Looking good for a long overdue Oscar win after two acting nods is Will Smith (“Ali” in 2002, “The Pursuit of Happyness” in 2007) as a driven father and coach to tennis prodigies Serena and Venus Williams in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s sports heart-tugging Best Picture contender “King Richard” (Warner Bros./HBO Max). So far he’s won SAG, BAFTA, and Critics Choice, so the Oscar is Smith’s to lose.
Landing second acting slots are two popular British stars deploying American accents: Andrew Garfield (“Hacksaw Ridge”) is a workaholic composer seeking his big break on Broadway in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s adaptation of Jonathan Larson musical “Tick, Tick, Boom” (Netflix), while Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”) is a surly Montana rancher undermining the wife (Kirsten Dunst) of his brother (Jesse Plemons) in Jane Campion’s western Best Picture frontrunner “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix). Garfield has been keeping a high profile thanks in part to his role in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” while Cumberbatch is back on the Los Angeles circuit. Netflix Nominees are listed in order of likelihood they will win. Frontrunners Will Smith (“King Richard”) Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”) Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick, Boom”) Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”) Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
