Oscar and BAFTA Film nominations for Sally Hawkins

RADA graduate Sally Hawkins has added an Oscar nomination to her recent set of nominations for her leading role in fantasy drama The Shape of Water. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Leading Actress, as well as a BAFTA Film Award for Leading Actress.

In the film, Sally plays the role of Elisa Esposito, a woman rendered mute by a traumatic event in her childhood. Living in Baltimore in 1961, she now works as a janitor at a high-security government laboratory and befriends a captured sea creature known as the 'Asset'.

Sally Hawkins graduated from RADA in 1998 and has gained many award nominations and wins throughout her film career. Highlights include Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky(multi award-winning including Golden Globe Award for Best Actress), An Education, Made in Dagenham, Blue Jasmine (Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress), Maudie and both Paddington films. On stage, she has appeared in Constellations (Royal Court/Duke of York's), Mrs Warren's Profession (Broadway), The House of Bernarda Alba (National Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing (Regent's Park Open Air) and The Winterling (Royal Court).

The Shape of Water is currently leading the Oscars race with 13 nominations in total. Visit the BAFTA website and the Academy Awards website for the full lists of nominees.

Sally was also nominated at the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards (for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role) and the Golden Globe Awards (for Best Performance by an Actress in a Film – Drama) for the role; The Shape of Water received seven Golden Globe nominations in total and won Best Original Score and Best Film Director.