Scott Predicts Best Supporting Actor

Scott has already laid out his predictions for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress nominations.  So, today he looks at who he thinks will make the ballot for Best Supporting Actor.

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Today’s Predictions – Supporting Actor

The Supporting Actor category has a vast number of potential candidates, another testament to just how good this year has been in films. Sure, on the blockbuster side of equation things are repetitive and mind-numbing most of the time, but amongst all of that we have been blessed with great performances of many different varieties. Here are the five actors I could see being nominated, but there are also some very interesting alternatives that could ruin my predictions.

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave – Fassbender plays a most disgusting villain as a slave owner in 12 Years a Slave who is spurred on by the equally brutal performance by Sarah Paulson who plays his wife. It is truly a dark place that Fassbender must have visited in his head to pull out such moral bile and it is flawless. It is what he brings to the movie that is essential to the tale and he is a strong contender in this category.

Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club – It has been four years since Leto has been in a movie, and he is part of the dynamic acting duo in Dallas Buyers Club in a performance that has gained him his first nominations from both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild. It is the sort of meaty role that would be hard for the Academy voters to ignore.

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips – This is one of the heartwarming stories of the year as Abdi is a first time performer who has gained the spotlight. Prior to his role opposite Hanks in Captain Phillips he was driving taxis in Minnesota. Watching the movie, you would never know that not only had he never acted before, but had never even met the iconic Hanks before they filmed the first scene where their paths cross. Adbi, who is of much smaller physical stature than Hanks, shows no nervousness in the scene as he exudes all of the power and makes Hanks look tiny and submissive in comparison.

Daniel Bruhl – Rush - When I watched Rush in theatres, I loved Bruhl’s performance but never thought it would be in the discussion come Oscar time. It is not because I did not think it worthy, but because I believed it would be completely overlooked. How wrong I was, as his name has appeared in nominations with the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and SAGs making it quite clear that he was indeed recognized for his contribution.

Bradley Cooper – American Hustle – He has come a long way from his breakout role in The Hangover, which is to be sure. Having been nominated for his role in David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook last year, he finds himself in the beneficial position of having once again teamed up with Russell. While he got nominations from the Golden Globes and BAFTAs, he is missing out on the important SAG nomination, which could see James Gandolfini getting in here for Enough Said.

In this category it would be no real surprise if James Gandolfini (Enough Said) managed to get in there. He did get a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild, and it was a wonderful performance that he left the world with. Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street) may get his second Oscar nod, and Tom Hanks (Saving Mr. Banks) could end up swaying some voters his way. I accidently mentioned Steve Coogan (Philomena) as an outside pick for Best Actor, but it was my mistake to make because apparently he is up for Supporting Actor. That being said, there is a small chance he could get in here. My own personal hope is for Sam Rockwell (The Way Way Back) to sneak in, and there is a possibility that John Goodman (Inside Llewyn Davis) could finally get recognition from the Academy for one of his amazing supporting performances.