The 92nd Academy Awards are just around the corner, and with it, the awards season will end for another year, and people will go down in film history. In terms of the nominees this year, it has been a bumpy ride. The Academy has snubbed a lot of immensely talented people who delivered in a big way this past year in favor lesser deserving nominees, including in the acting categories.
Nevertheless, there are ten leading performer nominees whose performances vary in quality and, therefore, in how deserving they are for the golden statuette. Here are the best actor and best actress nominees ranked by how much they deserve to win.
JONATHAN PRYCE (THE TWO POPES)
The problem for putting Jonathan Pryce’s portrayal of Pope Francis in The Two Popes is that not only does the performance not deserve the win, but it also did not earn the nomination.
That is not to say that the veteran actor’s performance is not good. It is — it’s great. The issue is that it is not good enough to be considered one of the top five of the year, especially when performances like that of Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Christian Bale (Ford v Ferrari), and Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems) are far more deserving.
CYNTHIA ERIVO (HARRIET)
The lack of diversity at this year’s Academy Awards is shameful, with the acting categories being no different. The only nominee of color is Cynthia Erivo, for her performance as Harriet Tubman in the movie Harriet.
The biopic itself is not great. However, Erivo delivers high-quality performance to a powerful role. Unfortunately, it’s not good enough for the ballot when actresses like Awkwafina (The Farewell) and Lupita Nyong’o (Us) miss out.
CHARLIZE THERON (BOMBSHELL)
Had it not been for the work of the three terrific lead actresses, Bombshell would have flopped even more. Theron’s nomination comes from her transformative outing as Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.
Theron totally transforms into Kelly, but that is more down to the hair and make-up team. Her work as an actress though does shine through as she steals scenes with her ever-present talent. But compared to the other actresses in her category, and those not nominated, Theron’s performance isn’t enough to merit the win.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO (ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD)
The genuinely terrific nominated performances truly start to kick in with Theron, and now DiCaprio’s performance in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood as Rick Dalton, an aging actor and mid-life crisis inhabitant living in 1969 Hollywood.
DiCaprio has some of cinema’s best moments in this film from his trailer meltdown to his conversation with a young actress on set. Had he not won the Oscar in 2016, this may well have been his year. What holds DiCaprio back is not the quality of his performance, but rather the fact that Pitt outshone him.
SAOIRSE RONAN (LITTLE WOMEN)
This nomination is already Saoirse Ronan’s fourth in her young career, and it is not going to be her last. Ronan is a standout in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women and gets her nomination for her role as Jo March.
Ronan dives deep into the role of headstrong Jo and crafts a performance that is nothing short of brilliant, standing out in a movie that deserved a lot more love in awards season than it got. In terms of deservedness, Ronan will have an Oscar or two in her career, and nobody would be or should be mad if it comes now, even if there are those more deserving at this moment.
Renée ZELLWEGER (JUDY)
There is very little doubt that in a couple days, Renée Zellweger will walk home with the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of the legendary Judy Garland in the movie Judy. But that does not necessarily mean she is the right choice.
Zellweger has been cleaning up throughout the awards circuit, and it is easy to see why. Not only does the role appeal to Hollywood, but she is sensational as Garland and gives a career-best performance as she transforms into the icon. But while this is the safe bet, two non-nominated performances truly deserved to battle it out for the award in Nyong’o and Awkwafina, and one nominated female performance deserves it a little more than Zellweger…
SCARLETT JOHANSSON (MARRIAGE STORY)
Scarlett Johansson is now the twelfth performer to be nominated for two Oscars in one year and deserves at least one win, more-so for her performance as Nicole in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.
Johansson has to compete with Adam Driver’s extra screentime to keep sympathies and engagement with the audience so as not to seem like the bad guy. She does so with aplomb as she delivers dialogue beautifully, has memorable moments, and shines throughout the movie in a vulnerable and authentic performance. Scarlett Johansson has never been nominated for an Oscar before this year, and for this career-best performance, she is deserving of the award.
ANTONIO BANDERAS (PAIN AND GLORY)
Despite the snubs of names like Sandler, Egerton, and Murphy, this is insanely strong this year. The final three best actor nominees all deliver different types of devastating and deserving performances to the point where it depends on what you feel on any given day between who is the most deserving. Antonio Banderas’ performance as Salvador Mallo in Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain And Glory is one of these three.
The tone of Banderas’ performance is a departure from a lot of his previous work, and it is a graceful, eloquent performance that is powerful in its melancholy. If Banderas were to win, it would be a pleasant surprise and a history maker, but while there is a thin line between his deservedness and the next two actors, they still slightly edge him out.
JOAQUIN PHOENIX (JOKER)
Joker has received quite a bit of hate the past while. Still, whatever criticisms people have about the movie, Phoenix’s performance is undeniable, both in the fact it is outstanding and deserving, and that he is going to win the award.
Phoenix completely transforms himself, diving deep into the role both in his physicality and psyche. He nails the laugh, the mannerisms, and it is the best comic-book performance since Heath Ledger. In Phoenix’s fourth Oscar nomination, one of the finest working actors is due for a win which will come for his take on the Clown prince of Crime.
ADAM DRIVER (MARRIAGE STORY)
While a variety of places and people will give their take on who deserves the award most, this list places Driver as the most deserving. His performance as Charlie Barber in Marriage Story is outstanding.
Johansson matches Driver throughout the movie when she can, but falls low on the list because the Oscar truly belongs to Awkwafina or Lupita Nyong’o. Adam Driver does not have that issue. While the best actor category had snubs, Driver is still deserving of the award. It will not be his last nomination, nor is it his first, and the safe money is he will win one day. But for his real, devastating and nuanced performance that is restrained and at times tear-inducing, Driver deserves the win.
