Among those on the list for Best Actress and Best Actor are Jude Law, James Earl Jones, Rachel Weisz, and Imelda Staunton.  Each [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Yesterday the West End’s power to get A list talent was once again proven by the fact that many of the Laurence Olivier Awards nominees could just as easily been nominated for an Oscar.

Among those on the list for Best Actress and Best Actor are Jude Law, James Earl Jones, Rachel Weisz, and Imelda Staunton.  Each of these has either been nominated or won an Oscar in the past.  Another Oscar nominee, Keira Knightley, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress this year as well for her role in The Misanthrope.

Additionally, three more Olivier Award nominees- Juliet Stevenson, James McAvoy, and Sam West- have also been nominated in the past for a Bafta film award, which is also prestigious.  Although there are usually a few Hollywood A listers on the Olivier nod list, very rarely are there so many within one year.

Favoured winners for Best Actor this year are Sam West for his role in Enron and Mark Rylance for his role in Jerusalem. Both of these plays were produced at the Royal Court Theatre, which leads the Olivier’s in terms of most nods by a production team with a total of 15.  Following close behind are the Donmar Warehouse, which secured ten, and the National Theatre which secured nine.

Of particular note is the fact that her appearance in The Misanthrope was Keira Knightley’s first appearance on the West End stage, which has many wondering if she was nominated for her work in Hollywood or her actual performance.

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