On February 8, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences release Oscar nominations for the 2022 Academy Awards. The 2022 ceremony will hand out awards to excellence in 2021 movies. In this blog, we preview Oscar nominations for the acting awards so you can continue planning your bets against the Academy Award odds.
Oscar Nominations Acting Awards Preview
2022 Oscar Nominations
- When: Feb. 8, 2022
Which five actors are likely to grab nominations for supporting roles?
Kodi Smit-McPhee is a lock to grab a nomination. The actor plays a supporting role in the Golden Globe winner for best drama, The Power of the Dog. Smit-McPhee took home the Globe for his performance. If McPhee wins, he’d be the second youngest to win for best supporting actor after Timothy Hutton in 1980 for Ordinary People.
After Smit-McPhee, Troy Katsur in CODA is a lock. But after Katsur, it’s a free for all among Ben Affleck in The Tender Bar, Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizza, and Ciaran Hinds and Jamie Dornan, both who appear in Belfast.
Also, consider J.K. Simmons in Being the Ricardos and Jesse Plemons in The Power of the Dog as real possibilities. Both were fantastic and are name actors.
How about the five supporting actresses?
Two actresses are locks. Kirsten Dunst in The Power of the Dog and Ruth Negga in Passing. Cate Blanchett has a couple of chances for Don’t Look Up and Nightmare Alley. But Blanchett could hurt herself by splitting the vote.
Most believe Ariana DeBose in West Side Story is a lock. We think West Side Story, even though it won a lot of Golden Globes, falls flat on February 8.
Aunjanue Ellis in King Richard and Catriona Balfe in Belfast are solid nomination contenders. So are Jessie Buckley in The Lost Daughter, and, of course, Meryl Streep for playing the President in Don’t Look Up.
Which thespians will secure nominations for best actor?
The five favorites should be the five that grab nominations. Will Smith in King Richard leads the pack. The Academy wants to give the award to Will. He deserves it as well for playing Venus’ and Serena’s dad.
Andrew Garfield in tick, tick . . . Boom! should grab a nom. So should Benedict Cumberbatch for playing the lead in The Power of the Dog. Javier Bardem gives a fantastic performance in Being the Ricardos and Denzel Washington carries The Tragedy of McBeth.
If there’s an underdog that can upset the top five, it should be Nicolas Cage for his performance in Pig. The movie is about a former top chef who has become a truffle forager. Someone steals Cage’s prized truffle pig. Violence and other awesomeness ensue while Cage looks for his ham.
Sounds crazy, but it’s one of the best movies of the year. It also harks back to some of the great movies from the 60’s and 70’s.
What about best actress?
The three that most definitely will grab nominations are Nicole Kidman in Being the Ricardos, Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter and Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Lady Gaga could get a nomination for House of Gucci. But Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza has a better shot. So does Kristen Stewart for playing Lady Di in Spencer.
Emilia Jones in CODA and Frances McDormand in The Tragedy of McBeth are the two best underdogs to grab nominations. That’s if you believe the Academy shuns Gaga. If you think the Academy rewards Lady G with a nom, then Kristen Stewart could miss out because Haim should get a nomination.
In next week’s blog, we’ll make Oscar predictions for Best Director and Best Picture. 2021 saw many contenders. So stay tuned.
