Categories One-by-One: Supporting Actor

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danfrank
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Re: Categories One-by-One: Supporting Actor

Post by danfrank »

A no-brainer and a deserved win. My personal rankings:

1. Daniel Kaluuya
2. Leslie Odom, Jr.
3. Paul Raci
4. LaKeith Stanfield
5. Sacha Baron Cohen
Mister Tee
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Categories One-by-One: Supporting Actor

Post by Mister Tee »

Every category deserves a little attention, even the seeming sure things.

The nominees:

Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trail of the Chicago 7)
Daniel Kaluuya (Judas & the Black Messiah)
Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami)
Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)
Lakeith Stanfield (Judas & the Black Messiah)

This is a pretty strong category, given the year's limitations. Sacha Baron Cohen is the weakest of the bunch -- not even universally seen as his film's best contender -- but it's not a terrible nomination.

Leslie Odom Jr. and Paul Raci could have been winners in other years. Raci was clearly the critics' choice, though we don't know if that would have been the case had the late-released Judas been eligible at the main critics' groups. (Or if they might have properly placed Kaluuya in lead.)

Two things happened since those critics' awards that took the race in opposite directions. The first was Kaluuya running an unexpected sweep of the TV prizes -- even at the Globes, which otherwise mostly ignored Judas -- along with Judas, a late release as I said, showing unexpected overall strength as best picture-level contender. This combo seemed to mark Kaluuya as a sure-shot.

The second thing, almost surely not crucial, was Stanfield turning up with a equally fraudulent supporting nomination. This led to some fretting that the two would "split" the Judas loyalists and enable someone else to win. But I agree with those who say this is not like Joan Cusack showing up for Working Girl and possibly depriving front-runner Sigourney Weaver, but more like Jennifer Tilly surprising for Bullets over Broadway while doing nothing to impede Dianne Wiest's second Oscar.

Kaluuya by a landslide -- something few would have predicted prior to the Globes.
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