Oscars

Not ‘Schindler’s List’, not ‘The English Patient’: Could this role hand Ralph Fiennes a career first?

Described as a “consistently excellent” big-screen performer, Fiennes hasn’t always received the recognition he deserves.

Toby Melville

William Allen

British journalist and translator who joined Diario AS in 2013. Focuses on soccer – chiefly the Premier League, LaLiga, the Champions League, the Liga MX and MLS. On occasion, also covers American sports, general news and entertainment. Fascinated by the language of sport – particularly the under-appreciated art of translating cliché-speak.

Update: Feb 21st, 2025 18:08 EST

If Ralph Fiennes is a winner at next month’s Academy Awards, it will be a case of ‘the third time’s the charm’ for the 62-year-old.

An actor who has enjoyed a stellar - but so far Oscar-free - career over the past 40 years, Fiennes is among the 2025 nominees for Best Actor, for his widely acclaimed performance in Edward Berger’s Conclave.

Fiennes lauded for “genius” Conclave performance

A big-screen adaption of Robert Harris’s 2016 novel about the election of a new pope, Conclave stars Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who is tasked with managing the election as he deals with his wavering faith.

The actor’s turn as Cardinal Lawrence is described as “phenomenal” by Guardian film critic Wendy Ide, who notes: “The genius of Fiennes’s performance is that so little of it is worn on the surface. All the anguish, the grief over the death of his beloved leader, the churning doubts (and it is doubt, rather than faith, that is the engine driving this film) - all of it is internalised.

“We get hints, in the bowed back, the twitch of Lawrence’s mouth. And yet Fiennes draws us in. We are invited to share Lawrence’s turmoil rather than just observe it.”

Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri adds: “It’s a perfect role for Fiennes, who can do both placidity and intensity - sometimes, somehow, all at once.”

When has Fiennes been nominated for an Oscar before?

Although a dependably exceptional film performer, Fiennes’ only previous Oscar nominations both came before the turn of the millennium.

He was a Best Supporting Actor contender for Schindler’s List in 1994 - losing out to The Fugitive’s Tommy Lee Jones - before his role in The English Patient earned him a shot at Best Actor three years later. He was beaten by Shine star Geoffrey Rush.

Writing in The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, the specialist awards journalist Scott Feinberg suggested that the Briton’s lack of Oscars recognition may, paradoxically, be related to the metronomic quality he has delivered over a sustained period of time.

“Fiennes’ ‘problem,’ if you will, is that he has been so consistently excellent, and for so long, that many people actually take him a bit for granted," Feinberg said.

Speaking after learning of his first Oscar nomination in nearly 30 years, Fiennes said last month: “I’m thrilled to be nominated and to be celebrating the other nominations for Conclave. Edward Berger brought an extraordinary cast and crew together - he is an inspirational director with rare insight and a unique vision which lies at the heart of this film.”

Who is the favorite for Best Actor at the 2025 Oscars?

Fiennes’ fellow Best Actor nominees are: Adrien Brody, for The Brutalist; Timothée Chalamet, for A Complete Unknown; Colman Domingo, for Sing Sing; and Sebastian Stan, for The Apprentice.

Fiennes is the bookmakers’ third favorite for the golden statuette, per the betting comparison website Oddschecker, with Brody the frontrunner ahead of Chalamet.

Were Brody to triumph at the 97th Academy Awards, it would be the second Best Actor award of the 51-year-old American’s career, 22 years after he claimed the accolade for The Pianist.

What other Oscars has Conclave been nominated for?

Conclave, which also stars Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow, has amassed eight Oscar nominations in all. On top of Fiennes’ Best Actor nod, Rossellini is a contender for Best Supporting Actress, while the movie is among the 10 films that are in the running for Best Picture.

Conclave has also been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

Watch the Conclave trailer:

When and where are the 2025 Academy Awards? How can I watch on TV/online?

This year’s Academy Awards are to be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Broadcast live in the U.S. by ABC, the ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. You can stream ABC on the online platform fubo, which offers new users a free trial.