While the majority of projected acting nominations for the 2024 Oscars are already more or less apparent, there are some potential longshots that the Academy should at least consider. With the frontrunners already clearly established, some of the more overlooked performances of 2023 might find their way into the list of nominees, which will be officially announced on January 23, 2024. The 2024 Academy Awards will take place on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
Among the frontrunners for Best Actress are Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon and Emma Stone for Poor Things. In the Best Actor category, Cillian Murphy and Paul Giamatti are poised to go head-to-head for their leading roles in Oppenheimer and The Holdovers, respectively. Bradley Cooper is also expected to be nominated for his portrayal of composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. The early Supporting favorites include Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Robert De Niro, and Ryan Gosling.
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12 Zac Efron For Best Actor
The Iron Claw
Zac Efron gives a potentially career-best performance in The Iron Claw, which also features outstanding efforts from Holt McCallany, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson. In what feels like the best movie of the year that has hardly generated any Oscar buzz, an Academy Award nomination for Efron’s nuanced portrayal of real-life wrestling star Kevin Von Erich would certainly be well deserved. Efron’s performance offers the most vulnerable and emotionally complex look into the tragic true story of The Iron Claw.
11 Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor For Best Actress
Origin
Ava Duvernay’s Origin also feels somewhat overlooked in this year’s Oscar race despite the Selma director’s acclaim. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who also has a supporting role in the modern musical adaptation of The Color Purple, excels in Duvernay’s latest film Orgin alongside a passionate Jon Bernthal. Although the film as a whole was not as much of a critical success as some of the other Oscar contenders, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s performance is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the inspired historical drama.
10 Rachel McAdams For Best Supporting Actress
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret? would certainly have been nominated for Best Young Adult Picture if such a category existed. Released back in late April 2023, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret? offers a wholesome adaptation of the timeless Judy Blume novel that was originally published in 1970. Rachel McAdams is outstanding as the supportive yet exhausted mother of the hilariously innocent Margaret played by Abby Ryder Forston, who also deserves some Oscar buzz in her own right.
9 John Magaro For Best Supporting Actor
Past Lives
Past Lives has been celebrated by critics since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival back in January of last year as one of the greatest films of 2023. The film is recognized for its outstanding performances all around, led by the versatile and captivating Greta Lee. John Magaro, known for his work in other Oscar contenders The Big Short and Carol, plays a huge role in the film’s tender and melancholic tone and is absolutely deserving of any Oscar buzz he may end up receiving.
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8 Tee Yoo For Best Actor
Past Lives
Tee Yoo also shines in Past Lives as Nora’s (Great Lee) long-lost romance. Given the critical acclaim of the film that has sustained interest for over a year, Yoo may not be as big of a longshot for a Best Actor nomination as it may appear at this time. The actor has won a number of regional accolades for his previous work. With Past Lives likely being nominated in several categories such as Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, it’s not out of the question that Tee Yoo will receive a Best Actor bid as well.
7 Teyana Taylor For Best Actress
A Thousand And One
Teyana Taylor gave one of the most overlooked performances of 2023 in A Thousand And One, a gritty crime drama from rising writer/director A.V. Rockwell. Taylor, most famous for being a singer, songwriter, and model, displays an incredible raw ability for commanding the screen as an unapologetic mother named Inez de la Paz. For one of her earliest acting efforts following supporting roles in White Men Can’t Jump and The Book of Clarence, Teyana Taylor could become a formidable acting force in the years to come.
6 Penélope Cruz For Best Supporting Actress
Ferrari
Despite Adam Driver’s convincing performance as the iconic Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann’s latest film, Penélope Cruz is a true powerhouse in her supporting role as Laura Ferrari. Cruz has generated some awards buzz for her performance in Ferrari, which is arguably the most electric of the entire film, but the sheer amount of competition going into the 2024 Oscars may ultimately leave her just on the brim of an otherwise well-deserved nomination.
5 Glenn Howerton For Best Supporting Actor
Blackberry
Another film that has maintained its acclaim over the course of 2023 is Matt Johnson’s Blackberry, an origin story of the rise and fall of the era-defining smartphone. The biopic features a fun and convincing cast led by Jay Baruchel (This Is The End) and a potentially career-best performance from Glenn Howerton, best known as the unhinged character Dennis on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Howerton does feel like a longshot to get nominated at the 2024 Oscars but, like Tayana Taylor, has shown impressive depth and unexpected versatility to his acting abilities in 2023.
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4 Nicolas Cage For Best Actor
Dream Scenario
Nicolas Cage hasn’t won an Oscar since his first and only win for his leading role in the 1995 classic Leaving Las Vegas. This doesn’t stop the experienced actor from venturing into high-concept independent dramas in recent years such as Dream Scenario and 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent that keep him in the realm of awards season potential. Coming off a Golden Globes nomination for Dream Scenario, it’s possible that Cage could find himself earning his second Oscar nom on Tuesday, although it’s not likely.
3 Jessica Chastain For Best Actress
Memory
Jessica Chastain stars in Memory alongside Peter Sarsgaard from writer/director Michel Franco. Chastain makes an otherwise good film great through her commanding lead performance as Sylvia, a compassionate social worker who tries to maturely, and courageously, guide Sarsgaard’s trouble Saul, who follows her home after their high school reunion. Chastain likely won’t get an Oscars nomination this year, but her performance in Memory is one to be commended.
2 Erika Alexander For Best Supporting Actress
American Fiction
Jeffrey Wright is poised to receive a Best Actor nomination for his lead role in American Fiction, but the outstanding performance from Erika Alexander in the film should not be overlooked. In a movie that features the acting talents of Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Sterling K. Brown, and Issa Rae, Erika Alexander shines as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison’s (Wright) romantic interest. She has also appeared in hit projects such as Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Get Out but has yet to personally receive any awards chatter.
1 Jamie Bell For Best Supporting Actor
All of Us Strangers
In a film that’s highlighted by the wide-ranging and intimate performances of Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, Jamie Bell also delivers a poignant and transformative effort as Harry’s (Scott) father. While Mescal and Scott are the most likely to be nominated out of the All of Us Strangers cast, Bell and co-star Claire Foy are truly exceptional in the Andrew Haigh film and could make a run for longshot nominations at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Oscars
The Oscars, also known as The Academy Awards, is an annual awards show celebrating workers in the film industry for their artistic and technical abilities. The Oscars are often considered the most prestigious awards show in the industry and date back to 1929. The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10, 2024, and be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC.
- Dates
- March 10, 2024
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA
- Network
- ABC
