Oscar Volley: “Best Supporting Actor” is one wild ride!

The Oscar Volleys continue. Today, NATHANIEL R and CLÁUDIO ALVES discuss the volatile Oscar race for Best Supporting Actor. 

Andrew Scott in BLUE MOON | © Sony Pictures Classics

NATHANIEL: So Cláudio, it falls to you and me to discuss Best Supporting Actor, and I will try reeaaaaaaaaly hard not to bring up my broken-record pet peeve about this category because I know readers have heard it a million times.  I don't want to talk about it anymore, so for the duration of this conversation, I'm going to pretend that all the actors are in roles perfectly sized for this particular category. And so we're here to discuss everything else... but not that!

Performance quality-wise, I think this is a good quintet - even if I'm still seriously angry that people wouldn't give Andrew Scott the time of day for Blue Moon since his performance is stronger than Hawke's AND he is giving you so much backstory and giving it so economically and with laser minimalist precision. Such a generous actor - he doesn't steal scenes so much as immerse you in them and what's going on between these characters. Anyway, I just love him, and I had to get that off my chest first. It's been a struggle.

So my opening question to you is struggle-themed. I'm curious who you think had the most difficult role to play here and why...

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Alex Skarsgård first born son, 6'4" and a bundle of fun ♫

It's so freaking catchy, doncha think? 

All Four Acting Categories -- Some Fun Through Lines & Connections

by Nathaniel R

Elle Fanning made her acting debut opposite Sean Penn in I AM SAM (2001) - both are up for Supporting Oscars in March 2026

When we're looking at Oscar trivia we're often focused on individuals. Once that's done it's fun to widen the view a little and think about the year's twenty nominated thespians as a unit. So here are some connections and percentages of note...

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Guessing Game: The First Roles of Each Oscar Nominee!

by Nathaniel R

Leonardo DiCaprio's debut film "CRITTERS 3"

A spot of guessing game fun today. Some Oscar nominees are movie stars from the jump but most actors have to build their careers up slowly increasing the size and quality of their roles over the years until their awards breakthrough. 5 of our current 20 nominees across Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor kicked off their feature film career with a leading role. Can you guess who they were? Even more difficult can you pair each nominated actor with the name of their first credited feature film character? The answers to this quiz are after the jump but first jot down your guesses and see how many you can get right before looking... 

In Their Feature Film Debut They Played a Character Named...	The Current Oscar Nominees
1) Alex Dwyer	A) Jessie Buckley
2) Ben Crandall (LEAD)	B) Rose Byrne
3) Danny Vance	C) Timothée Chalamet
4) Drug Kingpin	D) Benicio Del Toro
5) Duke the Dog-Faced Boy	E) Leonardo DiCaprio
6) Erik (LEAD)	F) Jacob Elordi
7) Josh	G) Elle Fanning
8) Jules	H) Ethan Hawke
9) Lucy (2 Years)	I) Kate Hudson
10) Moll (LEAD)	J) Michael B Jordan
11) Rafi	K) Inga Ibsdottir Lilleas
12) Rastus Sommers	L) Delroy Lindo
13) Rena	M) Amy Madigan
14) Renate	N) Wunmi Mosaku
15) Rooster	O) Wagner Moura
16) Seema	P) Sean Penn
17) Sigrid Auge (LEAD)	Q) Renate Reinsve
18) Skye Davidson	R) Stellan Skarsgard
19) Teen #2	S) Emma Stone
20) Terry Jean Moore (LEAD)	T) Teyana Taylor

THE ANSWERS ARE AFTER THE JUMP... 

Got your guesses ready? Tell us how you did once you've read the answers...

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Pt 3. International Feature Race: A Dozen Movie Stars!

by Nathaniel R

Internationally famous South Korean superstar Lee Byung-hun in "No Other Choice"

As a final part of our general trivia overview (pt 1 stats & genres / pt 2 directors) of the Best International Feature Film race -- before things narrow down -- we thought we'd look at famous actors gracing the international Oscar race this year. Here are a dozen of the most familiar faces that Academy voters (and you) will recognize from their own history of awardage not to mention previous classics and contenders from this very category. If their new film is nominated, you might see them in their full tux/gown glory on Oscar night.

We'll take these dozen megawatt talents alphabetically...

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