Pre-Festival Best Actor 2021 Predictions: Could Will Smith Be Crowned ‘King?’
Since the fall festival is now getting closer, I figured it’d be a good time to try some premature Oscar predictions. For this post, I’ll be taking a look at the Best Actor race. Because there’s a lot of sights unseen, it’s hard to know who’s the current front runner as of now. But just for fun, I’ll take a guess as to where the race could go.
For starters, Will Smith could be a force of nature for his role in King Richard as Richard Williams, the real-life coach and father of Serena and Venus Williams. Already, Smith has the biopic factor in his favor along with Oscar history since he’s a previous two-time nominee for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. Plus, his upcoming Netflix comedy special will boost his visibility along with promotion of his memoir “WILL” which comes out on November 6th which is, well, a few weeks before the release of King Richard. Should the film be the crowd pleaser it looks like it could be, Smith might be a stealth contender based on audience love, his star power, the biopic factor, and of course, campaign visibility.
Then again, we also have two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington playing Macbeth, a plum actor’s showcase, in The Tragedy of Macbeth. We know they love Washington and he’s more than likely going to be stellar. The only catch is that Shakespearean film adaptations aren’t the same draw as they were. Then again, even if the film is a tough sell, they’ll at least consider Denzel.
Meanwhile, we have previous Best Actor nominee Benedict Cumberbatch starring in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. Given how the film is hitting every major fall festival (NYFF, Venice, TIFF, and possibly Telluride), it’s a sign that it could be a huge player for Netflix. Plus, his role as a sadistic ranch owner who clashes with his brother and new sister-in-law sounds like a meaty one.
Then again, Netflix will also have Andrew Garfield, another previous Best Actor nominee, for Tick, Tick..Boom!, Lin Manuel-Miranda’s feature directorial debut. Plus, Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio for the new Adam McKay satire Don’t Look Up.
Continuing the theme of discussing previous Best Actor nominees, kind of like 2019, this year is looking to be the year of Adam Driver who has Annette, The Last Duel, and House of Gucci. Between those three, House of Gucci could be his best bet at a Best Actor nomination since Annette is quite polarizing and based on him getting second billing, his role in The Last Duel could get a Supporting push. Even if he is a genuine co-lead, those of us who follow the race closely know how this always plays out. When a film has two leads of the same gender, one is always forced to masquerade as a supporting actor.
Anyhow, after bringing up Leonardo DiCaprio, there’s someone who’s probably become our newest Leonardo DiCaprio: Bradley Cooper. Despite earning eight total Oscar nominations: Four for acting, three for producing, and one for writing, Cooper has yet to take home the gold. Who knows if his role in the upcoming remake of Nightmare Alley could do the trick. But if not, there’s always Soggy Bottom, the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson pic. Time will tell.
Next, we’ll get into those hoping to break into the Oscar club. Names like Clifton Collins, Jr. who earned positive acclaim back at Sundance for his leading role as a sickly horse rider facing what could be his last season in Jockey. If I’m being honest, Collins, Jr. sort of gives me vibes of Richard Jenkins in The Visitor. Someone who’s been one of those “That guy from that thing”-type of supporting actors who gets an overdue leading role. It helps that the film is being handled by Sony Pictures Classics, the same studio behind our last Best Actor winner.
SPC also interestingly has two Emmy-nominated male ingenues. Fresh off his recent Emmy nomination for Season Four of The Crown, Josh O’Connor plays the male lead in Mothering Sunday which received a mixed-to-positive response out of Cannes. Then there’s Paul Mescal who earned an Emmy nomination last year for his soul-bearing TV debut in Normal People and will star as the male lead in the upcoming musical Carmen.
Other names of many to consider include Emmy winner Peter Dinklage in Cyrano, Joaquin Phoenix in C’mon C’mon, Nicolas Cage in Pig, Simon Rex in Red Rocket, and Dev Patel in The Green Knight.
What do you think? Where do you guys think the pre-festival Best Actor race stands? Please be sure to share your thoughts!
