Our penultimate analysis this week, we present our Rundown series article for Supporting Actor, a category that that has honored legendary actors like Thomas Mitchell, Walter Huston, George Sanders, Anthony Quinn, Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Robert De Niro, George Burns, Christopher Walken, John Gielgud, Jack Nicholson, Don Ameche, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Jack Palance, Gene Hackman, Martin Landau, Morgan Freeman, George Clooney and Heath Ledger. And that’s only a small number of the recognizable names with Supporting Actor Oscars.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Christian Bale – The Fighter (O) (O) (O) (O)
- John Hawkes – Winter’s Bone
- Jeremy Renner – The Town
- Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right
- Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
Runners-Up
- Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech (H) (H) (H) (H)
KEY:
|
Appears on Four Lists Appears on Three Lists Appears on Two Lists Wesley Lovell Peter Patrick Tripp Burton Wes Huizar |
(New) = New Prediction (O) = Original Prediction (H) = Post-Hangover Prediction |
Wesley Lovell: While normally the Screen Actors guild is a poor predictor of the supporting prizes, this year’s choice of Christian Bale is one of the most foregone conclusions of the upcoming awards. For him to lose, it would be a great shock. Yet, the popularity of The King’s Speech could give Geoffrey Rush a second trophy and if it does, we may be looking at a sizable Oscar sweep for the film, but your money should probably be on Oscar-less Christian Bale.
Peter J. Patrick: Real life characters, no matter the category, always have a greater emotional pull with the Academy. Both Christian Bale and Geoffrey Rush played such characters this year. Bale, though, has the edge. He’s won most of the precursors thus far as Mark Wahlberg’s older brother. A show business veteran, he first made a splash in the lead role in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun when he was 13. Rush already has an Oscar.
Tripp Burton: Christian Bale has been on a major run through all of the awards season, and seems to have all it is going to need: respected, never nominated actor who people want to give an Oscar; Best Picture contender that is an acting showcase; and meaty, supporting role with lots of baity Oscar clips. The only way I see Bale losing is if a major sweep by The King’s Speech can push Academy-favorite Geoffrey Rush into the winner’s circle, but the fact that it hasn’t happened in any precursor should prove it unlikely. The other three nominees should take their first citation in this category as their award.
Leave a Reply