Do Women Have To Cry To Win A Best Actress Oscar: A Decider Investigation

Winning the Academy Award is every actor’s dream. They find the perfect role, work with the right director, and after a lot of emotional gymnastics, their name gets called and they tearfully take to the stage to accept their golden Oscar. When it comes to what it takes to win, however, does the criteria differ for Best Actor and Best Actress? We’re used to watching reels of male Oscar nominees and winners deliver rousing monologues or getting tough with other people – but what about the women? It seems we’re accustomed to watching female Oscar nominees and winners cry their hearts out (looking at you, Queen Viola). Do women have to cry to win a Best Actress Oscar? We investigated…

Over the past 50 years, 96% of the women who have been awarded the Oscar for Best Actress have cried in their performances (see our chart below). In the same 50 years, only about 60% of men who took home the Academy Award for Best Actor had roles that required them to cry. There are a plethora of ways to interpret this data – Hollywood is used to seeing women in positions of vulnerability, women are very rarely rewarded for playing stoic characters or authority figures, you name it. There’s also the fact that notions of masculinity have changed drastically in recent years; watching men cry and play roles that allow to put a sensitive side on display has only recently become socially acceptable (and celebrated). There seems to be an entire checklist for winning one of these roles; crying, undergoing a physical transformation, wearing age make-up or prosthetics, or just looking plain ugly. The requirements go on and on, but crying seems to be the consistent.

Over the past 50 years, 96% of the women who have been awarded the Oscar for Best Actress have cried in their performances, while only 60% of men who took home the Academy Award for Best Actor had roles that required them to cry.

So what does it all mean? Women have shed a lot more salt water in the process of winning their Oscars. Every weepy scene isn’t the same, however; some winners have only welled up for the award (see Helen Mirren in The Queen), while others have unabashedly ugly cried (crazy Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine). The non-criers – mainly Frances McDormand in Fargo and Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – were in positions of high authority, which should certainly be taken into account here. Some of the biggest criers – Brie Larson, Halle Berry, and Meryl Streep among them – all won for their portrayals of distressed mothers. There are many ways of wailing among our Oscar winners, and we’ve compiled a range of just how many trophy tears it takes to be declared the victor (unless you’re a notable non-crier, like McDormand in Fargo). Here are just a few of our favorites.

Big-Time Blubberers

Brie Larson, Room (2015) 

The Role: Joy Newsome, simply known to her 5-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) as ‘Ma’, is a young woman who has been held captive in a garden shed they call “Room” for the last seven years. After they are able to escape and reunite with Joy’s family, the next struggle begins: adjusting to life in the real world. 
The Tears: Larson cries multiple times over the course of the film’s 118 minutes; most moments have to do with protecting Jack or the depression and isolation she experiences while in Room – outside of it. The biggest blubber in the film occurs when she is reunited with Jack after sending him out on his own (and not knowing if he’ll make it back alive) as part of their escape plan. 
The Competition: Other nominees included Charlotte Rampling for her work in 45 Years, Cate Blanchett in Carol, Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn, and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy. All of these ladies also cried in their respective roles.

Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball (2002) 

The Role: Berry plays Leticia, the widow of a recently executed murderer. She begins an affair with Hank, a prison guard working on death row (Billy Bob Thornton) after a chance encounter one night when her son is struck and killed by a car. 
The Tears: After she’s shut out of the operating room at the hospital where her son has just died, Berry completely breaks down, sobbing and screaming for her baby as she collapses onto the floor. 
The Competition: Berry was up against Renée Zellweger’s quirky portrayal of Bridget Jones, Sissy Spacek’s work in In The Bedroom, Judi Dench in Iris, and Nicole Kidman’s musical turn in Moulin Rouge!. Another year, another category full of criers.

Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice (1983) 

The Role: Sophie, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, is haunted by the ghosts of what she’s experienced when she begins an affair with a troubled young writer named Nathan (Kevin Kline in his feature film debut). 
The Tears: After Sophie is forced to make the decision between which of her children to send to their death and which to save, she completely loses it while her daughter is dragged away from her. 
The Competition: The rest of the Best Actress category in 1983 consisted of Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria (the only non-crier in the mix), Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman, Jessica Lange in Frances, and Sissy Spacek in Missing.

Crazy Criers

Kathy Bates, Misery (1991)

The Role: Annie Wilkens, the biggest fan of author Paul Sheldon (James Caan), happens to stumble upon the unconscious Sheldon after his car veers off the road during a blizzard. What initially seems like good intentions on her behalf inevitably prove to show there’s a much more sinister side to her. 
The Tears: After finishing Paul’s latest book and discovering that he’s killed off the title character (Misery), she flies into a manic, tearful rage and nearly bludgeons Paul with a plant stand. 
The Competition: The 1991 category included Anjelica Huston in The Grifters, Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Meryl Streep in Postcards from the Edge, and Joanne Woodward in Mr. and Mrs. Bridge. 

Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose (2007) 

The Role: Cotillard stars as famed French singer Edith Piaf in this biopic that tells the story of her life from the time she was a little girl in nonlinear fashion. 
The Tears: Cotillard dissolves into complete hysteria after she discovers that the man she loves, Marcel, has been killed in a plane crash. 
The Competition: The competition in the 2007 category included a range of roles; Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Julie Christie in Away from Her, Laura Linney in The Savages, and Ellen Page in Juno (all criers, but none as severe as Cotillard).

Single-Tear Stoics

Helen Mirren, The Queen (2006)

The Role: Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II in this film that depicts how the Royal Family handled the death of Princess Diana of Wales. 
The Tears: The Queen worries for her young grandsons after Diana’s death, and continually deals with being called heartless by the British people for her lack of response to this tragedy. She tears up at the stress of the whole ordeal, and later tears up again after visiting with citizens who are in mourning outside Buckingham Palace and seeing the display of flowers and gifts laid out in honor of Diana. 
The Competition: Penelope Cruz in Volver, Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal, Kate Winslet in Little Children, and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada were the contenders in this 2006 race. A fascinatingly varied category, not all of these performers cried, and most were not sympathetic figures (particularly Streep and Dench).

Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs

The Role: Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a young FBI cadet who is recruited to interview famed serial killer Hannibal Lecter(Anthony Hopkins) in order to help catch another killer currently on the loose. 
The Tears: A real fit of tears comes after her first visit to the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane, but the most intense of her crying moments comes when she wells up while she describes to Hannibal how she ran away from home after hearing lambs set to be slaughtered screaming.
The Competition: Foster went up against Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise, Laura Dern in Rambling Rose, and Bette Midler in For the Boys. Another class of criers, here, but also an impressively feminist character category.

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady (2011)

The Role: Streep portrays historical figure Margaret Thatcher, the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century. 
The Tears: Hardly any, until Thatcher is escorted away from 10 Downing Street and her eyes well up with tears as everyone bids her farewell.
The Competition: Streep shared the category with Glenn Close for her performance in Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis in The Help, Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn – tears abound in 2011.

Notable Non-Criers

Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 

The Role: Near-legendary villain Nurse Ratched runs her mental institution with an iron fist – and passive aggressive methods intended to keep her patients in line. 
The Tears: The closest Fletcher comes to shedding tears is after McMurphy attempts to strangle her and she attempts to catch her breath. For the majority of the film, however, she maintains a consistent, steely malice that makes her absolutely terrifying.
The Competition: Fletcher’s competition were roles that had a little more kindness in them than hers did; Isabelle Adjani in The Story of Adele H., Ann-Margret in Tommy, Glenda Jackson in Hedda, and Carol Kane in Hester Street.

Frances McDormand, Fargo

The Role: McDormand plays the very-pregnant Police Chief Marge Gunderson, a determined woman who happens to be quite adept at detective work, too. 
The Tears: While she certainly gets close in the ending scene (“I just don’t understand it”) after apprehending Gaear mid-feeding-Carl’s-foot-into-a-wood-chipper, McDormand doesn’t actually shed any tears over the duration of the film. 
The Competition: McDormand beat out Diane Keaton as a leukemia patient in Marvin’s Room, Brenda Blethyn in Secrets & Lies, Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient, and Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves. (Criers galore this year – it’s safe to say that McDormand’s victory was something of a surprise!)

The 50-Year Figures

YEAR	ACTRESS	MOVIE	TEARS?
2016	Brie Larson	Room	YES
2015	Julianne Moore	Still Alice	YES
2014	Cate Blanchett	Blue Jasmine	YES
2013	Jennifer Lawrence	Silver Linings Playbook	YES
2012	Meryl Streep	The Iron Lady	YES
2011	Natalie Portman	Black Swan	YES
2010	Sandra Bullock	The Blind Side	YES
2009	Kate Winslet	The Reader	YES
2008	Marion Cotillard	La Vie En Rose	YES
2007	Helen Mirren	The Queen	YES
2006	Reese Witherspoon	Walk the Line	YES
2005	Hilary Swank	Million Dollar Baby	YES
2004	Charlize Theron	Monster	YES
2003	Nicole Kidman	The Hours	YES
2002	Halle Berry	Monster’s Ball	YES
2001	Julia Roberts	Erin Brockovich	YES
2000	Hilary Swank	Boys Don’t Cry	YES
1999	Gwyneth Paltrow	Shakespeare In Love	YES
1998	Helen Hunt	As Good as it Gets	YES
1997	Frances McDormand	Fargo	NO
1996	Susan Sarandon	Dead Man Walking	YES
1995	Jessica Lange	Blue Sky	YES
1994	Holly Hunter	The Piano	YES
1993	Emma Thompson	Howards End	YES
1992	Jodie Foster	The Silence of the Lambs	YES
1991	Kathy Bates	Misery	YES
1990	Jessica Tandy	Driving Miss Daisy	YES
1989	Jodie Foster	The Accused	YES
1988	Cher	Moonstruck	YES
1987	Marlee Matlin	Children of a Lesser God	YES
1986	Geraldine Page	The Trip to Bountiful	YES
1985	Sally Field	Places in the Heart	YES
1984	Shirley MacLaine	Terms of Endearment	YES
1983	Meryl Streep	Sophie’s Choice	YES
1982	Katharine Hepburn	On Golden Pond	YES
1981	Sissy Spacek	Coal Miner’s Daughter	YES
1980	Sally Field	Norma Rae	YES
1979	Jane Fonda	Coming Home	YES
1978	Diane Keaton	Annie Hall	YES
1977	Faye Dunaway	Network	YES
1976	Louise Fletcher	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest	NO
1975	Ellen Burstyn	Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore	YES
1974	Glenda Jackson	A Touch of Class	YES
1973	Liza Minelli	Cabaret	YES
1972	Jane Fonda	Klute	YES
1971	Glenda Jackson	Women in Love	YES
1970	Maggie Smith	The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie	YES
1969	Katharine Hepburn	The Lion in Winter	YES
1969	Barbra Streisand	Funny Girl	YES
1968	Katharine Hepburn	Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner	YES
1967	Elizabeth Taylor	Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	YES
1966	Julie Christie	Darling	YES