The race for Best Supporting Actor is looking like it’s heading for a clean sweep for Keiran Culkin (A Real Pain) à la Ke Huy Quan’s run for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022. He’s nabbed nominations at both the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics Choice Awards while dominating wins with the critics groups including Los Angeles, New York, and the National Board of Review. Can anyone stop him at this point?
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) and Yura Borisov (Anora) also picked up Golden Globe and CCA noms, as did Denzel Washington (Gladiator II) and Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown). Pearce is picking up the lion’s share of critics wins that don’t go to Culkin, while Borisov joined him in nabbing a nom with the Gotham Awards, which was won by Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing) who the Golden Globes oddly snubbed.
Despite that snub, Maclin feels safer for an Oscar nomination, given the generally agreed perception that the Academy will be more receptive to Sing Sing. That leaves Washington and Norton to battle it out for that fifth spot. While the Academy loves Norton, it’s never wise to bet against 10-time nominee Washington.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR PREDICTIONS:
1. Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures) – CCA, Gotham, GG
2. Guy Pearce – The Brutalist (A24) – CCA, Gotham, GG
3. Yura Borislov – Anora (Neon) – CCA, Gotham, GG
4. Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing (A24) – CCA, Gotham
5. Denzel Washington – Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures) – CCA, GG
IN CONTENTION
Harris Dickinson – Babygirl (A24)
Mark Eydelshteyn – Anora (NEON)
Ray Fisher – The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Brian Tyree Henry – The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios)
John Lithgow – Conclave (Focus Features)
John Magaro – September 5 (Paramount Pictures)
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures) – CCA, GG
Adam Pearson – A Different Man (A24) – Gotham
Joseph Quinn – Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice (Briarcliff Entertainment) – GG
Stanley Tucci – Conclave (Focus Features)