Joining the duo -- who play maids who participate in a tell-all book that shakes up life in 1960s Jackson, Miss. -- were four other awards contenders: Glenn Close, who's turning heads for her gender-bending title role in Albert Nobbs; Michelle Williams, who gave her spin on a screen legend in My Week With Marilyn; Carey Mulligan, who brought to life a lounge singer with suicidal tendencies in Shame; and Charlize Theron, who conquers an evil character again in Young Adult.