Predicting the Winners: Who Will Take Home The Big One in Acting? – Update

Award ceremonies have been a rather dim affair these past two years. With a pandemic raging on, all of us are reclusive in our home bubbles, where travelling is only sanctioned on the most necessary of conditions. So now, all these actors and celebrities that used to walk the red carpet at these shindigs have to video call in via Zoom to receive their awards. It’s probably easier than ever to cut them off if they go over their allocated speech time, just saying.

The Golden Globes came and went without making much of a fuss, and now that the Oscars are imminent, a similar lack of pomp is definitely noted, though there was quite the flurry of activity online when the nominees were announced. While some are excited for the people and films that have been nominated, others exist to decry the entire process and system that is the Oscars.

Yes, the Oscars are influenced by movements, political or otherwise, but I have to admit that it’s slightly gratifying to see a more inclusive and diverse nomination list released this year, especially in comparison to last year.

This list will examine the nominees for each major acting category, and make a definite guess on which way the Academy will vote. Which actors will take home the Oscar for their performance? Read on to find out in our Oscars 2021 acting predictions.

 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Prediction: Olivia Colman (The Father)

The deduction of Colman winning in this category is based on an easy process of elimination. Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari) is not as well-known in the film circuit, while Maria Bakalova is a bit too young and green to take it for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. She’s a good comedic actress, but she does pale in comparison with these other heavyweights.

Glenn Close is way overdue for an Oscar, but unfortunately the reception to Hillbilly Elegy might have stacked the deck against her – more so for Amy Adams since she wasn’t even nominated. This leaves us with Amanda Seyfried for Mank, and Olivia Colman for The Father. Seyfried more than carried her weight for Mank, and her performance was truly the best of the lot. It will be a close run between the two, but my money’s on Colman to take it.

The Father is a strong film, she’s been on everyone’s radar with The Crown, she’s won an Oscar before, and the Academy does recognise her talent, so she’s my pick for Actress in a Supporting Role.

 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Prediction: Lakeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)

Both Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya were nominated in this category for their performance in Judas and the Black Messiah, which caused a bit of a stir, since both of them can’t be supporting characters, especially for Stanfield, for the movie is told through the perspective of his character. In response to this, I say that the key to winning at the Oscars is also good strategizing.

For example, for last year’s Oscars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt were placed in different categories, even though the both of them had equal screen time in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Pitt’s placement in the supporting actor category allowed him to take home the Oscar. Since the best actor list is so competitive, it makes sense to give both actors a fighting chance in the supporting category.

Sacha Baron Cohen might have a chance too, and while his performance for The Trial of the Chicago 7 was a strong and balanced one (he was able to be humourous but also communicate the darker sides of the character), I do think that Stanfield has the edge because Judas and the Black Messiah is a stronger film, and his character is arguably its star.

 

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Prediction: Frances McDormand (Nomadland)

This was a difficult decision, since there are some truly astounding performances in this category. Andra Day won Best Actress at the Golden Globes, but I don’t think she will replicate this for the Oscars, even though her portrayal of Billie Holiday was the best thing in The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Personally, I would love for Carey Mulligan to take the prize for Promising Young Woman, but she is going up against masterclass actresses like Viola Davies and Frances McDormand, so she might get a BAFTA, but the Oscar will most likely elude her. It is the same thing for Vanessa Kirby, especially since the film she is nominated for – Pieces of a Woman – isn’t on the same wavelength as these other films.

It will be a tough fight between Davies and McDormand, and both actresses have won Oscars before. But McDormand has the advantage here because Nomadland is a stronger film, and the project sometimes helps determine who will win in these acting categories.

 

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Prediction: Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

There has already been speculation online that Kaluuya and Stanfield were moved to the supporting category to give Boseman a stronger chance to win the Oscar posthumously. While it’s hard to say for sure (we need to account for some measure of volatility), it’s abundantly clear that Boseman will be the winner of this category. He already won the Golden Globe for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which paves the way for an Oscar win as well.

There was such a palpable sense of grief surrounding his death when it happened last year, with all of us reeling in shock when we learned that he had been battling his illness for so long. Boseman was such an inspiration to us all, and we are truly blessed to be able to enjoy all these films he worked on, films like Da 5 Bloods, Marshall, and of course Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

The other actors who impressed in this category are Steven Yeun for Minari, and Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal. Both men did such great jobs, and it’s great to see Yeun move on from The Walking Dead to craft for himself such an impressive acting career (check out his other film Burning if you get the chance). Ahmed is certainly overdue, but if it took years before the Academy gave Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar, then Ahmed might have to wait a little bit longer to receive one of his own.

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