We are a month away from the 97th Academy Award Nominations being announced. This might be the most wide-open race we've had in a long time. As more critic groups release their nominees and even winners, they will start shaping some upcoming races in specific categories. Today, we take a look at the Supporting Actor and Actress race. Who is in, who could win, and who is in the bubble?
This season, the Oscar race is shaping up with an onslaught of old and new faces. While I enjoy seeing some of my favorite actors enter the picture, I also love watching new faces start to take over for the next generation. I am intrigued to see how things shift over the next few weeks because these races are far from figured out when it comes to nominations.
Best Supporting Actress
Zoe Saldana - Emilia Perez
Danielle Deadwyler - The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande - Wicked
Felicity Jones - The Brutalist
Elle Fanning - A Complete Unknown
First two out: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickelboys), Saoirse Ronan (Blitz)
According to Vegas, Zoe Saldana is the current favorite to take home her first-ever Academy Award, with Danielle Deadwyler a close second. Saldana has the flashiest perfromance amongst the current five as she sings and dances (while acting her tail off) through Emilia Perez. One of the most significant shifts over the last few weeks is Ariana Grande starting to make noise for her performance in Wicked.
Wicked's box office and rave reviews have inserted the film into the conversation. It will be interesting to see if it results in acting nominations, but right now, I believe Grande will get nominated. Rounding out the top 5, I have Elle Fanning making it in for A Complete Unknown. This stems from my thinking that A Complete Unknown will be in the conversation for most nominations. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is who I would swap out Fanning for, as these two are 1a/1b when it comes to my fifth slot.
Best Supporting Actor
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
Guy Pearce - The Brutalist
Clarence Maclin - Sing Sing
Denzel Washington - Gladiator II
Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown
First two out: Yura Borisov (Anora), Stanley Tucci (Conclave)
Vegas has this as a wide-open race, with Guy Pearce a slight favorite over Clarence Maclin. My current front-runner is Kieran Culkin for his fantastic performance in A Real Pain. That said, I am about 25% confident in that right now. If A Real Pain gets nominations for Best Picture, Actor, and Screenplay, Culkin has a chance to take home his first Oscar.
Denzel is an Academy favorite and gives a unique turn in Gladiator II. With a wide-open race, do they just award Washington his third Oscar? I like the odds. Edward Norton is an underdog that I see making his way into the five and even into the conversation to win. A Complete Unknown is a force to be reckoned with. This will be the most exciting race among all the acting categories.