2019 Oscar Predictions: SUPPORTING ACTOR (April) – Chalamet Tops, Stephan James Rises
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Timothée Chalamet, who earned his first Oscar nomination earlier this year in Best Actor for Call Me By Your Name, is the new crown-wearer in Best Supporting Actor for April with Beautiful Boy (above, with Steve Carell).
The 22-year old is definitely looking at a return to the Dolby in classic ‘afterglow’ nomination style with a searing biopic playing a meth-addicted teen.
Newcomer Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk) moves up to the #2 spot as I feel that film getting stronger by the month. Richard E. Grant moves into the top 3 with Can You Ever Forgive Me? but his nomination (which would be his first) feels pretty dependent on his lead, Melissa McCarthy, getting in too. I’m currently predicting that so he’s safe for now.
The first test screening of Adam McKay’s untitled Dick Cheney biopic revealed that Steve Carell (last month’s #1) might not have the role needed for a nomination, much less a win, and that reigning Best Supporting Actor winner Sam Rockwell is the likelier candidate. Interestingly enough, Carell is a contender in Best Actor for two films, including Beautiful Boy (above).
Kyle Chandler, an Emmy-winning television star, moves into the top 5 on the strength of having the strongest supporting role in First Man and that film’s early campaign.
Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya (Widows) moves up and Oscar winner Jeff Bridges makes his chart debut with Bad Times at the El Royale.
The Other Contenders list is always going to be rich with choices, especially as any number of my 1-10 start falling away. Boy Erased has Oscar winner Russell Crowe as well as the film’s director Joel Edgerton, Widows has Oscar winners and nominees in Robert Duvall and Liam Neeson, Oscar winner in this category Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) has Green Book, Ad Astra could find space for Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones or Honorary Oscar winner Donald Sutherland (to finally earn his first nomination), Sebastian Stan could build off his strong notices from I, Tonya to his role in Destroyer and I’ll keep my eye on Alex Wolff in Hereditary.
Here are my predictions for Best Supporting Actor as of April 18, 2018.
| 1. Timothée Chalamet – Beautiful Boy |
| 2. Stephan James – If Beale Street Could Talk |
| 3. Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me? |
| 4. Sam Rockwell – Untitled Dick Cheney biopic |
| 5. Kyle Chandler – First Man |
| 6. Jeff Bridges – Bad Times at the El Royale |
| 7. Daniel Kaluuya – Widows |
| 8. Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman |
| 9. Steve Carell – Untitled Dick Cheney biopic |
| 10. Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther |
| OTHER CONTENDERS |
| Casey Affleck – Old Man and the Gun |
| Mahershala Ali – Green Book |
| Joe Alwyn – Boy Erased |
| Jon Bernthal – First Man |
| Steve Buscemi – Lean on Pete |
| Russell Crowe – Boy Erased |
| Robert Duvall – Widows |
| Joel Edgerton – Boy Erased |
| Sam Elliott – A Star is Born |
| Colin Firth – Kursk |
| Michael Greyeyes – Woman Walks Ahead |
| Jake Gyllenhaal – Wildlife |
| Armie Hammer – On the Basis of Sex |
| Rutger Hauer – The Sisters Brothers |
| Lucas Hedges – Mid 90s |
| André Holland – Widows |
| Oscar Isaac – At Eternity’s Gate |
| Oscar Isaac – Life Itself |
| Samuel L. Jackson – Life Itself |
| Ken Jeong – Crazy Rich Asians |
| Aaron Taylor Johnson – Outlaw King |
| Tommy Lee Jones – Ad Astra |
| Irrfan Khan – Puzzle |
| Ben Kingsley – Operation Finale |
| Diego Luna – If Beale Street Could Talk |
| Matthew McConaughey – White Boy Rick |
| Scoot McNairy – Destroyer |
| Lin-Manuel Miranda – Mary Poppins Returns |
| Liam Neeson – Widows |
| Chris O’Dowd – Juliet, Naked |
| Guy Pearce – The Catcher Was a Spy |
| Jonathan Pryce – The Man Who Killed Don Quixote |
| Sam Rockwell – Woman Walks Ahead |
| Mark Ruffalo – Newsflash |
| Matthias Schoenaerts – Kursk |
| J.K. Simmons – The Front Runner |
| Alexander Skarsgård – The Hummingbird Project |
| Ricardo Scamarccio – Loro |
| Sebastian Stan – Destroyer |
| Corey Stoll – First Man |
| Donald Sutherland – Ad Astra |
| David Tennant – Mary Queen of Scots |
| Courtney B. Vance – Ben is Back |
| Vince Vaughn – Fighting with My Family |
| Dominic West – Colette |
| Forest Whitaker – Burden |
| Alex Wolff – Hereditary |
2019 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE (April)
2019 Oscar Predictions: BEST DIRECTOR (April)
2019 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTOR (April)
2019 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTRESS (April)
2019 Oscar Predictions: SUPPORTING ACTRESS (April)
2019 Oscar Predictions: ADAPTED and ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (April)
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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