Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actor – Ke Huy Quan Could Represent ‘Cool’ Choices for the Actors Branch
Other contenders include Brendan Gleeson, Judd Hirsch, Toby Jones, Eddie Redmayne and Ben Whishaw
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
CATEGORY COMMENTARY: Imagine the Academy being so cool as to nominate both Ke Huy Quan as the loving and ass-kicking multiverse husband in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Mark Rylance as the sadistic and terrifying cannibal drifter in “Bones and All.”
They both would represent the Academy is open to non-traditional types of characters from varying actors, despite their “fame.”
Oscar-winner Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”) may have to battle internally with Timothée Chalamet, who could end up being submitted for supporting actor consideration instead of lead (which is an accurate submission given the movie belongs to Taylor Russell).
After winning an Emmy two years ago for his work on “Succession,” Jeremy Strong is continuing to climb the ranks of the most sought, and respected thespians in the biz. His work in James Gray’s personal drama “Armageddon Time,” has the actor getting two outstanding moments to show off his range. After the film debuted at Cannes and played at Telluride and Toronto, it’s hitting the New York Film Festival next, and his buzz could continue to build. He does face internal competition from his two-time Oscar-winning co-star Anthony Hopkins (“The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Father”).
With Eddie Redmayne confirmed to be campaigning for best supporting actor for Netflix’s “The Good Nurse,” the Oscar-winning actor of “The Theory of Everything” (2014) could be invited back to the dance with an against-type role that has him surprising the viewer.
Many respected actors, with decades in Hollywood, will be seeking recognition. Judd Hirsch, if nominated for Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” would be the second oldest nominee in any acting category’s history behind Christopher Plummer, who was 88 when recognized for “All the Money in the World” (2017). If he managed to win, he would be the oldest winner of any category, beating out Hopkins who was 83 at the time of his second win.
To see the ranked predictions for each individual category, visit Variety’s Oscars Hub.
ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:
And The Predicted Nominees Are:
Rank
Name
Film
Distributor
1
Judd Hirsch
“The Fabelmans”
Universal Pictures
A semi-autobiography based on Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in post-war Arizona, from age seven to eighteen.
2
Brendan Gleeson
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
Searchlight Pictures
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
3
Ke Huy Quan
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
A24
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.
4
Jeremy Strong
“Armageddon Time”
Focus Features
A deeply personal coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.
5
Mark Rylance
“Bones & All”
MGM/United Artists Releasing
“Empire of Light” is a love story set in and around a beautiful old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s.
Next in Line
6
Barry Keoghan
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
Searchlight Pictures
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
7
Woody Harrelson
“Triangle of Sadness”
Neon
A cruise for the super-rich sinks thus leaving survivors, including a fashion model celebrity couple, trapped on an island.
8
Ben Whishaw
“Women Talking”
MGM/United Artists Releasing
A group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a string of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men.
9
Eddie Redmayne
“The Good Nurse”
Netflix
An infamous caregiver is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients.
10
Ben Foster
“Emancipation”
Apple Original Films
Set in the ’30s, it follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.
