“Acting’s such a funny job, isn’t it?,” poses our year-end cover star Vanessa Kirby. “It’s almost like trying to get inside someone else’s thoughts.” The U.K. performer does just that to extraordinary results in Netflix’s new “Pieces of a Woman,” a devastating and intimate film that has her in the running for the season’s top accolades. Speaking with Backstage, she reveals the craftwork and process that got her there. We also spoke with filmmakers Emerald Fennell and Kelly Reichardt in this week’s special Oscar Nominations Watch issue—plus, our awards editor provides industry analysis you can’t get anywhere else. Catch a preview of the full issue below, and head over to backstage.com/magazine for more!