Oscars at last? 5 overdue performers who could finally win this year
Earlier this year, Robert Downey Jr. won Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for “Oppenheimer.” This followed two unsuccessful bids spanning three decades. At long last, the dynamic Downey Jr. was rewarded. That is one overdue thespian taken care of but there are plenty more performers out there who have yet to receive the Oscar their talents and careers deserve. So, with that in mind, here are five overdue actors who could finally hand in the bridesmaid bouquet and snag their time in the spotlight at the 2025 Oscars.
Amy Adams
Adams is approaching Glenn Close status at this point, with six Oscar nominations and zero wins. Adams’ first four bids all came for Best Supporting Actress — for “Junebug” in 2006, “Doubt” in 2009, “The Fighter” in 2011, and “The Master” in 2013. She then reaped a first Best Actress citation in 2014 for “American Hustle” before collecting another Supporting Actress bid in 2019 for “Vice.” Adams is back in contention this year with “Nightbitch,” Marielle Heller‘s comedy horror film that follows Adams as a stay-at-home mom whose domesticity takes a surreal, seemingly supernatural turn. Adams is currently in our top five predicted nominees for Best Actress alongside Mikey Maddison (“Anora”), Karla Sofia Gascón (“Emilia Pérez”), Angelina Jolie (“Maria”), and Saoirse Ronan (“The Outrun”).
Saoirse Ronan
Speaking of Ronan, she, too, is somewhat overdue. She might not seem it in terms of age but the Irish actress has four nominations to her name, which kind of automatically makes someone overdue once they have that many bids but zero wins. She was first nominated in 2008 for Best Supporting Actress for “Atonement” before she picked up three Best Actress citations — in 2016 for “Brooklyn,” in 2018 for “Lady Bird,” and in 2020 for “Little Women.” Ronan has not one but two films in contention this year. The first is for “The Outrun,” which depicts Ronan as a young woman who exits rehab for alcoholism and returns home to the Orkney Islands. The second movie is “Blitz,” which follows a young boy who goes on a misguided adventure in London during WWII. We predict that Ronan will be nominated for “The Outrun” although “Blitz” is in sixth place in our Best Actress odds chart. It could be a good year for Ronan.
Ralph Fiennes
Moving on to men now. The exquisite Fiennes was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for “Schindler’s List” and Best Actor in 1997 for “The English Patient.” Fiennes is back in action this year with “Conclave,” which follows the British thespian as a Cardinal who must organize the election of the successor to the Pope, only to discover that the deceased Pope was harboring secrets that must be brought to light. We are predicting that Fiennes will be nominated for Best Actor alongside Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unkown”), Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), and Daniel Craig (“Queer”).
Samuel L. Jackson
Jackson may not have as many Oscar nominations to his name as some of his peers but he is absolutely the most iconic person on this list. Jackson is a fan and industry favorite, having starred in almost every franchise possible including “Jurassic Park,” “Star Wars,” and the MCU. Jackson is also a Quentin Tarantino darling and his sole Oscar nomination came for Best Supporting Actor in 1995 for “Pulp Fiction.” Jackson is set to be a serious contender for Best Supporting Actor with “The Piano Lesson.” This August Wilson adaptation follows the Charles family as they decide what to do with the family heirloom… a piano. We are predicting that Jackson will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor alongside Clarence Maclin (“Sing Sing”), Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), Stanley Tucci (“Conclave”), and Denzel Washington (“Gladiator II”).
Edward Norton
Norton has three Oscar nominations to his name. Two of those came for Best Supporting Actor — for “Primal Fear” in 1997 and “Birdman” in 2015. In between those, he snagged a Best Actor bid in 1999 for “American History X.” Norton stars as American folk singer Pete Seeger in the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” which follows a young Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 as he undergoes his journey to becoming one of the most definitive voices in 20th century music. Norton is currently outside of our top five predicted nominees for Best Supporting Actor but he is in seventh place so could easily sneak into the lineup.
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?