Who should take the lead and who should play a supporting role? We take a look at recent Oscar winners and ask who would make the best manager.
Popcorn at the ready as we weigh up Hollywood’s business heavyweights…
Renée Zellweger
Somewhere over the rainbow Renée could take the reins of an exciting enterprise, but we hope she wouldn’t take on all the qualities of Judy Garland, the actress played by Zellweger in 2019’s biopic. The late Hollywood starlet often charms those around her, but the high life could take its toll on a budding CEO, her decision making is a cause for concern, and a string of rushed marriages suggest she might commit to bad ideas in the business world too. We’d prefer the determined, if sometimes awkward Bridget Jones as our boss any day.
Joaquin Phoenix
While every office needs a joker, we’re not sure Joaquin’s interpretation would be quite as welcome leading a business. With anarchy the order of the day – deadlines, team development and the general wellbeing of a company may just fall by the wayside. Those hoping 2020’s best actor might salvage his management credentials as a Roman emperor should remind themselves of the lengths Commodus went to in smothering the competition, and those closest to him.
Laura Dern
Laura Dern won the best supporting actress award for her role as Nora Fanshaw, a strong-willed divorce lawyer with an unwavering authority. Her resilience in the courtroom extends to Jurassic Park, where Dr Ellie Sattler chaperones two children out of a dinosaur riddled theme park – no small accomplishment. It’s clear that others can rely on Laura, especially junior members of a team.
Brad Pitt
Once upon a time in Hollywood, before CGI, stuntmen had a bigger role to play when making films. While their daring can-do attitude has its place on the silver-screen, we’re not so sure how it would work out in a boardroom. Brad Pitt played stuntman Cliff Booth whose heroics may suit a Tarantino tale but murder in any office is sure to be frowned upon. Fight Club and Snatch are further confirmation Brad could prove an HR nightmare. However, Rusty’s (Ocean’s Eleven) planning and team organisation skills suggest the actor wouldn’t be the Pitts as a manager.
Olivia Colman
The character of Queen Anne teaches us that royal blood doesn’t guarantee business pedigree. Olivia Colman even described the character as “underconfident” with too much power on her hands. What more confirmation do you need that Anne is best left at the head of the Stuart household and nothing more? We just hope if she was ever appointed as a boss that she’d fare better than Colman’s Sophie at JLB Credit in TV’s Peep Show.
And the winner is…
Laura Dern is a natural choice for a manager, assertive, reliable and a great team player. We’re sure it’s not just her supporting roles that would prove award winning.
Images courtesy of The Press Association
