{"id":2102120,"date":"2025-10-19T16:58:46","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T16:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2102120"},"modified":"2025-10-19T16:58:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T16:58:46","slug":"multiple-co-stars-competing-in-supporting-actress-oscars-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/multiple-co-stars-competing-in-supporting-actress-oscars-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple Co-Stars Competing in Supporting Actress Oscars Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tLet me tell you a story. It\u2019s not about kings or dragons or battles in a galaxy far, far away \u2014 it\u2019s about Oscar contenders, given a golden pathway, only to find too many people crowding the road, making it nearly impossible to reach the end of the yellow brick trail.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a particular kind of Oscar-season tragedy that has nothing to do with surprise snubs. It unfolds quietly, almost mathematically \u2014 like a game of musical chairs where the music never stops, but the seats still somehow vanish. In this season\u2019s best supporting actress race<\/a>, we\u2019re watching that story unfold in real time.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis awards season has brought a glut of riches. Several presumed best picture contenders arrive not with one, but multiple standout supporting performances. It\u2019s a filmmaker\u2019s dream \u2014 and an actor\u2019s dilemma. When too many brilliant performances share the same ballot line, excellence becomes its own worst enemy. That\u2019s particularly true this year with top-tier contenders such as \u201cOne Battle After Another<\/a>,\u201d \u201cSentimental Value\u201d and \u201cMarty Supreme<\/a>,\u201d with others hovering just behind them.<\/p>\n

\n\tPaul Thomas Anderson\u2019s \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d has turned both Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor into critical sensations \u2014 Hall with her seasoned restraint and sublimated grief, and Taylor with raw, electric volatility. Either could mount a serious Oscar campaign. Neither may survive having to split the vote.<\/p>\n

\n\tJoachim Trier\u2019s \u201cSentimental Value\u201d faces the same predicament. Elle Fanning, long overdue for Academy recognition, delivers what many consider her finest work yet \u2014 measured, devastating, revelatory. But Norwegian actress Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, in a quieter register, commands equal attention from international critics. Trier has coaxed career-defining performances from both his stars. Ironically, that achievement may be his undoing.<\/p>\n

\n\tJosh Safdie\u2019s \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d pits Odessa A\u2019zion\u2019s breakout ferocity against Gwyneth Paltrow\u2019s scene-stealing \u201ccomeback turn\u201d \u2014 exactly the kind of narrative Oscar voters have historically devoured. But which one gets enough momentum to carry through?<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s the truth. We\u2019ve seen this before.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tElijah Wood, left, Andy Serkis and Sean Astin in \u201cThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9New Line Cinema\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIn the 2003 Oscar season, before the eventual best picture nominees were locked in, a deep bench of standout supporting performances emerged \u2014 and most were left out.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the eventual best picture winner \u201cThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,\u201d Sean Astin was the mainstream favorite, riding a wave of emotion and goodwill for his portrayal of Samwise Gamgee. But speculation also swirled around Ian McKellen, previously nominated for \u201cThe Fellowship of the Ring,\u201d and Viggo Mortensen, whose portrayal of Aragorn had become one of the trilogy\u2019s most beloved elements. (Let\u2019s not forget those banging the drum for Andy Serkis\u2019 motion-capture brilliance as Gollum.) In the end, none of them were nominated \u2014 despite the film sweeping 11 Oscars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tA similar story unfolded with Clint Eastwood\u2019s \u201cMystic River,\u201d widely believed to be the runner-up in best picture. Tim Robbins won best supporting actor, but many assumed co-star Kevin Bacon would finally land his first nomination. Only one made it onto the ballot.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSeabiscuit,\u201d meanwhile, entered the race with a sprawling, critically respected ensemble. William H. Macy scored a Golden Globe nomination, Chris Cooper was recognized by SAG, and Jeff Bridges was seen as a potential spoiler on nomination morning. None were named on the day.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe pattern is clear \u2014 when multiple contenders come from the same film, votes split. A little support for everyone often results in not enough support for anyone.<\/p>\n

\n\tConsider the 1994 film year, when both supporting acting categories flirted with the possibility of double-dipping.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cForrest Gump\u201d co-stars Sally Field and Robin Wright were thought to be locks for supporting actress recognition, especially with the film dominating the box office and major precursor awards. Neither made the cut. Instead, Jennifer Tilly earned a surprise nod for \u201cBullets Over Broadway,\u201d joining eventual winner Dianne Wiest \u2014 from a film that didn\u2019t even receive a best picture nomination.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe supporting actor race that same year was similarly chaotic. Pundits predicted double nominees from \u201cPulp Fiction\u201d \u2014 Samuel L. Jackson and possibly Indie Spirit nominee Eric Stoltz \u2014 or from \u201cQuiz Show,\u201d with John Turturro (a Golden Globe and SAG nominee) and Paul Scofield. Jackson landed his deserved nomination; Turturro was famously left out in favor of Scofield in what became an infamous \u201ccast member switcharoo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMore recently, many believed that both \u201cThe Banshees of Inisherin\u201d and \u201cThe Fabelmans\u201d would dominate the 2023 supporting actor race. Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan ultimately made it in for \u201cBanshees.\u201d Paul Dano and Judd Hirsch, despite significant recognition, couldn\u2019t both find room. Only one film went two for two \u2014 and it wasn\u2019t \u201cThe Fabelmans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a quirk of the Academy\u2019s voting system. In supporting categories, passion matters more than consensus. A No. 1 vote on a nominator\u2019s ballot carries significantly more weight than being everyone\u2019s second or third choice. When votes split between co-stars \u2014 especially in a deep field like this year\u2019s \u2014 it opens the door for a single breakout performer from another film to sweep in and claim a nomination (or even the win).<\/p>\n

\n\tSo where does that leave us today? And how do the campaigns keep their supporting ladies afloat?<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s no surefire blueprint, and it\u2019s not always tied to what wins best picture. <\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tCeleste Holm, left, Loretta Young and Elsa Lanchester in \u201cCome to the Stable\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a920thCentFox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThere has been only one instance in Oscar history when two films each claimed two nominations in the same acting category: 1949\u2019s \u201cCome to the Stable\u201d (Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester) and \u201cPinky\u201d (Ethel Barrymore and Ethel Waters). All four lost to Mercedes McCambridge from best picture winner \u201cAll the King\u2019s Men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFun fact: Holm holds the record for being nominated alongside a co-star in three separate films \u2014 \u201cGentleman\u2019s Agreement,\u201d \u201cCome to the Stable\u201d and \u201cAll About Eve.\u201d She\u2019s followed by Anne Revere (\u201cThe Song of Bernadette,\u201d \u201cGentleman\u2019s Agreement\u201d), Amy Adams (\u201cDoubt,\u201d \u201cThe Fighter\u201d) and Teresa Wright (\u201cThe Little Foxes,\u201d \u201cMrs. Miniver\u201d) with two co-nominations apiece.<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to Variety\u2019s most recent predictions<\/a>, \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d could attempt something audacious: placing two actors in two supporting categories. Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn in supporting actor; Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor in supporting actress. If that happens, it\u2019ll join extremely rare company.<\/p>\n

\n\tOnly four films in history have double-dipped in two acting categories:<\/p>\n

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