The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced its nominations for the 2013 Oscars celebrating 2012 in film.
Here are the nominees for Best Actor:
- Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
- Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
- Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
- Denzel Washington, Flight
The two likeliest contenders to win in this category are Day-Lewis and Phoenix. If neither wins, it'll be Cooper, but more than likely, one of these two will walk away with the statue. Daniel Day-Lewis has become beloved, one of the most respected actors of his generation, and he consistently selects the art projects that the Academy always appreciates. Lincoln has the most nominations (12) out of any film this year. If it doesn't win Best Picture, Day-Lewis still has a great chance to take home another Oscar (he's got two already, for My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood). Joaquin Phoenix, meanwhile, has a compelling story to take on a possible march toward acceptance. The Master is his first movie since estranging himself from mainstream Hollywood from the events depicted in I'm Still Here, which at the time it was filmed appeared to represent the actor in the midst of an identity crisis. Like Marlon Brando before him, Phoenix has declared that he doesn't much care for awards, but the Academy may give him one anyway for a performance that represents an elevation of talent that had already been on its radar (such as in Gladiator and Walk the Line). Bradley Cooper, meanwhile, is the potential spoiler because he's got his own story, a budding star who broke out in popular material but can now be safely taken seriously thanks to a patented romantic drama that the Oscars also tend to appreciate. On the chance he doesn't win, the nomination alone indicates he's now firmly on the Academy's radar.
The Oscars will be handed out on February 24.
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