Supporting Actor Has No Frontrunner
Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 7:01PM Oh sure... Liam Neeson you say. So did I at one point. But Silence is looking like an increasingly imaginary film, don't you think? I'm not dumping him from the predicted lineup just yet though The Supporting Actor Chart has a ton of movement post-festival explosion.
The biggest chart debut goes to Peter Sarsgaard as Bobby Kennedy in Jackie (they love actors as real famous people and he's typically strong) while Michael Shannon moves on up for stealing the entire show in Nocturnal Animals. And with the eyebrow-raising news that Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is not debuting for critics before its NYFF premiere, have we been overestimating that film? What a strange decision!
Finally what to make of the men of Moonlight? They're all terrific but due to the triptych nature of the film, not a one of the men is in more than a third of the picture. My favorites were Trevante Rhodes (the lead character as an adult) and Mahershara Ali (a major figure in the first third) but you could fill up a whole supporting actor category with the men in Moonlight. No really. Here they are...
| The Men of "Moonlight" | ||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Mahershala Ali |
Alex R Hibble |
Ashton Sanders |
Andre Holland |
Trevante Rhodes as "Black" |
With apologies to Jharrel Jerome who plays Kevin as a teenager and is also really good (but we have to stick to five because them is the rules)
Reader Comments (31)
Unless someone slays that we don't widely know about now, I think it's going to Hugh Grant. He gives a really great performance in Florence Foster Jenkins, and he has never won. I would also not rule out Meryl as a nominee in best actress, because the Academy likes to "clump" actors from the same movie among their nominations, especially if they like the film. Steven Frears is popular too, so my early wager is on Hugh.
If Silence doesn't come out this year, I think this could be the year of Shannon. He has gotten scene stealing mentions, has a pretty flashy role, he also has Loving coming out (also from Focus Features) and actors do love him. He's a previous Oscar nominee, he's beloved as a TV actor thanks to his awards for Boardwalk Empire, and he's got a Tony nom under his belt. Could be his year.
I would love to see some of those early birds make it, like Fiennes, Ehrenreich, Bennett and Grant (FLORENCE was released in the UK and Australia back in May so it feels like an early bird special to me!).
Hugh Grant might be like Octavia Spencer. A comedy/drama from the summer comes out and gets good reviews for the supporting players which no one thinks will take, but then no challengers emerge to unseat them and they cruise to an easy win. I see Grant repeating what Spencer did.
I wonder if they're tinkering with BILLY LYNN til the last second though. From what I read, they only have one theatre equipped to show the frame rate in 3D and it wasn't very large.
I loved Hugh Grant in FFJ and hope he is nominated.... also I really have always liked Peter Sarsgaard ... he is always a delight to see in any movie role...
Will Moonlight happen with the Academy outside of a screenplay nomination? It just seems so not them. One can hope. Ali should be nominated. And maybe they could pull a Tonys and nominate all three boys on one nomination. ; )
I am super disappointed that more people aren't buzzing about David Oyelowo in Queen of Katwe.
Margaret: That'd be category fraud, though. He leads the movie as much as Madina.
Yeah, I could see Moonlight being one of those little movies that does decent with critics but not mainstream enough to get any awards traction with the big groups. Smaller movies like that can easily be completely passed over by oscar.
FFJ is really funny if you are stoned. I really recommend it because I laughed all the way through. Angie baby, buh bye.
Interestingly enough, I have seen a lot of talk since TIFF about Dev Patel in Supporting Actor as opposed to Lead Actor for "Lion." After the film premiered, there was even a Hollywood Reporter article that mentioned him as a likely candidate for supporting. People who have seen the film said that he's only in the 2nd half of the film as the first half focuses on the character as a child. Knowing Harvey, he'll totally campaign him in the easiest category to get into.
It is true that Patel isn't in the first section of Lion. Though his part doesn't feel like a supporting role.
Man, Sarsgaard's career is so weird.
It is beyond bizarre, to me, that you have Tom Bennett - who I swear no one else is talking about, good as he may be - in a tier above Jeff Bridges, whose movie is making bank, as well as generating strong reviews from critics and audiences...besides which, he's a beloved Hollywood icon and several times nominated (and won!) previously.
I seriously think this is Hugh Grant's for the win.
How glorious that would be!! :)
I think at least two of the winners in acting categories are going to be black. Maybe Moonlight can get a his & hers if they narrow the campaign for best supporting actor to two names?
Moonlight isn't likely to campaign the child actors.
As of today here are my 5,the year of the overdue character actors
Hugh Grant
Mykelti Williamson
Peter Sarsgaard
Michael Shannon
Liam Neeson
Walter -- my thing with this is when you hear people talk about Hell or High Water they are almost always talking about being surprised by how great Chris Pine is in it. You rarely hear Jeff Bridges mentioned. I'm not sure he'd have the passion votes this time. But... as for Tom Bennett. I agree that it's looking unlikely (I'm not sure Amazon knows what they have) BUT I maintain that if he were more famous or if people actually took time to think it over (which they always should) or if they campaigned him a lot (which they absolutely should because he'd win people over), people would be talking. I think there's still time. Especially if they work hard at getting multiple Globe Comedy nods for the film
Supporting Actor really needs to start being a category that's about performances rather than fame. It's the laziest voting category within the acting awards and it doesn't need to be.
Nat: Supporting Actor a category that could nominate a field that was ENTIRELY prior winners. I honestly believe the Academy should have reacted to that, introducing a hard RULE that a nominee field composed entirely of prior winners can never happen EVER again.
I think voters will do all they can to avoid Oscarssowhite again. I think/hope this means they'll make an effort to see more movies and pay more attention to the performances in the movies. I think that awareness will make this category a little less lazy than usual.
I haven't seen Lion yet but Patel almost got in for Supporting Actor for Slumdog Millionaire in a similar situation (mainly in the latter part of the film as an adult version of a character) so I can totally see that campaign happen in supporting.
Nathaniel you are right, this category always frustrates me, even Supporting Actress gets more nominees based on performance than fame level. (even with category fraud rearing its ugly head)
Your top five seems too surprising to be the real Top Five in what is, year in and year out, the most boring acting category.
I'd probably move Jeff Bridges and Lucas Hedges up and Stephen Henderson way down (a Tony-nominated 'featured' performance doesn't have to pop nearly as much as an Oscar-nominated one).
Supporting Actor a category that could nominate a field that was ENTIRELY prior winners. I honestly believe the Academy should have reacted to that, introducing a hard RULE that a nominee field composed entirely of prior winners can never happen EVER again.
Why? Although I disagree with their winner in the lineup I was excited to see a multiple acting Oscar coronation. Those usually happen with a narrative or juggernaut performance and it was neither the case. Just happen stance it could be any of them.
/3rtful: Because at that point the nominee field seems like total navel gazing/masturbating? That's a very good reason to curtail such things from happening again.
Hugh Grant is not supporting ANYONE in Florence Foster Jenkins. He is THE lead, even more than Meryl Streep one could argue. I'm so sick of category fraud.
an excellent performance does not seem to count... it is the politics that seems to get a person nominated...rarely do the best performances get in... it has always been this way
Does anyone think that Craig Robinson has a shot at a nomination for Morris From America? I know the movie is small and wasnt widely seen but I thought his performance was so subtle and moving at times.
Eli -- i also thought he was great.
Nathaniel - I am hoping for at least a Spirit Award nod but a Golden Globe nod would be nice too. I am sure some critics will name him at the end of the year.It might be my favorite supporting role sofar this awards season