The top Oscars front-runners and dark horses of 2018 so far

SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 24: Actrees Claire Foy attends ‘First Man’ photocall during 66th San Sebastian Film Festival on September 24, 2018 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Best Supporting Actress

The ever-present Oscar nominee Meryl Streep may be able to land a nomination for Best Supporting Actress this year for Mary Poppins Returns, but surprisingly, she isn’t a front-runner this time. However, there are a few other Oscar faves who might make an appearance.

One of the stars getting a lot of buzz already is The Crown’s Claire Foy, who recently won an Emmy for her role as Queen Elizabeth II. The British star is appearing in Damien Chazelle’s First Man, a biopic about astronaut Neil Armstrong and the space mission that made him an icon. She stars alongside Ryan Gosling, who is reunited with Chazelle after the two worked together on the Oscar darling La La Land.

The star power behind this film alone could be enough to boost Foy into the Oscar competition, and the Academy loves a biopic. Foy’s role as Armstrong’s wife could also play in her favor, since the past four Best Supporting Actress wins have been to actresses who played wives or mothers. Following her Emmy win this year, an Oscar could be a major step in Foy’s career.

Dark Horse(s): Don’t put your money on Claire Foy just yet! A ton of Oscar favorites are throwing their hats into the ring this season too, and critics are loving them all. Five-time nominee Amy Adams could finally win for her role in Vice and Nicole Kidman is getting buzz for the gay conversion therapy drama Boy Erased. Regina King (also fresh off an Emmy win) is definitely getting some attention for If Beale Street Could Talk, and the Academy’s penchant for English monarchs and period pieces could prove lucrative for Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz in The Favourite as well as Margot Robbie in Mary, Queen of Scots.