Unlike Supporting Actor, which I am almost certain with who will be nominated in the five slots, Supporting Actress is a completely open race at the moment, with potentially eight actresses fighting it out for a nomination. It is even difficult to call who is the frontrunner at this moment in time despite critics groups indicating that Amy Madigan is in front for her unforgettable turn in horror film “Weapons”. As much as I would love to see this, and even though she has not missed a precursor nomination so far and won the Critics’ Choice, a small part of me worries that the Academy’s genre bias will see her get bumped…it is unlikely though.
Another guarantee at this stage is Teyana Taylor for “One Battle After Another”, who despite only appearing in the film’s first act remains one of the standouts from the ensemble, plus she won the Golden Globe last week. It is also difficult to look past Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for “Sentimental Value”, with the Norwegian actress only missing out on an Actor Award nomination so far, like alongside all her fellow international actors. The same cannot be said for her co-star Elle Fanning though, who despite a strong start to award season has slowly dropped off having too missed out on the Actor Awards, as well as the BAFTA longlist.
Fanning will have to duke it out for one of the final two slots against Ariana Grande, who has not missed a nomination this season but “Wicked: For Good” itself has dropped significantly. Also in contention are the two actresses in “Marty Supreme”, Odessa A’zion and Gwyneth Paltrow, the former looking the more likely at this stage having secured an Actor Award nomination unlike her co-star. Then finally there is Wunmi Mosaku for “Sinners”, who if nominated could push the film’s total tally to a record-breaking 15. The British actress also appeared on the BAFTA longlist, as well as landed Critics’ Choice and Actor Award nominations.
Final Supporting Actress predictions:
Strong Contenders
- Teyana Taylor “One Battle After Another”
- Amy Madigan “Weapons”
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas “Sentimental Value”
- Ariana Grande “Wicked: For Good”
- Odessa A’zion “Marty Supreme”
Possible Contenders
- Wunmi Mosaku “Sinners”
- Elle Fanning “Sentimental Value”
- Gwyneth Paltrow “Marty Supreme”
- Regina Hall “One Battle After Another”
- Emily Blunt “The Smashing Machine”
Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards are announced Thursday 22nd January
Dan Loves Film 
Great predictions for best supporting actress. I would love to see Amy Madigan win this. She was truly extraordinary in Weapons delivering one of the most emotional performances of the year. I agree with you that the Academy does have an unfortunate bias against horror movies. But I feel Madigan is well worthy of the win. It would also be a great way of honouring the movie which deserves at least one win. One of my favourite horror movies of the year.
Here’s why I loved “Weapons”:
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