Jeremy Renner
Yes it’s December and the Oscars really are on the horizon, it doesn’t seem five minutes since we were all haling Slumdog Millionaire as the best thin since sliced bread, and it was truly deserving of all the accolades that came its way.
But we are already looking forward to which performances and which movies are going to be in line for the major awards in 2010. It may have started off slowly but in recent weeks there have been a sting of movies that could all be in contention, not to mention the ones that are still to come.
So here at FemaleFirst we take a look at which of Hollywood’s heavyweight could possibly be up for Best actor this time around.
Morgan Freeman is one of the greatest actors to ever grace the big screen and it’s hard to believe that he has just one Oscars, a Supporting Actor gong for his role in Million Dollar Baby in 2005, yes roles like Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption have gone unrecognised.
But 2010 could be the year that the actor finally scores the big award for his performance in Invictus as Nelson Mandela.
If I was a betting person, which I’m not, then I would put some serious money on Freeman walking away with Best Actor as the Academy loves a biopic performance actors such as Sean Penn, Jamie Foxx and Philip Seymour Hoffman have all won in recent years.
Plus if you think about all the times that the actor has been overlooked in the past it may be time that major recognition came his way.
George Clooney has turned in some great performances in recent years with Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck and Michael Clayton that has shown that he is more than just a pretty face.
His bid for the Best Actor award was given a major boost last week when he was named best actor by the National Board of Review from his role in Up In the Air.
Clooney was nominated only back in 2007 for his central role in Michael Clayton and picked up a Best Supporting Actor two years previous for Syriana.
It’s been a busy few months for the actor with the likes of Men Who Star At Goats and Fantastic Mr Fox already under his belt but it’s Up In The Air that has had the best reaction since coming onto the festival circuit earlier in the year.
Viggo Mortensen is an actor that loves to mix and match his roles moving from fantasy book adaptation Lord of the Rings to gangster movie Eastern Promises to Western Appaloosa.
His latest movie sees him take on the apocalyptic drama as Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road gets the big screen treatment after the success of No Country For Old Men.
While the movie itself may struggle to win nominations it’s Mortensen’s central performance that has the best chance of winning gongs this award’s season.
He was nominated for Best Actor back in 2007 for his role in Eastern Promises, losing out to Daniel Day Lewis.
Colin Firth could bring further Oscar success for British talent, lets face it the 2009 ceremony really flew the flag for British filmmaking an acting in Hollywood with the success of Slumdog Millionaire and Kate Winslet.
And it’s his role in A Single Man that could see him bag his maiden Oscar nomination. Set in Los Angeles 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis George Falconer, a 52 year old British college professor is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim.
George dwells on the past and cannot see his future as we follow him through a single day, where a series of events and encounters, ultimately lead him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim. George is consoled by his closest friend Charley, a 48 year old beauty who is wrestling with her own questions about the future.
A young student of George's, Kenny, who is coming to terms with his true nature, stalks George as he feels in him a kindred spirit. A romantic tale of love interrupted the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life.
His performance has already brought his award success when he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, 66th Venice International Film Festival; he also bagged nominations last week at the Satellite and Independent Spirit Awards.
Jeremy Renner has been the acting discovery of 2009 for his role in war movie The Hurt Locker that was a critical triumph earlier this year.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow the movie follows an elite Army bomb squad unit who must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.
Renner was nominated for Breakthrough Actor at the Gotham Awards last week and The Hurt Locker went on to win the Best Feature gong.
The Hurt Locker could be the dark horse of the awards season and Renner could find himself in major contention come Oscar night.
Other possibilities of a best Actor nod include Clive Owen for The Boys are Back, Mark Wahlberg for The Lovely Bones, Matt Damon for The Informant, Daniel Day Lewis for Nine and of course Johnny Depp for Public Enemies.
Who is in contention for the Best Actress Oscar? Find out tomorrow.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Morgan Freeman