So far we’ve only talked about the actresses who showed up to campaign at the Governors Awards last night, but so many of the actors in contention were out there hustling ahead of the Oscar nominations.
In the best actor race, the two Golden Globe winners, Paul Giamatti and Cillian Murphy were at the gala with their respective teams from their films, The Holdovers and Oppenheimer. Cillian and Robert Downey Jr are going for the double, best and supporting actor, and they are probably, at this point, the frontrunners in their categories. RDJ’s closest challengers are thought to be Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo. Mark was there, with his wife Sunrise, and his chances took a hit today because he was NOT nominated for a SAG as the Screen Actors Guild opted for his Poor Things co-star Willem Dafoe instead. Ryan, however, skipped the Governors Awards so I guess two award shows in three nights was enough for him, especially since he’s expected to be at Critics Choice on Sunday.
Colman Domingo, however, was in attendance, as he has a shot at both best actor and supporting for his work in Rustin and The Color Purple. And it looks like his chances in the lead actor category are stronger because he was indeed just nominated for a SAG for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role alongside Jeffrey Wright, who was also at the Governors Awards.
What’s interesting about that race is that Leonardo DiCaprio’s name did NOT show up on the Lead Actor SAG list. The guild opted for Jeffrey instead and also Bradley Cooper. All that hustling for Bradley is paying off!
But for Zac Efron, in a red turtleneck at the Governors Awards, the odds are not in his favour. He should be in the best actor conversation, his performance in The Iron Claw is unreal, but there’s really no momentum behind him. Still, being at the Governors Awards could have a longer range impact. This is the role that is finally convincing people that Zac is a Serious Actor and getting facetime with the Academy could help with a future Oscar campaign.
