Chloë Sevigny has revealed who she is backing in the hotly contested Best Supporting Actress race at this year’s Oscars.
The nominees for the Academy Award include Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez, Ariana Grande for Wicked, Felicity Jones for The Brutalist, Isabella Rossellini for Conclave and Monica Barbaro for A Complete Unknown.
Oscar nominations were announced on January 23, with the ceremony scheduled to take place live from Los Angeles on Sunday, March 2.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com at the Sundance Film Festival, Sevigny, 50, revealed her personal favorite. The actress was previously nominated in the same category in 2000 for her performance in Boys Don’t Cry, opposite Hilary Swank.
“I mean, I think Isabella Rossellini when you consider her whole career.
“I think she is deserving, you know, and she’s incredible in that film,” Sevigny said, referring to Rossellini’s performance as Sister Agnes in Conclave.
Chloë Sevigny revealed her choice for Best Supporting Actress during an exclusive DailyMail.com interview at the Sundance Film Festival
Ariana Grande earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for playing Glinda in Wicked
Sevigny described herself as a “big Isabella Rossellini fan” (pictured at The National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala on January 7)
Sevigny added: “I’m a big Isabella Rossellini fan. I think she’s contributed to cinema in so many ways and she’s a legend. So, I’m rooting for her.”
Beyond the supporting actress contest, the Best Actress race is another of the evening’s most anticipated categories.
The nominees for Best Actress include Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here, Demi Moore for The Substance, Mikey Madison for Anora and Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez.
The Best Actor lineup features Ralph Fiennes for Conclave, Timothée Chalamet for A Complete Unknown, Adrien Brody for The Brutalist, Sebastian Stan for The Apprentice and Colman Domingo for Sing Sing.
Those nominated for Best Supporting Actor are Yura Borisov for Anora, Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain, Edward Norton for A Complete Unknown, Guy Pearce for The Brutalist and Jeremy Strong for The Apprentice.
On Tuesday, January 28, Sevigny attended the world premiere of her latest film, Magic Farm, at the Library Center Theatre in Park City, Utah.
She appeared at the premiere with co-stars Simon Rex, Joe Apollonio, Camila del Campo and Alex Wolff. The science-fiction film was written and directed by Amalia Ulman.
Sevigny plays Edna, the face of a media company that travels to Argentina to make a profile of a local musician.
Sevigny said Rossellini deserves the Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of Sister Agnes in Conclave
Zoe Saldaña received an Oscar nomination for playing Rita in Emilia Pérez (pictured at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 5)
Felicity Jones was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Erzsébet Tóth in The Brutalist, alongside Best Actor nominee Adrien Brody
Monica Barbaro also received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for portraying Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown, alongside Timothée Chalamet
The group soon encounters trouble after discovering they have arrived in the wrong Latin American country.
Discussing Edna, Sevigny told DailyMail.com: “Well, the filmmaker, Amalia Ulman, said she was inspired by a few different characters that I played — Nicki in Big Love and a character from a movie called Demon Lover.
“And one more, but I can’t recall, so I think she was thinking about those characters when she formed this one.”
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The Academy Award-nominated actress also spoke with Deadline at the festival about the appeal of playing an abrasive character.
“People toss around ‘esoteric,’ but she really does have very specific interests, and I was just really impressed with her as a person. I loved [Ulman’s previous film] El Planeta; I found it really inspiring and magical, and I thought she had a really unique voice,” Sevigny said.
“So when she asked me to come on board for this, I was like, ‘Yes,’ without even reading it, just because I was so excited by her as an artist and as a filmmaker.
“And then I read it and I was like, ‘Oh, so I get to play the b*tch.’”
“So I had to come to peace with that and understand that my character was bringing a little tension.”
Sevigny joined Magic Farm co-stars Simon Rex, Joe Apollonio, Camila del Campo, Amalia Ulman and Alex Wolff at the film’s Sundance premiere
Sevigny and Alex Wolff shared a playful moment on the red carpet at Park City’s Library Center Theatre on January 28
Rex also told DailyMail.com at the Magic Farm premiere that working alongside Sevigny was “a lot of fun,” praising her as “one of the best actors alive.”
“You always learn when you work with veteran actors like that, and it was just so much fun to play with her.
“We had a very loose approach, with lots of improvisation and plenty of real moments that happened.
“It was fun playing a bickering couple with her. We hit it off right away. You learn a lot from people like that,” he said.
In December 2024, it was announced that Mubi had acquired Magic Farm for release in North America and the UK in 2025.
Sevigny’s other upcoming movie, Atropia, also premiered at Sundance.
Although Sevigny did not attend the January 25 red-carpet event, her co-stars Alia Shawkat, Tony Shawkat and Callum Turner joined writer-director Hailey Gates for the premiere.
During a Power of Story conversation held hours before the Magic Farm premiere, Sevigny discussed her desire to keep working and described directing as especially rewarding.
Sevigny visited the Los Angeles Times Studio presented by Chase Sapphire Reserve on January 26 ahead of her film’s premiere
The Magic Farm actress played with Uno cards while visiting the Chase Sapphire Reserve lounge in Park City
She has previously directed four short films: Lypsinka: Toxic Femininity (2024), White Echo (2019), Carmen (2017) and Kitty (2016).
“I just want to give back and keep working. It goes back to me as a kindergartener and being very driven.
“I feel like I’m a workhorse. I love working, I love being on set and I love being around creative people,” she said during the Sundance panel.
“I love telling stories and being challenged, and I just want to keep working.”
She continued: “It’s terrifying when you don’t know what’s coming next, which is why I started directing. I’ve done a few shorts now and I’m trying to develop a few features, but then I keep getting acting jobs.
“They get in the way, but directing has been more fulfilling. One of the most rewarding feelings comes from those expressions and being able to share the stories I want to tell.
“Like Celine [Song] was saying earlier, having people come on board who believe in the story you want to tell is so much more fulfilling to me than acting.”
