Oscars 2024: Best Supporting Actor
Oscar voting is officially underway so we are diving into predicting the nominees ahead of their January 23rd announcement!
I thought Best Supporting Actor was kind of cut and dry this year, but after the recent SAG nominations, my nominations are in a bit of a tizzy. Let’s start with the obvious…
Locks
Two men have been locked in for this category since July 21st, giving us very different but incredibly memorable performances. There is one other player who has just been holding strong since his movie debuted.
Robert Downey, Jr., Oppenheimer
A welcome pivot from the last decade of Marvel, Oppenheimer allows RDJ to shift into a more subtle mode where we almost lose him in the depths of this character. He’s got the goodwill behind his great performance to boost him as well.
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Fearlessly goofy and utterly uninhibited, Ryan Gosling almost stole the entire Barbie movie out from his counterparts. While it’s not a typical “Oscar” performance, it’s committed and bold and emphasizes what a comedic genius and chameleon Gosling is.
Robert DeNiro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert DeNiro reminded us all why he is such a legend with a performance that has been described by myself and many others as his best in years. It’s sinister, beguiling, and utterly terrifying as he makes a meal out of a role that, in lesser hands, could’ve been very by-the-books.
Likely Contenders
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Two weeks ago he would’ve been a lock, but Ruffalo missing out on a SAG nomination has me less confident. I don’t think he’s completely out though. Like Downey and Gosling, Ruffalo makes a meal out of a character that allows him to stretch in ways we haven’t seen before.
Next Up
Charles Melton, May December
It kills me to have Melton all the way down here. When I watched his haunting work in May December, I was sure he was a lock for a nomination and could very well have taken the whole thing. But, after missing out on a BAFTA shortlist and a SAG nom, I don’t think his work resonated with voters the way a lot of people expected.
Willem Dafoe, Poor Things
Like DeNiro, this shows a much subtler side to the legendary actor. His soft, complicated work as Godwin maybe gets a bit overshadowed by some of the bigger performances, but I absolutely can see his name being called when the time comes.