GOLD DIGGER
Next Sunday, the longest Oscars season ever finally comes to an end. Underlining how long it’s been: Three of the eight Best Picture nominees premiered back in January 2020. But there are still twists and turns! At last week’s BAFTAs, Anthony Hopkins beat favorite Chadwick Boseman for best actor. Could there be more upsets a-brewin’ in the Best Supporting Actor category?
1. Daniel Kaluuya (—)
Kaluuya, who plays Black Panther honcho Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” has everything going for him this year. Not only does he give a thunderous performance as the impassioned orator, the film is the most recent release of the eight Best Picture nominees — it premiered Feb. 1 at the Sundance Film Festival and landed on HBO Max just a week later — so it’s fresh in voters’ minds. The actor, who got a Best Actor Oscar nod in 2018 for “Get Out,” has swept the major prizes so far this year, winning a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a SAG Award for his latest turn. An Oscar will be next.
2. Sacha Baron Cohen (—)
But you can’t totally count out Baron Cohen. The funny Brit had two slamdunks in 2020, playing witty rabblerouser Abbie Hoffman in Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and reprising his famous character Borat in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” on Amazon. He won two Globes for the latter (best comedy and best actor in a comedy), and had been favored for an Oscar . . . until Kaluuya came along. Still, “Trial” and Baron Cohen are worth keeping an eye on. The film won best ensemble at the SAG Awards — their Best Picture — so it has plenty of admirers.
3. Paul Raci (—)
The touching “Sound of Metal” crashing the awards-season party has been one of the biggest joys in an unusually drab competition. And Raci’s personal story is a compelling one. This is the 73-yearold’s first Oscar nomination — hell, his first for anything — and the genius of the performance comes partly from real-life experience. He plays Joe, a deaf man who runs a community for other deaf people, and Raci himself was raised by two deaf parents. So far, he’s won a handful of critics’ group awards. If he wins an Oscar, it will be an upset that won’t upset anybody.
4. Leslie Odom Jr. (—)
“One Night in Miami” marked a huge career leap for Odom. A Tony winner for “Hamilton” and burgeoning recording artist, most of his previous screen work was on TV series and in comedies. This year, he’s Oscar-nominated for playing Sam Cooke in Regina King’s much-admired historical movie. He won’t win this time, but expect the prestige projects — and future nominations — to rack up.
5. Lakeith Stanfield (—)
For many, Stanfield being tossed into the Supporting Actor category has been the stumper of the year. He’s unquestionably the main character of “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and even if his role is of equal weight to Kaluuya’s, the decision would imply this film has no leads. “Too bad!” says Oscar. His role as FBI narc William O’Neal is much more subtle than Kaluuya’s, whose character gives rousing speeches and is killed by the police. But the “Black Messiah” will win over “Judas.”