The Oscars Effect: Demand for Brendan Fraser Soars After Best Actor Win
Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan also got a big bump from the Academy Awards, but they weren’t alone
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Brendan Fraser, the winner of Oscars’ Best Actor award for “The Whale,” had almost off-the-charts buzz after his win with nearly 150 times more demand than the average talent after winning the award, according to Parrot Analytics data, which takes into account consumer research, streaming, downloads and social media, among other engagement.
Yeoh, this year’s winner of the Best Actress award, also saw a leap after winning.
And it’s not just the winners — many of the nominees will feel the impact of the ceremony for months to come. With their talent highlighted for the world to see, it’s common for studios to scoop up actors for big projects after the awards. Some examples are Alicia Vikander, who got cast for “Tomb Raider” after winning best supporting actress in 2015, and Brie Larson, who got the lead in “Captain Marvel” after winning Best Actress in 2016.
With our data, we can track demand for Oscar nominees before and after the ceremony. In the days leading to the ceremony, Fraser, Yeoh, Austin Butler and Ana de Armas were the most in-demand talent, with a considerable gap between them and the other nominees.
Renowned actor Colin Farrell, nominated for the top role in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” also experienced a huge demand spike after Sunday, surpassing Cate Blanchett and Michelle Williams and becoming the fifth most in-demand nominee. His demand score tripled from the three weeks before the Academy Awards to the period after it.
Post-awards ceremony demand, Feb. 21-March 13, 2023, U.S. (Parrot Analytics
Other less well-known talents saw even higher demand growth after the awards, starting from a lower base. One example is Andrea Riseborough, the talent with the greatest growth in demand over that same period. The demand for the “To Leslie” actress grew by 432.6% after the ceremony. Paul Mescal (up 244.2%) and Bill Nighy (up 158%) also saw impressive growth.
If we include talents nominated for Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role, the growth of demand for Ke Huy Quan stands out. The Best Supporting Actor winner saw demand grow by 416.1% after the ceremony, which may be a turning point in his career. After going behind the camera for almost 20 years, the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actor is set to become the next great comeback story in Hollywood.
Growth in demand after the 2023 Academy Awards, U.S. (Parrot Analytics)
The Oscars are also an opportunity for niche talent to get in front of the broader public. Most of the supporting role nominees had a demand spike of more than 150% after the Academy Awards. Kerry Condon, Brian Tyree Henry, Stephanie Hsu and Judd Hirsch saw demand more than triple following the big night, making them prime candidates to cast in a new project.
Daniel Quinaud is a senior data analyst at Parrot Analytics, a WrapPRO partner. For more from Parrot Analytics, visit the Data and Analysis Hub.
