LEAD ACTOR
Christian Bale ( Vice)
Bradley Cooper ( A Star Is Born) Willem Dafoe ( At Eternity’s Gate) Rami Malek ( Bohemian Rhapsody) Viggo Mortensen ( Green Book)
In eleven of the last 16 years, the Best Actor Oscar has been won by an actor portraying a real person. Once again, there are a number of real people being portrayed by the actors in this category with two, Christian Bale’s Dick Cheney and Rami Malek’s Freddie Mercury, crating most of the buzz. While Bale did everything that the Academy loves, gaining weight and committing fully to the role, Malek has been hoovering up the awards, including SAG, Golden Globe and BAFTA; making him the odds-on favourite to claim the big prize on February 24. He is the champion, my friend.
Who should win: Christian Bale
Who will win: Rami Malek
Snubs? Ethan Hawke ( First Reformed), Ryan Gosling ( First Man), Joaquin Phoenix ( You Were Never Really Here), Jonathan Pryce ( The Wife)