There was only one major award in November for leading acting in the form of the Gotham Awards gender-neutral leading performance category, which went to Sopé Dìrísù (My Father’s Shadow), so we’ll have to see how December shapes up with its numerous announcements to see any real movement in this category.
The top three in Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) feel more like locks now, and I’m feeling more confident about Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams) as the weeks roll by. That really just leaves that fifth spot open.
It could be George Clooney (Jay Kelly) or Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), but there is a growing online chorus to see Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) take that final spot. We know Sony Pictures Classics can run a great campaign, so Hawke could very easily sneak in here. If he can land some key nominations in December like the Golden Globes and/or Critics Choice, his case becomes even stronger.
BEST ACTOR PREDICTIONS:
1. Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
2. Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24)
3. Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent (NEON) – Gotham
4. Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams (Netflix) – Gotham
5. Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics) – Gotham
IN CONTENTION
Will Arnett – Is This Thing On? (Searchlight Pictures)
George Clooney – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Russell Crowe – Nuremberg (Sony Pictures Classics)
Daniel Day-Lewis – Anemone (Focus Features)
Brendan Fraser – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)
Hugh Jackman – Song Sung Blue (Focus Features)
Oscar Isaac – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Dwayne Johnson – The Smashing Machine (A24)
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Lee Byung-hun – No Other Choice (NEON) – Gotham
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia (Focus Features)
Jeremy Allen White – Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (20th Century Studios)
