie stars don't make a comeback when they're 77 years old.
As happy as I am that Jodie has two Oscars, in retrospect, Glenn should have won for Liaisons. To me, it's far and away her greatest performance...truly masterful stuff, and the perfect marriage of actress and role.
This is a fun idea Claudio perhaps one could be done for Amy Adams who I think may win next years Best Actress over Jolie and Deadwyler.
I say 1982 could have been a victory for her,Lange wins Lead and Streep wins in 83 for her best ever performance in Silkwood,Cher's undeniable in 87.
1983 Hunt was not losing,84 terrible nod Basinger is better than her.
2011 Davis was 2nd runner up,I find Close odd in Albert Nobbs,Ugh Hillbilly Elegy,I was dreading her getting some sentimental type John Mills bullshit win.
88 was the right year for her to win and Sigourney to win for supporting,what a picture that would've made and I don't dislike Jodie in The Accused.
As great as Colman is she should have had it for The Wife.
If Glenn wins in 87 does that pave the way for people such as Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct or a Rebeeca De Mornay in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle or JJL in Single White Female to be taken more seriously as contenders in 1992 as for my money they are superior to a couple of people in that years shortlist.
One snub I never understood was the one for Reversal of Fortune,Irons won lead it got a director and screenplay nod but nothing for Glenn in supporting,she's not Lead that's for sure and maybe category confusion affected her.
Has anyone seen The Deliverance is she any good in it,looks like she's having fun.
She may have a shot next year for The Summer Book.
I really love Glenn and respect most of these nominations (but you couldn't pay me to watch Hillbilly, and I'm one of the few people who actually like Albert Nobbs!).
There just always seems to be someone I'd vote for over her, and the academy seems to keep agreeing as a group.
That said, 1988 is one of my favourite Best Actress lineups ever. Foster, Close, Griffith, Streep and Weaver all giving phenomenal performances. There's no bad winner in that lineup.
1982- Jessica Lange wins for Country but also get nominated for Crimes of the Heart over Sissy Spacek. Ironically Close's career then mirrors Lange's with the industry wanting to award her a leading Oscar. She ends up winning for Dangerous Liaisons. Hillbilly Elegy nom never happens.
1983/1984- The win immediately looks bad in hindsight and no follow up wins happen. Hillbilly Elegy nom never happens.
1987- A win here leads Cher to win for Mermaids 1990 for overdue factor plus the Mask snub. This leads to Kathy Bates winning for Primary Colors which lead to Judi Dench winning for Chocolat. This win is respected but seen as an exception rather then a new trend of thrillers getting nominations.
Hillbilly Elegy nom never happens.
1988- Jodie Foster wins for Nell in 1994 and still has 2 Oscars. Hillbilly Elegy nom never happens.
2011- The you finally won can the internet stop now win. Meryl Streep wins for The Post and the movie gets more nominations. Spielberg finally gets a best actress Oscar win in his filmography.
2018- Olivia Colman sweeps the 2020 Oscars Blue Jasmine style. Youn has the Catherine Deneuve nom- respected foreigner with a one and done nom. Hillbilly Elegy nom never happens.
2020- Close later publicly states she wishes she hadn't made the film and is embarrassed. After T***P selects Vance for VP, Close deactivates her social media, retires, and disappears like Greta Garbo.
This is a really fun article Claudio. So much to consider from these alternate realities, so much to genuinely ponder on Close's career and the ripple affect it'd have on other industry members.
It must also be said - or at least, I really need to say this - but doesn't Glenn look like Roxxxy Andrews in that header pic? I can't unsee it!
I always wanted Close to win for Fatal Attraction. She’s incredible and it’s arguably the most iconic character of the lineup. And in my mind, Cher would have been nominated and won for Mask. That’s her best performance, and that’s why I wouldn’t feel bad about Close winning for Fatal Attraction.
@Mr Ripley79: I totally agree about the bafflement at why she wasn’t nominated for Reversal of Fortune. It’s such a perfect pairing of actress to material and she is just as good as Irons who himself is impeccable. She is so incredible. The only reason I can come up with is the same reason why I think Joan Allen missed bizarrely for Pleasantville despite winning all the critics prizes: maybe they just wanted to take a break from her.
@Tony L: Yes!! I just rewatched Cookie’s Fortune a few months ago and besides loving it in general, I finished it and said out loud “You know, this is a secret great Glenn Close performance that no one knows about”. She’s a chatterbox busybody control freak and she is SO funny in the role. Ah, what a charming film.
This is a lot of fun!
I like the idea of Glenn Close becoming a bit of a Jessica Lange and actually having two Oscars if she'd won for one of her early supporting noms. I do think winning for any of those would have put her in a different class (unfairly), and would have lent more credence to the idea that she deserved a lead Oscar. It's also easy to see her getting a nomination for Reversal of Fortune. I also think she may have contended for leading roles in prestige-ish films much earlier than she actually did.
At the same time, while Jessica Lange was well loved in the 1980s and got a ton of leading roles, I do think she might of had to wait until Blue Sky...or she may be in the spot Glenn is now. Country and Music Box weren't competitive, even if she'd been a non-winner. I think she's strong as Patsy Kline, but it's hard to see her triumphing in 1985 over Geraldine Page or Whoopi. Blue Sky is an odd and baity film. I wonder if it even gets traction staring a perennial nominee rather than a former winner.
I really like your hypothesis about what would have been different for actresses if Glenn had won for Fatal Attraction. On the one hand, it's a lot easier to see someone like Sharon Stone getting an Oscar nomination earlier. It also makes me wonder, however, if we would have seen a world in which someone like Meryl, or other prestige 80s ladies, took on roles in thrillers, elevating them to noms.
I think Cher was also going to be a Best Actress winner. if she'd lost, I suspect her career would have looked different. She's always been someone who puts a lot of work into her art and wants to be taken seriously. I think that's why she worked with Altman, Nichols, and Bogdanovich before going full movie star in Eastwick and Suspect. It's easy to see her coming out with something in 1989 or 1990 and winning that's superior to Mermaids, but well suited to her gifts.
I wish Glenn had won in 1982, 1987, or 2017.
A film adaptation of Sunset Boulevard was announced around 1995. Then it was postponed indefinitely. Then it was green-lit again. There was talk of Close, Streisand, Madonna and Liza. But cancelled again. There was one more attempt until it is finally on, with Glenn as Norma.
I feel confident when I say that this will finally get her that elusive Oscar!
I'd give her the win in 1988.
Holly Hunter should've won her first of three Oscars in 1987 (then Best Actress in 1993 and Best Supporting Actress in 2003).
In my alternative Close-verse, she won consecutively, 87/88, and a lot of sweet things happened since: Sharon nominated for Basic Instinct, a better 1994 line-up (including Linda Fiorentino, since ero-thrillers were respected and Last Seduction never got the infamous “cable mishap”) with Jodie winning for Nell, a third Oscar for Glenn playing Evita (sorry, Madonna), Sarandon never won, but made a lot of incredible movies, Foster nominated for Contact, Hillbilly Elegy never exists… but Glenn was still able to got one absurd nom for 101 Dalmatians, meaning Amy Adams succesfully nominated for Enchanted years later.
it's so fun to read these wild conjectures. The best game. It's fascinating to wonder if Cher would have stuck at it. MOONSTRUCK is sublime so I dont fault her that win even though I think FATAL is probably Glenn's best performance. But it's still insane (as it was then) that Glenn lost for DANGEROUS LIAISONS - the perfect year for it since Sarandon wasn't nominated for BULL DURHAM which was the best performance of that year.
As Nathaniel says, this is the best game. As much as I tend to like Glenn's work, I wouldn't have picked her for the win often - but she absolutely should have won for '88/Liaisons. And if she had, Jodie could still have two wins because as much as some don't like Nell/her in Nell (although that performance works for me) it fit the time quite well and her getting a second would've played differently than her getting a third.
As to the discussion of '87/Fatal Attraction, for me that's the year Holly Hunter should've won (an all-timer of both a film and a performance), and then that opens up '93 for Bassett (or Channing, for the not inconsiderable number of people who loved her in Six Degrees).
Btw, an additional thought on '87 - what a *wild* set of nominees in Supporting that year, and for sentimental reasons I think it's lovely (if very surprising) Anne Ramsey made the cut that year given that she passed away a few months after the ceremony at only 59.
I think this is the first post of a series!
I am not a fan of Close, and I don't like her in Dangerous Liaisons (too histrionic, no sexual tension - but it matches the film's tone; Bening is much better in Valmont), but she should have won for The Wife. She resists her natural urge to showboat and delivers a perfect, quiet, subtle performance.
Colman is too over the top, and gets eclipsed by Stone and Weisz.
Since we're rewriting history, can we just cast Close in the film version of Death and the Maiden so that she can win Best Actress in 1995 over Lange? Second best for me would be for her winning for Garp over Lange in Tootsie 12 years prior, although I'd personally really prefer Garr as the winner.
Wait, do we actually know that she was offered and declined an honorary? How is this public knowledge?