FINAL 2023 Oscar Nomination Predictions: MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

A juicy selection of Oscar shortlisted contenders for Makeup & Hairstyling, several of which have broad support among the top precursors: BAFTA, Critics’ Choice and the Makeup and Hairstyling guild (MUAH).

The Batman, Elvis and The Whale hit everything and all but The Batman are in contention for a Best Picture nomination. Transformational makeup and hair is the cornerstone of this category and The Batman, Elvis and The Whale are prime examples of that. But the work in Amsterdam and Blonde performed well with the MUAHs and if there was ever a branch that overlooks the response and reviews of a film in favor of the craft at hand, it’s this one. And that’s a good thing for a category that only went from three to five nomination spots four years ago. Babylon and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit CCA and MUAH but missed BAFTA in favor of two non-CA/non-MUAH nominated films, All Quiet on the Western Front and Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.

Speaking of transformational makeup, the connection this category has with Best Actor and Best Actress has become, well, predictable. Recent winners like Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Matthew McConaughey and Meryl Streep won their Oscars with a makeup win in tow. Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) and Renée Zellweger (Judy) snagged their lead wins with just a nomination here. That bodes well for Best Actor frontrunners Austin Butler (Elvis) and Brendan Fraser (The Whale) as well as Best Actress contenders like Ana de Armas (Blonde) and Margot Robbie (Babylon).

1917 got in here the first year of the category’s expansion but war films have not been very well represented in the past, even on the shortlist (2016’s Hacksaw Ridge didn’t even make that cut). That might make the case for All Quiet on the Western Front a tough one as 1917 was the Best Picture runner-up (and frontrunner until it wasn’t).

The Makeup & Hairstyling branch has 236 voting members (one more than last year) and voting is limited to members who viewed a special ‘bake-off’ presentation of clips, or members who have seen all 10 shortlisted films. If every member of the branch participates in either of those ways, it will take 40 votes to secure a nomination.

Oscar nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 24. Here are my final 2023 Oscar nomination predictions for Makeup & Hairstyling.