Yet both films were snubbed at the Oscars the kind of acclaim lavished on Firth for his role in Tom Ford’s A Single Man 10 years ago was withheld. Supernova follows a tragic road-trip undertaken by a long-term couple: Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. In Ammonite, Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet are our clandestine couple in 19th-century Dorset. Francis Lee’s Ammonite and Harry Macqueen’s Supernova both pair well-loved, publicly straight actors in stories explicitly about gay love. So you might have been forgiven for predicting glorious awards sweeps for two recent dramas. Few actors don’t fancy a heavily flagged stretch, or a little mystery in which to wreath their persona. “It stretches their abilities, but also challenged audience perceptions,” says Anderson. It was alluring for less immediately craven reasons, too. Largely because it became very awards-friendly to do so.” “After Brokeback,” says Erik Anderson, editor-in-chief of the Hollywood website AwardsWatch, “I think more actors probably did seek out a queer role to pad out their canon and their legacy. Photograph: Focus Features/Allstar Actors probably did seek out a queer role to pad out their canon … but it also challenged audience perceptions Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain.
