| Jason Isaacs Mass | Jesse Plemons The Power of the Dog | Richard Jenkins Nightmare Alley/The Humans | Bradley Cooper Soggy Bottom | Adam Driver The Last Duel |
| No nominations | No nominations | 2 nominations | 4 nominations (for acting) | 2 nominations |
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| Some of these performances in Mass will pop and Isaacs is one of the more famous faces. How much goodwill is left from The Patriot? | The role is the smaller of the performances in the book, but Plemons can undersell in a good way in a lot of varying material. He is on the right path | He has two good shots as noms this year and don’t be surprised if he starts to take the reigns of this race | Between this and Nightmare Alley, Cooper and PTA could be the combo that gets him all the way to the Oscar stage | With two nominations in the last three years, Driver is all over the place and could be in for some best-in-show accolades |
| ALTERNATIVES | ||||
| Andre Holland Passing | Reed Birney Mass | Jared Leto The House of Gucci | Jamie Dornan Belfast | Colman Domingo Zola |
| No nominations | No nominations | 1 nominations, 1 win | No nominations | |
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| Holland is one of the most talented actors that no one talks about and if the film hits big, he could get swept up in the momentum | Just like Isaacs, some performance from Mass should get recognized, but Birney is much less famous than his co-stars and could be lost in the shuffle | I don’t want to entertain the thought, but the Academy has nominated grossly over-the-top for Oscars in the past and no one goes more over than Leto | Barb & Star got his a lot of good reviews and this crowd-pleaser could send him in the sights of Oscar | Probably closer than most realize to a nom for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and his star continues to rise. His performance is one of the most talked about parts of the film |
| MORE ALTERNATIVES | ||||
| Kelvin Harrison Jr. Cyrano | Vincent D’onofrio The Eyes of Tammy Faye | David Alvarez West Side Story | Kodi Smit-McPhee The Power of the Dog | Sean Harris Spencer |
| No nominations | No nominations | No nominations | No nominations | |
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| Since his breakout in Luce and Waves, he has been headed in Oscars direction. This musical could finally get him there | He has just missed the lineup in the past and the juicy role of Jerry Falwell could be the one to put him over the top | Remakes are tough, but it is an Oscar-winning role, so maybe Alvarez can make it work if the film is a big hit | He has been in Oscars’ periphery since The Road but has yet to translate to any real success. His role is “quirky” and it could pique the Academy’s interest | Mission: Impossible put him in front of a lot of people and if the role gives him enough, he could find himself in Oscar’s good graces |
