It had been a while since I updated my actor categories, which gives good reason as to why one of my Best Supporting Actor contenders jumped nine spots into the top five and another is brand new to the predictions, debuting in the fifth slot. That said, my top three contenders have been leaders in the pack for quite some time, but in the last month or so this race has definitely gotten more interesting. First, let’s get the usual suspects out of the way.
Still predicted to win the Oscar is Christopher Plummer for Beginners. Plummer was recently named a nominee at the Spirit Awards and has essentially been the front-runner since the year began. However, the precursor awards are starting to show others may have a place in this race.
In second I have Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but he may be just as much a wobbler as my current third place contender, Kenneth Branagh and his performance as Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn. I’ve seen Branagh’s performance and it seems like a good candidate for a nomination while I haven’t seen Extremely Loud yet. Thing is, the name recognition on these guys is what keeps them so “incredibly close” to the top while I have a slew of names just below them that could easily spoil their chances.
My fourth place pick is the one that has made the largest leap since my last rankings. I previously had Albert Brooks‘s performance in Drive ranked at #13, but in recent days he was named Best Supporting Actor by the New York Film Critics and the Washington D.C. Critics giving him a clear boost from the critical masses. Obviously these awards don’t make for Oscar guarantees, but this is the kind of buzz and support this performance needed.
Rounding out my top five is a performance I didn’t even have on the list until today, Ben Kingsley and his performance in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. I praised the performance in my review and with the Oscar winner’s name recognition I couldn’t help but edge Patton Oswalt‘s great performance in Young Adult to number six.
However, along with Oswalt, I have added Kevin Spacey‘s performance in Margin Call to the ranks and we still have Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady) and Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life) to consider among others.
I have included my top five directly below and you can check out my full field of 21 contenders and commentary right here and I have also updated the Best Actor predictions, which you can read about right here.
- Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
- Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
- Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
- Albert Brooks (Drive)
- Ben Kingsley (Hugo)
