One of the expected "locks" for a nomination in the Best Actress race this year is Helen Mirren's turn in "The Last Station."  The irony is that compared to some of her counterparts, Mirren hasn't gotten that much media attention over her fantastic performance.  That's partially because the film only played in New York and Los Angeles for a one week qualifying run last month.  Now, "Last Station" is opening in limited release before an expected national rollout over the next few weeks and the buzz for the former Oscar winner should grow.

Set during the last days of Russian icon Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer), Mirren plays the "War and Peace" novelist's wife Sofya Tolstoy who was engaged in a constant battle over the future of her husband's legacy.  James McAvoy, whose gained attention for his roles in "The Last King of Scotland," "Atonement" and "Wanted," plays Valentin Bulgakov, Tolstoy's last assistant and a young man torn between the beliefs of his idol and his sympathy for Sofya's struggles. "Station" has been sold in many ways as Plummer's great shot at his first Academy Awards nomination -- which should happen -- but it's really Mirren and to a lesser extent McAvoy who steal the show.

Awards Campaign spoke with both actors last week and to say it was a delight was an understatement.  The duo spoke about their research on the all to real events depicted in "Station," but they also gave some tidbits on their upcoming genre films.  Mirren is starring Summit Entertainment's potential new franchise "Red" alongside Bruce Willis and McAvoy is expected to begin shooting "Wanted 2" sometime this year and, in fact, divulges the highly anticipated sequel is "on the books."

Check out this really entertaining interview embedded in this page, or for a larger version, click here.

"The Last Station" is now playing in limited release.

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