It’s a crowded field in the race for Best Actor and it’s tough to pick which five will make the Academy’s final nominees. It hasn’t helped that the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics Choice Awards both nominated the same six actors in Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), and Colman Domingo in Rustin. Someone has to miss out…or maybe even more than one.
Murphy and Giamatti have dominated the wins from the critics groups. Giamatti was egregiously snubbed of a nomination in 2005 for Sideways, aka another collaboration with Alexander Payne. Could the same happen again? Surely not, but never say never. Murphy stars in the Best Picture frontrunner, so he’s a lock for a nod.
Much like his 2018 film, Cooper writes, directs, produces, and stars in Maestro, so it would be unfathomable to see him miss an acting nomination, let alone finally win the damn thing. He’s in. DiCaprio is DiCaprio and that’s enough, especially given he delivered one of his greatest performances. He’s also in.
That leaves that final spot where the logical choice would be Domingo or Wright. And there’s every likelihood one of them takes the fifth slot. But I can’t shake the feeling All of Us Strangers is starting to peak at just the right time and it could be enough to nab a nomination for Andrew Scott. Lord knows he deserves it. Let’s see how January plays out.
BEST ACTOR PREDICTIONS:
1. Bradley Cooper – Maestro (Netflix) – CCA, GG
2. Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures) – CCA, GG
3. Leonardo DiCaprio – Killers of the Flower Moon (Paramount Pictures / Apple Original Films) – CCA, GG
4. Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers (Focus Features) – CCA, GG
5. Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers (Searchlight Pictures) – GG
IN CONTENTIONS:
Nicolas Cage – Dream Scenario (A24) – GG
Colman Domingo – Rustin (Netflix) – CCA, GG
Adam Driver – Ferrari (NEON)
Zac Efron – The Iron Claw (A24)
Christian Friedel – The Zone of Interest (A24)
Barry Keoghan – Saltburn (Amazon MGM Studios) – GG
Joaquin Phoenix – Napoleon (Sony Pictures / Apple Original Films)
Franz Rogowski – Passages (Mubi)
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction (Amazon MGM/Orion) – CCA, GG
Teo Yoo – Past Lives (A24)
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