Welcome to the supporting actor race for 2025. With the fall film festival season now in the distance and a few potential contenders still to debut on the horizon, it’s time for our first look at the battle for Best Supporting Actor.
The battle for Best Supporting Actor is shaping up to be a race between numerous veteran actors. Stellan Skarsgård has felt like the undisputed frontrunner ever since Sentimental Value premiered at Cannes back in June. But Sean Penn has come roaring into contention with his much-lauded villainous turn in One Battle After Another. Could Penn make it Oscar #3 and join the likes of Walter Brennan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman, Frances McDormand and Meryl Streep?
Many felt Delroy Lindo was dreadfully snubbed in 2020 for his work in Da 5 Bloods. Sinners could be the film to right that wrong and snatch Lindo his first Oscar nod, especially if the film becomes a nomination sweeper. Adam Sandler was also robbed of a deserving nom for Uncut Gems in 2019, and there’s plenty of buzz around his performance in Jay Kelly that could lead to the Oscar nomination Sandler has been chasing for years now.
It remains unclear if Focus Features will campaign Paul Mescal (Hamnet) in lead or supporting. For my money, it’s Jessie Buckley’s film, and Mescal plays a more supporting role in the story. Now that Searchlight Pictures has purchased the rights to The Testament of Ann Lee, keep an eye on Lewis Pullman. In my opinion, outside of Amanda Seyfried, he’s the best thing about the film, and they’d be wise to push him for a nod.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR PREDICTIONS:
1. Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value (NEON)
2. Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
3. Paul Mescal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
4. Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
5. Delroy Lindo – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
IN CONTENTION
Jonathan Bailey – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Bradley Cooper – Is This Thing On? (Searchlight Pictures)
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Akira Emoto – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)
Ben Foster – Christy (Black Bear)
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Josh O’Connor – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)
Lewis Pullman – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Jeremy Strong – Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (20th Century Studios)