Th already crowded best actor race just got more crowded with the L.A. AFI premieres of “Selma” and “American Sniper.” David Oyelowo and Bradley Cooper, respectively, have leaped into the fray, joining Cumberbatch, Redmayne, Keaton, Murray, Oscar Isaac and possibly Al Pacino as front runners.
This will be tricky as there are only five spots and literally any of those guys should be or could be the winner. Pacino has Oscars, so he’s all set as for winning. It’s Bill Murray and Michael Keaton who are the sentimental favorites because they’ve never won (Murray at least has been nominated). Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne are the young Brits, sort of Olivier and O’Toole. They’re each going to accumulate a half dozen nominations in their careers.
Of the new names, Cooper at least has two prior nominations and a popularity factor. Also Cooper is opening in “The Elephant Man” on Broadway. That gives him even more heft. (Whoever planned that was a genius.) Oyelowo, also British, is one of the strongest up and comers ever. Also, he’s playing Dr. Martin Luther King. So Oyelowo comes in very very strong.
What to do? Who knows? I wish the actress category had so many quandaries!
