Pro: The hard-working beauty has often attracted praise as an ensemble member in such films as “Ray,” “The Last King of Scotland” and “For Colored Girls,” while a lead turn in indie “Night Catches Us” earned her more individual praise and minor awards – but she's never really broken through with audiences, or indeed Academy members. The role of Broomhilda Von Shaft, the fabulously named damsel-in-distress figure in Quentin Tarantino's slavery-themed western, could net her more exposure than anything she's done to date.

Con: Drafts of Tarantino's script are readily available online, but there's be no telling how substantial a character Broomhilda is until we see the finished film – and even if she has something to work with, there's a strong chance the film itself could be too genre-wild for Academy tastes. Attention looks to focused more on the film's male cast members.

- Guy Lodge