Who is the critics favorite to win Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars?

The battle for Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars looks to be a two-horse race heading into Sunday’s ceremony.

Who is favorite to win Best Actress?

This year’s contenders include Michelle Yeoh for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, Cate Blanchett for ‘TÁR’, Andrea Riseborough for ‘To Leslie’, Ana de Armas for ‘Blonde’ and Michelle Williams for ‘The Fabelmans’.

Heading into Sunday, the consensus is that the race is between Yeoh and Blanchett, even though Riseborough and De Armas have their share of supporters.

Nevertheless, Yeoh and Blanchett have led the way at every award ceremony leading up to the Academy Awards.

Blanchett took home honors at the Drama Globe, Critics Choice, and BAFTAs, but Yeoh’s win at the Golden Globes ended that run.

Since then, momentum has been with the ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ star, who beat out Blanchett and eight other nominees for the gender-neutral Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance.

What a win would mean for Blanchett and Yeoh

Blanchett’s performance as Lydia Tár, the mercurial orchestra conductor, is seen by some as the only possible avenue for victory for the film, directed by Todd Field.

A win on Sunday would see Blanchett become the eighth performer to win three or more Oscars, joining the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Walter Brennan and Frances McDormand.

However, with two wins already under her belt, that could sway voters to Yeoh, who has built up goodwill while on the awards circuit.

Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win an individual category at the SAGs, and time will tell whether her endearing speeches have helped swing voters her way.

A win on Sunday would be the first for a non-white actress in the category since Halle Berry won for ‘Monster’s Ball’ in 2001, while Yeoh’s nomination made her the first Asian woman to be nominated for the category.

All this means viewers should expect a close finish before the Best Actress is finally named on Sunday night.

The 95th edition of the Oscars will take place Sunday, March 12 at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT on ABC.