Three days to go until Oscar Sunday. Today, I’m predicting best supporting actor and actress categories. While the best supporting actor category is pretty much lock and shut, the supporting actress category features an interesting match-up between 12 Years a Slave star Lupita N’yongo and American Hustle’s Jennifer Lawrence.
Here’s who I’m predicting for each category.
First, let’s get the supporting actor winner out of the way. Congrats to Bradley Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Barkhad Abdi and Jonah Hill on your nominations, but this award goes to the guy who has yet to lose at any award show.
The Winner: Jared Leto
Ok, now on to the slightly more intriguing match-up between N’yongo and Lawrence.
If Lawrence were to win, she’d be the first back-to-back winner since Tom Hanks’ consecutive wins for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump in 1995 and 1996. If we’re looking for when the last time an actress won consecutive Oscars, you have to go all the way back to 1967 and 1968 when Katharine Hepburn won for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and The Lion in Winter.
Needless to say, the feat is rare and the Academy likes to bestow their award with a sense of prestige. When comparing the two performances, N’yongo’s is certainly more memorable, capped by a seat-squirmingly brutal beating at the hands of Michael Fassbender. Meanwhile, Lawrence’s screen time and character in American Hustle is limited and, while she certainly makes the most of the role, it can pretty much be boiled down to a trio of GIFs – crawling across the bed, smoking a cigarette and jumping back from an exploding microwave. (see below)
The other nominees in the category include Julia Roberts, June Squibb and Sally Hawkins. Congratulations on your nominations and give a standing ovation when they call…