\n<\/p>\n
Natalie Portman does some of the best work of her career in \u201cMay December,\u201d but the film simply isn\u2019t catching on with the guilds and she now has to be considered a contender on the bubble. Ditto Fantasia Barrino-Taylor<\/a>, who has some powerhouse moments late in \u201cThe Color Purple\u201d but wasn\u2019t able to manage a SAG nomination. And though the \u201cPast Lives\u201d star Greta Lee<\/a> is worthy, her work may be too understated to surpass such flashy competition.<\/p>\n That leaves us with Annette Bening, SAG-nominated for her tough, physical role in \u201cNyad,\u201d and the \u201cBarbie\u201d linchpin Margot Robbie<\/a><\/strong>. I give Robbie the edge since her film is such a strong contender across the board, but effervescent comedy is the sort of thing voters often take for granted, and Robbie made her tricky role look as easy as breathing.<\/p>\n It\u2019s \u201cBarbenheimer\u201d redux in this category, where the \u201cOppenheimer\u201d foe Robert Downey Jr.<\/strong> and the \u201cBarbie\u201d beau Ryan Gosling<\/a><\/strong> will probably go head-to-head for the gold. Robert De Niro<\/strong>, so memorably malevolent in \u201cKillers of the Flower Moon,\u201d is also in a strong position to be nominated after nods from SAG, Critics Choice and the Golden Globes, plus a mention on the BAFTA longlist.<\/p>\n After those three contenders, things get hazy.<\/p>\n A pair of buzzy young actors could fill the last two spots: Charles Melton<\/a> (\u201cMay December\u201d) and Dominic Sessa (\u201cThe Holdovers\u201d). But the academy is weirdly resistant to nominating young men \u2014 a problem they don\u2019t have at all when it comes to young women \u2014 and neither Melton nor Sessa broke through at SAG. The actors guild did nominate Sterling K. Brown, who plays Wright\u2019s brother in \u201cAmerican Fiction\u201d and could certainly score with the academy if the film performs well.<\/p>\n Still, with so many performances to choose from, I think voters may default to two veteran actors from one of the season\u2019s strongest films, \u201cPoor Things.\u201d Willem Dafoe<\/strong> already managed a SAG nod for playing Emma Stone\u2019s cuckoo creator, and though his co-star Mark Ruffalo<\/strong> was dealt a surprising snub by the guild, SAG gave him a similar cold shoulder for \u201cSpotlight\u201d before the Oscar nominations came in with a last-minute save. Dual supporting nods from one film has been a hot trend in recent years, and if there\u2019s any race where that\u2019s likely to happen, it\u2019s this one.<\/p>\n Is Da\u2019Vine Joy Randolph<\/strong> from \u201cThe Holdovers\u201d this year\u2019s heir apparent to Ke Huy Quan<\/a> and Troy Kotsur<\/a>? Those two supporting actors swamped their competition all season on the way to absolutely assured Oscar wins in recent years, and Randolph has been following suit, bagging critics\u2019 awards right and left and taking every televised trophy so far.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nBest Supporting Actor<\/h2>\n
Best Supporting Actress<\/h2>\n