Arguably the more fun categories in comparison to their leading counterparts, the races for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, with a few exceptions (the past three years for S. Actor) are generally more colorful. Supporting performances have the ability to either arouse acclaim (Mo'Nique, Javier Bardem, etc...) or confusion (Ruby Dee), and even have the occasional left-field winner (Tilda Swinton). Unlike the past few years, there are no buzzed about front-runners poised to sweep everything up until AMPAS' big night, but here's who's probably going to receive a healthy campaign starting in a few months:
Best Supporting Actor:
1. Ed Harris - The Way Back
Why: A 4-time nominee with no wins; the Academy usually loves to reward its veterans- Why: WWII subject matter
- Why Not: Co-star Colin Farrell may be pushed as supporting as well, leading to internal competition
- Why Not: Veteran status aside, it feels eerily similar to that for Liev Schreiber for Defiance, which didn't exactly go anywhere
2. Sam Rockwell - Conviction
Why: Rockwell has been building steam recently, and delivered a stellar performance in Moon last year, for which he was snubbed- Why: He also has the success of Iron Man 2 to keep him in people's minds
- Why: A true-story victim role
- Why Not: If the film doesn't go over well enough, he could be forgotten, or it could just be Swank's film
3. Bill Murray - Get Low
Why: Good early word of mouth out of Toronto last year- Why Not: Film might not go over well aside from Duvall's performance
4. Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech
Why: Rush has a history of excelling in period pieces, especially in supporting roles (Elizabeth, Shakespeare in Love)- Why: Playing a real-life figure
- Why Not: The film could simply be ignored in the acting categories like The Young Victoria
5. Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Why: An actor who has been in the game for a while now, this could be his big break with the Academy- Why: If the film (a comedy) is embraced in a big way, expect his performance (along with Bening and Moore) to get swept up with it
- Why Not: There aren't too many people out there who seem to think that he's ever been snubbed (unlike Rockwell)
- Why Not: He'll need to be a strong stand-out against the film's more likely leading ladies
Other Contenders: Christian Bale - The Fighter, Brad Pitt - Tree of Life, Andrew Garfield - The Social Network, Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole, John Malkovich - Secretariat, Joseph-Gordon Levitt - Inception, Giovanni Ribisi - The Rum Diary, Chris Cooper - The Town
Best Supporting Actress: The Category where I lose my mind
1. Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Why: Playing real-life royalty- Why: Hasn't been nominated since The Wings of the Dove and has done some strong work since (Sweeney Todd, most notably); perhaps it's time to finally give her that second nomination?
- Why Not: Still no word/buzz on the film or the performance; the category is still anyone's game
2. Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Why: Her role (Portman's "is she real or imaginary?" rival) is plenty mysterious- Why: She's made most of her "mark" in comedy (Meg on Family Guy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) so she could be doubly surprising in this ballet-themed drama
- Why Not: She may not be able to pull it off
- Why Not: The role may be too much of an "emblem" and may be harder to identify with (ex: Melanie Laurent in Inglourious Basterds)
3. Freida Pinto - Miral
Why: Weinstein backing- Why: A chance to actually show if she can act (she looked pretty in Slumdog, but didn't have too much else)
- Why Not: Complications with category placement; apparently she may start off as more supporting, only to become lead in the second half (she plays the title character)
4. Dianne Wiest - Rabbit Hole
Why: A two time winner who hasn't been an Oscar-presence in a long time- Why: Grieving grandmother role that was a critical goldmine for Tyne Daly on stage
- Why Not: Too much competition?
5. Amy Adams - The Fighter
Why: As of now the film may not be embraced by AMPAS (O'Russel's films never have been), but the key for Adams is simple: she's playing against type- Why: A well-liked, younger actress with two previous nominations to her credit; AMPAS obviously likes her quite a bit
- Why Not: May not be able to pull the role off well enough OR the Academy simply may not take to Adams in a darker role
Other Contenders: Helen Mirren - Brighton Rock, Hiam Abbass - Miral (assuming she ends up in more of a supporting role), Elle Fanning - Somewhere, Melissa Leo - The Fighter, Bryce Dallas Howard - Hereafter, Saoirse Ronan - The Way Back, Barbara Hershey - Black Swan, Keira Knightley - Never Let Me Go, Blanca Portillo - Biutiful, Jessica Chastain - Tree of Life
No comments:
Post a Comment