27 men. But only five slots. There are 28 major performances (Adam Driver has two) vying for a Best Actor Academy Award nomination. But again, only five are getting in (and Driver will be lucky to get one of them).
There are A-listers, heavyweights and past winners on this list, along with newcomers looking to make an impact. Some performances truly deserve a nomination, while others are going after “legacy” votes.
So, with a week to go before Critics Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Awards voters have their say (including yours truly), here are the candidates:
Christian Bale – “Ford v. Ferrari”
Antonio Banderas – “Pain and Glory”
Kevin Costner – “The Highwaymen”
Daniel Craig – “Knives Out”
Matt Damon – “Ford v. Ferrari”
Roman Griffin Davis – “Jojo Rabbit”
Robert De Niro – “The Irishman”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
August Diehl – “A Hidden Life”
Adam Driver – “Marriage Story”
Adam Driver – “The Report”
Zac Efron – “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”
Taron Egerton – “Rocketman”
Kelvin Harrison, Jr. – “Luce”
Paul Walter Hauser – “Richard Jewell”
Aldis Hodge – “Clemency”
Michael B. Jordan – “Just Mercy”
Daniel Kaluuya – “Queen & Slim”
George MacKay – “1917”
Eddie Murphy – “Dolemite Is My Name”
Himesh Patel – “Yesterday”
Robert Pattinson – “The Lighthouse”
Joaquin Phoenix – “Joker”
Brad Pitt – “Ad Astra”
Jonathan Pryce – “The Two Popes”
Matthew Rhys – “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Mark Ruffalo – “Dark Waters”
Adam Sandler – “Uncut Gems”
As of today, I’m predicting the five names on the Oscar ballot will be Banderas, De Niro, Hauser, Murphy and Phoenix. But I’ll be anxious to see how the early awards shows shake things up.
Critics Choice Awards Nominations: Sunday Dec. 8
Golden Globe Awards Nominations: Monday Dec. 9
Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations: Wednesday Dec. 11
BAFTA Awards Nominations: Tuesday Jan. 7
Academy Awards Nominations: Monday Jan. 13
Golden Globe Awards: Sunday Jan. 5, NBC
Critics Choice Awards: Sunday Jan. 12, The CW
Screen Actors Guild Awards: Sunday Jan. 19, TBS & TNT
BAFTA Awards: Sunday Feb. 2, BBC America
Academy Awards: Sunday Feb. 9, ABC