Actor in a Supporting Role

The best supporting actor category was possibly the biggest foregone conclusion during last years awards circuit. When Everything Everywhere All At Once was released in May 2022, “Key Huy Quan” became the very early frontrunner and never lost his momentum. This year should see a much more open competition for the famous statuette, with no clear early frontrunner. There are a handful of acclaimed performances already out the blocks this year, with some eagerly anticipated ones still to come.

The two actors with the most buzz after their summer releases are: “Ryan Gosling” for his hilarious turn in Barbie, and “Robert Downey Jr.” for his standout performance amongst the large ensemble cast in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Cannes Film Festival saw strong supporting performances by “Robert De Niro” and “Charles Melton” in Killers of the Flower Moon and May December respectively, with De Niro looking to secure his eighth acting Oscar.

For the remaining performances, we will have to wait for their premieres at Venice and TIFF later in the year. These include; “Mark Ruffalo”, “Glynn Turman” and “Colman Domingo”, the latter of which will be hoping to get double nominated this year, as he is also a contender for Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Rustin.

Here are my predictions as of 27th July 2023:

Strong Contenders

1. Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)
2. John Magaro (Past Lives)
3. Ryan Gosling (Barbie)
4. Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon)
5. Samuel L. Jackson (The Piano Lesson)

Possible Contenders

1. Colman Domingo (The Colour Purple)
2. Charles Melton (May December)
3. Glynn Turman (Rustin)
4. Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)
5. Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Outsiders

1. Willem Dafoe (Poor Things)
2. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers)
3. Chris Messina (Air)
4. Corey Hawkins (The Colour Purple)
5. Brian Tyree Henry (Flint Strong)