The Kate Winslet Rule

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The Kate Winslet Rule

A performance can receive points in only one category: Leading or Supporting.


The first award a performance wins, is runner-up for, or is nominated for determines its category.

An award does not determine the category if:
  • different actors from the same film win that award
  • the awarding group doesn’t have a separate category for supporting performances


  • Once the category is set, the performance can earn points only if:

  • it wins any award (category doesn’t matter)
  • it is nominated or runner-up in its assigned category
  • it is nominated by the Screen Actors Guild or BAFTA (category doesn’t matter)

  • (The performance receives no points if it’s nominated or runner-up in the 'wrong' category.)

    Exceptions Sometimes the first award isn’t enough to lock a performance into a category:

    - If that first award is the only mention in one category (e.g., Leading Actress), and there are multiple mentions in the other category (e.g., Supporting Actress), the category can switch.
    - Examples:
      * 2 Leading Actress mentions can be overridden by 8 Supporting Actress mentions
      * 3 Leading Actress mentions can be overridden by 12 Supporting Actress mentions
      * And so on



    Here's a list of the actors and actresses who's performance got mentions in different categories:

    2010
    Lesley Manville, Another Year
    Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

    2009
    None.

    2008
    Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
    Dev Platel, Slumdog Millionaire
    Kate Winslet, The Reader

    2007
    Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

    2006
    Toni Collette, Little Miss Sunshine
    Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed

    2005
    Maria Bello, A History of Violence
    Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale

    2004
    None.

    2003
    Jeff Bridges, Seabiscuit
    Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
    Patricia Clarkson, The Station Agent
    Hope Davis, American Splendor
    Benecio Del Toro, 21 Grams
    Scarlett Johansson, Lost in Translation

    2002
    Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago

    2001
    Cate Blanchett, Bandits
    Jim Broadbent, Iris
    Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind
    Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast
    Ian McKellan, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
    Billy Bob Thornton, Bandits
    Naomi Watts, Mulholland Drive

    2000
    Benicio Del Toro, Traffic
    Kate Hudson, Almost Famous

    1999
    Philip Seymour Hoffman, Flawless
    Julianne Moore, An Ideal Husband

    1998
    Ian Bannen, Waking Ned Devine
    Michael Caine, Little Voice
    David Kelly, Waking Ned Devine

    1997
    Joan Allen, The Ice Storm

    1996
    Nathan Lane, The Birdcage
    Courtney Love, People vs. Larry Flint
    William H. Macy, Fargo
    Kirsten Scott Thomas, The English Patient


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