Hollywood’s biggest night — the Oscars 2017 — are finally here, and we’ll be live-blogging to see which nominee wins Best Actor!
There are five amazing actors up for the award for Best Actor this year. Obviously, some are more favored to win than others. We list the actors who are nominated below and put them in the order in which they are, in our opinion, most likely to win.
So here are the nominees, with the winner revealed at the bottom:
Denzel Washington: Denzel Washington is something of a modern day legend. For the Oscars 2017, he’s up for an award for his role in Fences. Of all the nominees on this list, he’s been nominated the most. Prior to this nomination, he was nominated for his roles in Flight, Training Day, The Hurricane, Malcolm X, Glory, and Cry Freedom. Of all these nominations, Denzel won two awards: a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Glory, and the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Training Day.
Ryan Gosling: Ryan Gosling has gone from a pretty-boy actor to a respectable leading man. For the Oscars 2017, he’s up for an award for his role in La La Land. Though he got his start on The Mickey Mouse Club, Gosling has grown into himself as an actor. Plus, this is Ryan Gosling’s first Best Actor nomination, although not his first Oscar nomination. In 2006, he earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Half Nelson.
Viggo Mortensen: Hunky Viggo Mortensen has been on our radar since 1985 when he starred opposite Harrison Ford in Witness. So for the Oscars 2017, he’s up for an award for his role in Captain Fantastic, which is a film that hasn’t had much buzz. Moreover, this is the second time he’s been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar; he received his first nomination in 2007 for Eastern Promises.
Andrew Garfield: First-time Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield may be best known to audiences as Emo Spider-Man. But it turns out he does pretty well for himself when he’s given a decent script. For the Oscars 2017, he’s nominated for his role in Hacksaw Ridge.
Casey Affleck: This is, perhaps, the most problematic nomination of all, given the sexual harassment allegations against him. Still, for the Oscars 2017, Casey Affleck is up for an award for his role in Manchester by the Sea. Now, this is the second nomination for Ben Affleck’s younger brother. In 2007, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Assassination of the Outlaw Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
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Prediction: Denzel Washington
Winner: Casey Affleck
I’m sure Affleck’s speech will turn up, but for now, I’m noticing the quiet statement in body language.