Steve Buscemi
never nominated
"MJ"
WILD HORSE NINE
(Searchlight)
Nov 6

Long overdue for some attention and it's easy to see it happening if he's a standout in a high profile film with Best Picture buzz.  

Paul Giamatti
2 noms
"?"
UNTITLED EISENBERG
(A24)
Date tba

Sounds like a co-lead role (but could be more of a juicy large supporting one?). He plays the enigmatic community theater director that pulls Julianne Moore into a new world

John Goodman
never nominated
"The President"
DIGGER
(Warner Bros)
Date tba

He plays the President in this comedy. People have wanted him to have an Oscar breakthrough for so long. Or will this be the Cruise show alone?

David Oyelowo
never nominated
"Peter"
CLARISSA
(Neon)
Date tba

Can Neon make a pair from this well received Nigerian Mrs Dalloway adaptation happen or do they have too many films to push this year? He's past due for a nod!

Mark Ruffalo
4 noms
"Joseph Califano"
BEING HEUMANN
(Apple)
Date tba

He plays a major political figure from the 1970s in a film focused on the disability-rights movement in San Francisco.

Tier 2 - Other Potential Nominees 

Riz Ahmed
1 nomination*
"The President's Assistant"
DIGGER
(Warner Bros)
Date tba

He plays the President's Assistant in this comedy. But which of the supporting characters will be the standout? (or will any standout?)

Antonio Banderas
1 nomination
"Ciro"
TONY
(A24)
Date tba

Looks like a plum mentor role (very Best Supporting Actor) so if the film is well received, it could happen even if the film doesn't.

Miles Teller
never nominated
"Irwin Pearl"
PAPER TIGER
(Neon)
Date tba

While this sounds like a three lead film, they're clearly going to demote *someone*. But if the movie goes over very well with the acting branch perhaps all three place?

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
never nominated
"?"
THE ADVENTURES OF CLIFF BOOTH
(Netflix)
Date tba

We don't know what his role is like but he's all over the teaser footage so if the movie is a (semi) surprise Best Picture contender rather than a mere sequel cash-grab...

Jeremy Strong
1 nomination
"Mark Zuckerberg"
THE SOCIAL RECKONING
(Amazon | MGM)
Oct 9

He was so terrible in Deliver Me From Nowhere that I'm still smarting. Comparisons to Eisenberg might not help but it's Sorkin so acting nods are always possible.

Robert Pattinson
never nominated
"Antineus"
THE ODYSSEY
(Universal)
July 17

He's been building quite a filmography. Can anyone truly standout in such a crowded film? We'll see. They do love a villain in this category.

Tom Courtenay
1 nomination
"Martin"
QUEEN AT SEA
(Greenwich)
Date tba

He won a prize at Berlinale for his role as the husband of a woman with dementia who is at odds with his stepdaughter (Juliette Binoche)

Paul Giamatti
2 noms
"?"
THE STATEMENT
(SPC)
Date tba

If The Statement arrives this year, here's another shot for Giamatti but will he be the MVP of the starry ensemble?

Damian Lewis
never nominated
"?"
JACK OF SPADES
(tba)
Date tba

We have high hopes for this gothic mystery set in Scotland. And Coen movies usually have memorable characters.

Colin Firth
2 noms | 1 win
"Carlo Treschi"
CRY TO HEAVEN
(Distributor tba)
Date tba

He plays the cruel mastermind of the betrayal in this castrati drama. The acting branch loves a villain in this category.

Christian Bale
4 noms | 1 win
"Al Davis"
MADDEN
(Amazon | MGM)
Date TBA

Bale works well with David O. Russell but can they recapture their old mojo? He plays the famous football coach of The Raiders.

James Ortiz
never nominated
"Rocky"
PROJECT HAIL MARY
(Amazon | MGM)
March 20

He's the puppeteer AND voice of "Rocky" in this beloved blockbuster. So he's technically eligible! Bonus points to the film for letting him do the voice instead of hiring a celebrity.

John C Reilly
1 nomination
"Jerry"
SPONSOR
(Apple)
Date tba

They love a villain in this category and the role of an AA sponsor who has questionable methods and is possibly unhinged sounds good.

Willem Dafoe
4 noms
"?"
WERWULF
(Focus)
Dec 25

Wouldn't it be a hoot to see him nominated for an Eggers film since he blesses them with scene-stealing work. See: Northman & Nosferatu

Alexander Skarsgård
never nominated
"?"
WICKER
(Black Bear)
Date TBA

He won great reviews as the woven husband in this comic fantasy though the film sounds too outre for awards. We can dream, though. People need to see past his ridiculous beauty and see the great actor within!

The possibilities are always endless before anyone has seen any of the films and before we even known which films might appear this year. So we'll break them into three categories...

PREVIOUS OSCAR NOMINEES

• Colin Firth Disclosure Day (Universal)
• Colman Domingo Disclosure Day (Universal) AND Michael (Lionsgate)
• Hugh Jackman The Sheep Detectives (Amazon | MGM)
• J.K. Simmons Heart of the Beast (Paramount)
• Jesse Plemons Digger (Warner Bros)
• John C Reilly How to Rob a Bank (Amazon | MGM)
• Josh Brolin The Dog Stars (20th Century) | Whalefall (20th Century)
• Matt Dillon I Play Rocky (Amazon | MGM)
• Robert Downey Jr Avengers: Doomsday (Disney | Marvel)
• Stanley Tucci The Devil Wears Prada 2 (20th Century)

THEY HAVE NOT YET BEEN NOMINATED

• August Diehl Fatherland (Mubi)
• Barry Livingston The Adventures of Cliff Booth (Netflix)
• Bill Skarsgård The Death of Robin Hood (A24)
• Cosmo Jarvis The Uprising (Focus)
• Frank Dillane Sense & Sensibility (Focus)
• George Mackay Sense & Sensibility (Focus)
• Ian McKellen Ebeneezer A Christmas Carol (Paramount)
• Jamie Bell The Uprising (Focus)
• LaKeith Stanfield I Love Boosters (Neon)
• Murray Bartlett The Death of Robin Hood (A24)
• Nathan Lane Cut Off (Universal)
• Noah Jupe   The Death of Robin Hood (A24)
• Owen Cooper Cry to Heaven (?)
• Paul Rudd The Statement (SPC)
• Peter Mullan I Swear (SPC)
• Quim Guttierez Bitter Christmas (SPC)
• Ralph Ineson Werwulf (Focus)
• Stephen James I Play Rocky (Amazon | MGM)
• Timothy Olyphant The Adventures of Cliff Booth (Netflix)
• Tom Holland The Odyssey (Universal)
• Tracy Letts I Play Rocky (Amazon | MGM)
• Tramell Tillman Ebeneezer: A Christmas Carol (Paramount)