The Hours, a film based on Michael Cunningham's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, was released in December 2002, and it features three generations of women, with A-list actresses Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep playing the lead roles. Scott Rudin, the producer of the movie, wanted Kidman to wear a prosthetic nose to transform her into Virginia Woolf, but Harvey Weinstein, the co-producer, did not. This disagreement became the highlight of the movie's Oscar campaign, which was considered one of the most surreal Oscar campaigns of the 2000s.
Dalloway. Finally, Streep played the role of a book editor named Clarissa, preparing for a party, who embodies the protagonist of Mrs. Dalloway. The three actors competed against each other for several awards, including the Oscars.
The campaign for The Hours was led by Rudin, who used double-truck ads in the LA and New York Times to promote the movie. Terry Press, who ran marketing for DreamWorks Pictures at the time, remembers the art with the three women, which is still vivid in her memory. However, the marketing of a movie about the inner lives of women was done by two notoriously aggressive men, Rudin and Weinstein.
The Oscar nominations for the cast were complicated. Kidman and Streep were positioned for Hours in the best actress category, but the latter was passed over because voters preferred her supporting role in Spike Jonze’s Adaptation.
Moore was nominated for both movies, competing in both the best actress and supporting categories. Kidman was the clear favorite to win the best actress award and was everywhere for months leading up to the Oscars. The prosthetic drama surrounding her appearance on the film was also a hot topic in the media.
Kidman was concerned that the prosthetic nose would make people laugh when she appeared on the screen, but critics mostly praised the prosthetic work. Despite the controversy, Kidman went on to win the best actress Oscar for her role in the film.