© NetflixThe stars who have lit up the screen in 2020 and 2021.
We have a bit of a wait until the 2021 Oscars this year, as the ceremony has now been pushed back to April, but that gives us plenty of time to deliberate over the top contenders for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
Movies have been delayed due to Covid-19 since March 2020, and cinemas are currently closed again in the UK due to a third national lockdown, but there's plenty of exciting films available to stream on Amazon Prime and Netflix that could be vying for Oscar glory on 25 April. And of course, some fantastic performances to enjoy too.
Here are the stars who have been singled out for their show-stopping performances in 2020 and 2021...
Best Actor
Kingsley Ben-Adir - One Night in Miami
The British actor recently won Breakthrough actor at the Winner Gotham Independent Film Awards for his performance in Regina King's One Night in Miami, which is also a contender for Best Picture. Kinsgley has previously starred in The OA, Peaky Blinders, and High Fidelity, and will play Barack Obama in upcoming drama series The Comey Rule.
Steven Yeun - Minari
The 35-year-old South Korean-American actor's performance in this tender coming-of-age drama has been described as "nothing short of extraordinary" by Indiewire. The star is also known for his role in AMC's cult series The Walking Dead, South Korean mystery Burning, and Bong Joon-ho's Okja. Minari picked up the US Grand Jury Prize and US Audience Prize at Sundance.
Anthony Hopkins - The Father
© Film 4Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in The Father
The legendary actor has been early front-runner "with a turn so crushingly effective that I can't see how any other actor could beat him", says The Guardian's review of The Father. Hopkins was Oscar-nominated this year for The Two Popes.
Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
The actor arguably best known for his role as T'Challa in Black Panther, also starred in Spike Lee's critically acclaimed Da 5 Bloods, 21 Bridges, and as James Brown in Get on Up. The star's final films were Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Lee's Da 5 Bloods. Chadwick died on August 28, 2020 aged 43.
Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal
© Amazon StudiosRiz Ahmed
The British star has generated Oscar chatter following his performance as a punk metal drummer in Sound of Metal who begins to lose his hearing. A recovering heroin addict, Ruben checks himself into a secluded sober house for the deaf, hoping that it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, he has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Riz is known for his Emmy-winning role in The Night of and Nightcrawler, and is writing and starring in Englistan for BBC Two, a story of three generations of a British Pakistani family.
Tahar Rahim - The Mauritanian
© BBC Films/First LookTahar Rahim in The Mauritanian
Currently chilling viewers playing a real-life serial killer in BBC One's prestige drama The Serpent, the acclaimed French actor has received critical acclaim in The Mauritanian
as Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who is captured by the American government and is left languishing in Guantanamo Bay detention camp without charge or trial for over a decade.
Best Supporting Actor
Daniel Kaluuya
© Warner BrosJudas and the Black Messiah
The Skins star, who was Oscar-nominated for his role in Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning Get Out, has garnered critical acclaim for his performance as Black Panthers chairman Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. He's also known for his role as W'Kabi in Black Panther, and for starring in Steve McQueen's heist movie Widows.
Sacha Baron Cohen - The Trial of The Chicago 7
© NetflixSacha Baron Cohen
The Borat star is being tipped for his role as Abbie Hoffman in Aaron Sorkin's Trial of The Chicago 7, which follows the real-life peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention which turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organisers of the protest, including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale, were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history.
Leslie Odom, Jr. - One Night in Miami
© Amazon StudiosAldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
The 39-year-old actor of stage and screen is arguably best known for debuting the role of Aaron Burr in the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton, for he which won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album as a principal vocalist. Following his performance in Regina King's directorial debut One Night in Miami, playing the late great Sam Cooke, he could be vying for an Oscar too.
Chadwick Boseman - Da 5 Bloods
© NetflixDa 5 Bloods
As well as being in contention for best actor for Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the late Chadwick Boseman is being tipped for best supporting actor for his role in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, which is also a strong best picture contender.
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