When the Academy Awards air on ABC on Sunday, keep an eye out for some familiar faces from Austin.
A handful of actors who hail from the ATX have ties to the Best Picture nominees.
Moonlight publicity still courtesy of A24.
Moonlight stars three men as the same character, struggling to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood. One of those men is University of Texas grad Trevante Rhodes. The former track star’s career seems to be off and running with this powerful performance.
Hidden Figures focuses primarily on the three women who played vital roles in the NASA Space Race. But they couldn’t have succeeded without astronaut John Glenn who was the first American launched into orbit. Glen is played by native Austinite Glenn Powell. A graduate of Westwood High School, he attended UT before heading to Hollywood to pursue his dream of acting. In January, he spoke of Austin with Austin Way magazine.
Hidden Figures publicity still courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
It’s a very curious town. There’s a lot of love and friendship in that town, plus the art, the culture, the people. – Glen Powell
Manchester By The Sea publicity still courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Casey Affleck earned a Best Actor nomination for his role in Manchester By The Sea, but the film also stars two men who now reside in the Austin area. Kyle Chandler, best known for his role in the Austin shot series Friday Night Lights, co-stars as Affleck’s character’s brother.
Manchester By The Sea publicity still courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Tate Donovan, star of 80’s classics Love Potion No. 9 and Space Camp, plays a smaller role as a hockey coach in Manchester By The Sea.
And, while not ever an official Austin resident, Ryan Gosling spent plenty of time here from 2010-12 filming the upcoming SXSW opening night film Song to Song. He is, of course, nominated for La La Land. One of his Song to Song co-stars, Natalie Portman, is also nominated for her role in Jackie. And, last but not least, Rooney Mara who plays Gosling’s love interest in Song to Song, co-stars in the Best Picture nominee Lion.
Song to Song premieres in Austin on March 10 and ATXgossip will be there to bring you all of the action.
