From Timothée Chalamet and Tom Cruise to Cynthia Erivo: It’s Time for Some Overdue Actors to Finally Win an Oscar — SkimNews
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- Matt Damon is positioned as the likely Best Actor frontrunner for Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' (Metascore 88), where he plays Odysseus at 55 — marking a potential third competitive nomination after 'Good Will Hunting,' 'Invictus,' and 'The Martian.'
- Tom Cruise could win for 'Digger' (Warner Bros.), an A.G. Iñárritu end-of-the-world comedy in which he plays his own age; the source notes that skipping festivals 'is exactly what "Digger" needs' and likens the campaign to Sean Penn's over-the-top wins.
- Glenn Close, with eight competitive Oscar nods and no wins, stars in Netflix's Cannes director-prize winner 'La Bola Negra' (Metascore 85) — though the source flags it as a small supporting role and notes Netflix is simultaneously pushing Penélope Cruz.
- Ryan Gosling would be the Best Actor frontrunner 'if "The Odyssey" wasn't eating up all the oxygen,' with the source calling his 'Project Hail Mary' turn (Amazon/MGM, Metascore 77) a 'tone-perfect performance' at age 45.
- Timothée Chalamet has a shot at 'Dune: Part Three' (Warner Bros./Legendary) as Paul Atreides, but the source warns 'genre films don't always yield acting nods' and reminds readers of his 'Marty Supreme' campaign missteps last year.
- Mark Ruffalo's prospects for Apple TV's TIFF-opening 'Being Heumann' are described as hurt because 'many in Hollywood, while respecting his acting chops,' are 'unhappy with his recent vocal pro-Palestine activism and attacks on the Ellisons' contested Warnermount merger.'
- Cynthia Erivo has a 'steep ramp' for TIFF sales title 'Prima Facie' because, the source notes, the Tony-winning play's film adaptation 'hasn't already been picked up,' making a delayed awards launch difficult.
Why it matters: Matt Damon in 'The Odyssey' leads a stacked Best Actor race at the March 14, 2027 Oscars, with eight-times-nominated Glenn Close also cited as overdue. Mark Ruffalo's prospects for Apple TV's 'Being Heumann' are described as hurt by backlash over his pro-Palestine activism and public criticism of the Ellisons' Warnermount merger.
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