The first half of 2021 is almost in the books! Moviegoers are coming back to the theaters, which is awesome. And there have been plenty of performances from films released at cinemas and at home since January 1st that have captivated people around the world. On Thursday, I will name the winners of my First Half of 2021 Movie Awards. For now, I’ll reveal the nominees in the four major acting categories. These are the top 28 performances of 2021 so far:
Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Courier”
Johnny Depp – “City of Lies”
Ralph Fiennes – “The Dig”
Adarsh Gourav – “The White Tiger”
Frank Grillo – “Boss Level”
Mads Mikkelsen – “Riders of Justice”
Tahar Rahim – “The Mauritanian”
Best Actress
Amy Adams – “The Woman in the Window”
Toni Collette – “Dream Horse”
Andra Day – “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”
Patti Harrison – “Together Together”
Ciera Payton – “Wendy Williams: The Movie”
Margaret Qualley – “My Salinger Year”
Naomi Watts – “Penguin Bloom”
Best Supporting Actor
Ryder Allen – “Palmer”
Jason Clarke – “Silk Road”
Daniel Kaluuya – “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Dennis Quaid – “Blue Miracle”
Jason Segel – “Our Friend”
Martin Sheen – “12 Mighty Orphans”
Forest Whitaker – “City of Lies”
Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley – “The Courier”
Jodie Foster – “The Mauritanian”
Andrea Heick Gadeberg – “Riders of Justice”
Vanessa Kirby – “The World to Come”
Lily James – “The Dig”
Carey Mulligan – “The Dig”
Sigourney Weaver – “My Salinger Year”
As you can see, there are multiple nominees from the same movie, including “The Courier”, “The Dig”, “My Salinger Year”, “The Mauritanian”, “City of Lies” and “Riders of Justice”. There are also some nominees from films that technically qualified for *last* awards season under the extended Oscars rules, such as Academy Award winner Daniel Kaluuya in “Judas and the Black Messiah” and nominee Andra Day in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”. Find out who wins these honors soon!