Roughly two-thirds through “Misty Green,” Rosalind Eleazar takes a breath and lets a rendition of “One Night Only,” from the musical “Dreamgirls,” rip. The characters around her go quiet, and the crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Chris Rock‘s film made its world premiere, seemed similarly enraptured. But when Rock and his cast took the stage for their post-screening Q&A, the crowd made their appreciation for her work known with cheers and applause.
Onstage, Eleazar explained why she fell in love with Misty and was “really desperate” to play the part. So I did whatever I could,” Eleazar said, before realizing what she’d accidentally insinuated, since Misty Green will indeed do anything for a role. Rock and the crowd chuckled as she hastily recovered: “Normal things!
Just like Zooms and stuff.” Eleazar — recently named one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch for 2026 — is a best actress contender that dares anyone in the room to argue otherwise. Each scene feels fit for her Oscar clip package, much Cate Blanchett delivered in each beat of “Blue Jasmine.” Misty is a fading, award-winning actress clawing back her career, but self-sabotaging along the way. Eleazar plays her with the danger of Pam Grier and the polish of Tracee Ellis Ross. ”I love a messy woman,” Rock said, explaining why he crafted the complex character in the first place.
Is she gonna get on the floor and fight for the money? Like on the day you can just say you’re not doing it, and what the fuck am I gonna do?” With “Misty Green,” Rock, who wrote and directed the film, crafted a dramatic satire that cuts to the bone. The film functions as a tour of Los Angeles’ most potable artistic hot spots, but doubles as an autopsy of the business, especially for artists of color.
He skewers “Hollywood” without ever quite naming names. Most importantly, Rock hands Eleazar showcase after showcase, and she cashes in on every opportunity. A sequence built around a screen test for “The Devil Wears Prada” is the funniest, sharpest stretch of acting in the film — until the next one that follows it.
When Misty sings a version of Radiohead’s “Creep” in the lounge at the Hollywood Roosevelt, the ache lands similarly to Carey Mulligan’s “New York, New York” solo in “Shame.” By the time Eleazar reaches “One Night Only,” it’s her “La La Land” audition moment. Now, for the Oscar-shaped elephant in the room. Only one Black woman has won the lead actress Oscar: Halle Berry, for “Monster’s Ball,” in 2002.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
