The Oscars may be over, but for some of the actors and actresses who were nominated, the impact of the ceremony will be felt for months to come. With their talent highlighted for the world to see, it is common for studios to scoop them up for big projects after the awards. Some examples of this are Alicia Vikander, who got cast for Tomb Raider after winning best supporting actress in 2015, and Brie Larson, who got the role of Captain Marvel after winning Best Actress in 2016.
Using Parrot Analytics talent demand data, we can track demand for Oscar nominees' talents well before the ceremony, and now that the dust has settled after the ceremony, it is possible to see who got the biggest buzz the following day. The chart below shows that in the days leading to the ceremony, Brandon Fraser, Austin Butler, Michelle Yeoh, and Ana de Armas were the most in-demand talent, with a considerable gap between them and the other nominees. Brendan Fraser, the winner of the Best Actor award has been the most in-demand with almost 150 times more demand than the average talent after winning the award. Michelle Yeoh, the winner of the Best Actress award also had a big growth after winning, closing the demand gap between her and Austin Butler, the second most in-demand best actor/actress nominated talent.
Renowned actor Colin Farrell, nominated for the leading role in “The Banshees of Inisherin”, also experienced a huge demand spike after March 12th, surpassing Cate Blanchett and Michelle Williams and becoming the 5th most in-demand nominated talent. If we compare the average demand for the Irish actor in the three weeks before the Academy Awards with the demand after it, the growth was higher than 200%.
Other less well-known talents had an even higher demand growth after the awards, even though their demand is still low when compared to more popular actors. One example is Andrea Riseborough, the talent with the greatest growth in demand over that same period. The demand for the British actress grew by 432.6% after the ceremony. Paul Mescal (+244.2%) and Bill Nighy (+158%) also saw impressive demand growth.
If we include talents nominated for best actor/actress in a supporting role, the growth of the demand for Ke Huy Quan stands out. The Best Actor in a Supporting Role winner had a growth of 416.1% after the ceremony, which may be a turning point in his career. After being forgotten by the movie business for almost 20 years, the actor in Everything Everywhere All at Once is set to become the next great comeback story in Hollywood.
The Oscars are also an opportunity for niche talent to become more well-known by the broader public. Most of the supporting role nominees had a demand spike higher than 150% after the Academy Awards. This growth was even more impressive for actors like Kerry Condon, Brian Tyree Henry, Stephanie Hsu, and Judd Hirsch. All of whom had over 200% demand growth following the big night and look like prime candidates to be cast in a new project.