And here we go! We are about three weeks removed from the 96th Academy Awards airing so that means it’s time to start speculating on the 97th. These are my initial glimpses at the four acting races, Director, and Picture and they will unfold on the blog over the next few days.
It begins with Supporting Actor. When I did my first picks on the competition in 2023, it yielded one nominee: Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things. Under the 10 other possibilities, I named the eventual winner Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer as well as Robert De Niro in Killers of the Flower Moon. I did not identify Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction) or Ryan Gosling (Barbie) at the early juncture.
Let’s start with an obvious caveat… it’s early. Some movies listed are likely to be pushed back or simply not turn out as awards contenders. Actors listed here could end up being campaigned for in lead actor and vice versa when I get to Best Actor.
This premiere post previews a potential showdown of Succession actors Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong as well as possible spots for legends like Denzel Washington and Willem Dafoe. There’s also relative unknowns (Leigh Gill, Clarence Maclin) and a pair of Dune thespians (Javier Bardem, Austin Butler). This lineup is admittedly far less star-studded than 2023’s.
Here’s the first snapshot:
TODD’S FIRST OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR SUPPORTING ACTOR AT THE 97TH ACADEMY AWARDS
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Leigh Gill, Blitz
Brian Tyree Henry, The Fire Inside
Drew Starkey, Queer
Stanley Tucci, Conclave
Other Possibilities:
Austin Butler, Dune: Part Two
Javier Bardem, Dune: Part Two
Willem Dafoe, Kinds of Kindness
Samuel L. Jackson, The Piano Lesson
John Lithgow, Conclave
Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Adam Pearson, A Diffrent Man
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Denzel Washington, Gladiator 2
Forest Whitaker, Megalopolis