The 86th Annual Academy Awards are fast approaching, which means it's time to start making our predictions for who will be taking home the shiny gold man. Before the ceremony is broadcast on Sunday, March 2nd (you can watch the telecast on ABC starting at 8pm ET), we'll be examining every major category and ranking each nominee on their likelihood to hear their name called. Today’s category: Best Supporting Actor!
Best Supporting Actress
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
5. Jonah Hill, “The Wolf Of Wall Street”This race is such a done deal that it almost feels cruel deciding who is the losingest loser of the bunch. But Hill was the only surprise in a category full of shoe-ins, so he should consider himself lucky just to have earned a nom. As unhinged sycophant Donnie, Hill was insanely committed…but was he really better than anyone else on this list? (Heck -- was he even better than some people left off the list, like James Gandolfini in “Enough Said” or Daniel Brühl in “Rush”?)
4. Bradley Cooper, “American Hustle”“Hustle” may be lots of people’s favorite movie this year, but Cooper’s performance is not exactly the first thing people talk about when discussing the film. (That honor would go to Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale’s belly, Amy Adams’ wardrobe, and Christian Bale’s combover, respectively.) This is Cooper’s second nom in as many years for a role in an O. Russell film (after a Best Actor nod last year for “Silver Linings Playbook”), and kudos to him for crafting two very different characters in those films. But this won’t be his year.
3. Michael Fassbender, “12 Years A Slave”Another critical favorite film, another captivating supporting performance...another talented actor who will be going home empty handed. “12 Years” had no shortage of tense, hard to watch, suspenseful scenes, and one of the most memorable of those is the midnight confrontation between Fassbender’s maniacal slave owner Edwin Epps and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Solomon Northup. As played by Fassbender, Epps was a fascinating character study in the tortured soul that results from the collision between faith and guilt. Academy love for “12 Years” almost tips Fassbender’s chances into the #2 slot here...but not quite.
2. Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips”The only reason Abdi gets second billing over Fassbender is because he’s the only actor in the category with a major win to his name this season. Abdi recently took home the BAFTA award over fellow competitors Fassbender and Cooper (neither Leto nor Hill were nominated). And the man’s cinderella story is certainly compelling: a Somali immigrant working as a limo driver in Minneapolis, plucked from obscurity by a casting director after an open call, now rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite and taking home prestigious trophies. Academy voters love honoring their established, respected peers, but could Abdi’s underdog story possibly be too good to resist?
1. Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”The race for Best Picture this year may be the most excitingly open one in recent memory, but that doesn’t mean the ceremony won’t still have its fair share of predictable gimmes. Supporting Actor, Lead Actress, and Director are all virtual locks, and Supporting Actor is probably the safest bet of all (more on those other two categories later). Leto’s performance in “Dallas” is the definition of transformative: as Rayon, Leto completely disappeared into the emaciated, wig-wearing, kimono-wrapped body of a transgender AIDS victim. A bit of recent backlash against the film and its director for not casting one of the many talented transgender actors still struggling to find a presence in the industry likely won’t impact Leto’s chances -- even those complaints have largely included nothing but admiration for his performance. Leto's first film role in four years (the actor has lately been focusing on his band, 30 Seconds To Mars), he clearly poured his heart, soul, and even his body into Rayon, and Academy voters will reward him for it.
Who do you think will win Best Supporting Actor? Tweet us @Stagebuddy to announce your pick!
