Angelina Jolie Could Help Ewan McGregor Earn An Oscar Nod For 'The Impossible'

On Sunday night, Angelina Jolie hosted a London screening of Ewan McGregor’s upcoming drama “The Impossible.” According to Deadline, Jolie came out to endorse the Scottish actor’s performance in the film.

“Ewan, I’ve known you for years, and you’re one of my favorite actors,” Jolie, who has never worked with McGregor, said following the screening. “But I watched this and I didn’t recognize you. It’s strange; to say it’s one of the best performances of the year doesn’t really give it credit. It doesn’t feel like a performance; it comes from such an honest place.”

According to the site brand-influencers.com, influencer campaigns are efforts by high-profile stars to endorse or support other high-profile stars, and they are becoming more common in the film industry. For example, Julia Roberts held a screening of “Biutiful” last year as a means of generating awards season buzz for Javier Barden's performance in that film.

McGregor sang Jolie’s praises in the past as well. In a January interview with “Regis and Kelly,” the actor referred to her feature-film directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” as an “amazing” and “very important film.”

On Monday, the actor talked to Omg! Yahoo about Jolie’s support of the film.

“It was really king of her to introduce the film for us last night,” he said of the screening. “I’ve been a great fan of hers.”

Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, “The Impossible” tells the true story of a family torn apart while vacationing in Thailand during the 2004 tsunami. Following its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film earned rave reviews.

“The most harrowing disaster movie in many a moon,” Justin Chang of Variety said. “’The Impossible’ marries a tremendous feat of physical filmmaking to an emotional true story of family survival.”

The film, which amazingly has no CGI sequences, also stars Naomi Watts and newcomer Tom Holland.

According to Scott Feinberg of the Hollywood Reporter, “The Impossible” could finally grant McGregor an Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Despite an impressive 18-year career and standout performances in films like “Trainspotting” and “Moulin Rouge,” the 41-year-old has yet to earn a nomination for the coveted award.

Indie Wire listed McGregor as a long shot when it comes to Oscar consideration, but the Hollywood Reporter describes him as a “major threat” to the competition.

With several acclaimed actors currently circling the category, including “The Master” star Philip Seymour Hoffman and “Lincoln” star Tommy Lee Jones, competition is stiff. It remains to be scene whether Jolie’s support of the film will help McGregor win his first Oscar.

“The Impossible" is slated to be released on Dec. 21.