My updated Best Actor predictions aren’t as interesting as my Supporting Actor updates as the top five here remain the same, they’ve only been shuffled around a bit, George Clooney remains my leading candidate for the Oscar for his performance in The Descendants, getting an added edge today as the Washington D.C. Area Critics named him the year’s Best Actor, but the race isn’t over yet.
2011’s darling, The Artist, looks as if it will either be an Oscar juggernaut or the little film that almost could, as a result I have bumped lead actor Jean Dujardin to the #2 spot, but I can’t go any higher unless I see a clear sign he’s the one, which definitely has not happened yet. If anything, I may drop him back down the list the closer we get to the big show.
In third I have Brad Pitt for Moneyball. Pitt was recently named by the New York Film Critics as Best Actor and at this point I don’t see how he won’t be nominated for this performance.
I am not so sure about my final two contenders as Gary Oldman in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy gives a very good performance, but it is so quiet and subtle it has me a bit nervous even though I am pretty sure the Academy will use this opportunity to award Oldman with his very first Oscar nomination.
My fifth choice is the wild card and at one point during this update I actually did move him out of my top five. That performance is Leonardo DiCaprio‘s in J. Edgar, a film I think the majority will agree was not up to snuff, but did have some performances that worked. Question is, with Michael Fassbender (Shame) and Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) waiting in the wings, is DiCaprio a sure thing? In fact, both of the Michaels could move in on spots four and five and nudge out Oldman and DiCaprio. Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
I have included my top five directly below and you can browse my complete list of Best Actor predictions with commentary right here and if you haven’t yet checked it out, you can read about my updated Best Supporting Actor predictions right here.
- George Clooney (The Descendants)
- Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
- Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
- Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
- Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)
