2015 Oscars: An Updated Best Actor Prediction Snap Shot

October 20, 2014

By Brad Brevet

Three spots in the 2015 Oscars Best Actor race are pretty much locked up. Those would be Michael Keaton (Birdman), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything). In my opinion, that’s also the order of their likelihood of winning… right now. The two other slots aren’t so easy to figure with so much left to be seen.

Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) seems a strong contender though I’m not as sure about his chances as much as some others are, largely because of the competition he faces. His chances remain high, though, which is why he occupies my #4 slot for now.

In fifth I had Jack O’Connell (Unbroken), but there’s a little movie on the rise right now you may have heard of and hopefully seen (or intend to see) called Whiplash and not only is the film securing itself a spot in the Best Picture ranks, but I still have J.K. Simmons at the top of my Best Supporting Actor charts and I’ve moved Miles Teller into the #5 position for Best Actor.

From there, it’s a mixed bag of seen and unseen, should be contenders and could be contenders. Among the “should be” crowd I’d recommend Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and Tom Hardy (Locke), two actors that both deserve the attention and can hopefully find some vocal supporters, particularly Hardy who continues to be a favorite among many but for whatever reasons continues to be forgotten come award season.

I also think Chadwick Boseman knocked it out of the park in Get On Up and deserves some praise and while Oscars are typically about drama, let’s not forget Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel, even though the Academy will probably never consider him.

When it comes to the unseen, I already mentioned O’Connell and then you have Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Oscar Isaac (A Most Violent Year), Mark Wahlberg (The Gambler), Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar) and David Oyelowo (Selma).