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A two page ad in VARIETY indicates
just exactly who New Line will be pushing for Academy Award consideration for LORD OF THE RINGS.
For Best Actor: IAN McKELLEN
Best Supporting Actor: ELIJAH WOOD, IAN HOLM, VIGGO MORTENSEN, SEAN BEAN.
For Best Supporting Actress: CATE BLANCHETT, LIV TYLER
However, these are just suggestions, as the Academy voters vote for whoever they prefer, and in whatever category they prefer. For instance, Elijah Wood is actually the leading actor in LOTR, with far more screen time than Ian McKellen, so voters may elect to nominate Wood as best actor (although unlikely), and vote for McKellen as best supporting actor. Likewise, although not being supported by New Line, Academy voters may decide to vote for Lee as best supporting actor if they feel his acting work merits such honors.
Having seen the film, I think despite the fact that this is Christopher Lee's best role in a very long time, it is rather unlikely he will be nominated, mostly because Ian McKellen has a better and more dramatic role, making him the most likely actor from LOTR's to be nominated.
However, Mr. Lee's part is not at all a brief appearance (like in SLEEPY HOLLOW), but a full and exciting major role, where as the chief villian, he gets to develop a character who was Gandalf's mentor, and becomes his nemisis. There is a spectacular one on one face-off between Lee and Ian McKellen in which they both get to show off their acting chops, as well as their battling skills, as they go at each other with the full force of their magical powers.
Lee also provides highly dramatic voice over narration for several sequences in the film, including the astonishing birth scenes of the hordes of Uruk-Hai, whose mission is to obtain the Ring for Saruman - no matter what the cost.
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