There is no shortage of Best Actor contenders hoping to be nominated for the Oscars 2025 and try to win. The Oscar for Best Leading Actor is one of the biggest awards each year, which is no different in 2025. Following in the footsteps of Cillian Murphy's groundbreaking win for Oppenheimer in 2024, there is an entirely new crop of artists who want to win this year. They will be among the nominees in every category at the 2025 Oscars, as voters decide which five actors deserve nominations before narrowing the number to one winner.
Like those in front of the camera, acting awards can often get more attention than the Best Director nominations at the 2025 Oscars. There's often a lot of overlap between the actors nominated for Best Actor and the selection of films competing for Best Film. Since these ten films are considered the best of the best, it's understandable that they include the best performances of the year. Whether the films nominated for the 2025 Best Picture Oscar completely cover the acting category or not, Screen speechBest Actor predictions are below.
|
Actor |
Film |
|
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Timothée Chalamet |
A complete stranger |
|
2 |
Ralph Fiennes |
Conclave |
|
3 |
Adrian Brody |
The Brutalist |
|
4 |
Colman Domingo |
Sing Sing |
|
5 |
Daniel Craig |
Queer |
Others competing for the 2025 Oscar for best actor
The list of five actors we predict will receive Best Actor Oscar nominations when the nominees are announced on January 17, 2025 is subject to change, as several other actors are still in contention. It has been confirmed that Jesse Plemons is seeking a Best Actor nomination for Types of kindness. Sebastian Stan has two different films that could put him in the runningand he's closer than ever after scoring two Golden Globe nominations for The Apprentice and A different man. John David Washington is also a potential candidate to watch The piano lesson.
In addition to Sebastian Stan, the actor who is most popular is Jesse Eisenberg (Image: Getty Images)A real pain). 13 years after being nominated for Best Actor for The social networkEisenberg is back in contention with his dramedy co-starring Kieran Culkin. It wouldn't be surprising if he finally unseated Daniel Craig as one of the five nominees, now that he's also nominated for a Golden Globe. If Craig drops out of the race, Eisenberg or Stan are in a better position to be the reason.
Additionally, there are some previous Best Actor nominees who could still gain support on the ballot. Andrew Garfield's emotional performance in We live in time could attract support as a former two-time nominee in the category. Paul Mescal was not expected to be nominated for an Oscar for After-sunso he could surprise with Gladiator II also. It looks like we can rule out a Joaquin Phoenix repeat for Joker: Folie à Deuxwhile Tom Hanks (Here) is also unlikely to sneak in. The difficulty for most of these hopeful candidates is how solid the predicted list of five nominees already is.
5
Daniel Craig – Queer
He was never nominated for an Oscar
Daniel Craig is a big contender for Best Actor at the 2025 Oscars thanks to Queer. Luca Guadagnino's film stars the former James Bond actor as an ex-military man in Texas who begins to fall in love with a younger man. It is Daniel Craig's performance that has stood out among the critics of Queeras most praise him for giving the best performance of his career. This narrative is strong enough to propel the actor into the Best Actor race.
Although Daniel Craig has never been nominated for an Oscar, he has a lot of support in Hollywood to get the nod in 2025. Queer is a clear break with Bond or Knives outtwo franchises that largely dominated the last decade of his career. The dramatic turnaround is worth celebrating. A24's involvement in the film's Oscar campaign should help too, as the studio already helped Brendan Fraser win his first Oscar for The whale two years ago.
History is also a little on Daniel Craig's side when it comes to getting a Best Actor nomination as the lead in a Luca Guadagnino film. The director had previously directed Timothée Chalamet to his first Oscar nomination in Call me by your nameso the same could happen to Craig. His Golden Globe nomination helps his cause, but the next few weeks will be very important for him as Queer expands widely in cinemas. Craig needs a boost right now to fend off rising candidates.
4
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Domingo received his first Oscar nomination last year
Colman Domingo is back in awards contention, and this could be his time to win Best Actor. He had a breakthrough role when it came to the Oscars in 2023 with Rustin. Domingo's powerful performance in the biopic drew strong support from voters as he received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Although he didn't win the category, it suggested that it would only take one more great performance for him to get back into the race.
He is well positioned to receive Best Actor Oscar nominations in consecutive years
Thanks to Sing SingFollowing its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023, it was known that Domingo had already made it before officially losing out at the 2024 Oscars. A24 postponed the launch Sing Sing until 2024, then it would be a contender for the 2025 Oscarsprobably in part due to the support that Domingo already had for a nomination to Rustin. Now, he's well-positioned to receive Best Actor Oscar nominations in consecutive years. Support for him to emerge victorious this year should be even greater.
While key precursors to the 2025 Oscars that could impact the Best Actor race have yet to happen, Colman Domingo has already gained some recognition for his Sing Sing performance. Her current wins include the Spotlight Award at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and the Impact Award at the Middleburg Film Festival. He also won Best Actor at the Gotham Awards, giving him his first big win of the season, before receiving a Golden Globe nomination. Combining the four increases praise for your performance to help increase your chances for Best Actor.
3
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
He is already an Oscar winner for best actor
Adrien Brody is likely to be back in the Best Actor race at the 2025 Oscars. The Brutalist put him firmly in contention to win the Oscar once again. Adrien Brody won the 2003 Oscar for Best Actor for The pianistand he made history by becoming the youngest actor to win an Oscar. This seemingly would have positioned him as a frequent contender for more nominations and wins, but that didn't happen. The Brutalist it would be Brody's first Oscar nomination since winning the award two decades earlier.
The Brutalist is predicted to be a strong Oscar contender in many categories, but it's unknown which one will actually win. This could give Adrien Brody extra favor if he becomes the aspect of the film that draws voters to show support. He's certainly a common point of praise among early reviews, but whether the acting industry recognizes his work in the same way remains to be determined. Even if there isn't enough support for him to ultimately win, The BrutalistThe emergence of is a huge boost to Adrien Brody's chances.
Adrien Brody's Oscar chances have improved a lot in recent weeks thanks to a handful of nominations. In addition to the love he received from major critics groups, he is one of six nominees for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. He was also nominated for the Gotham Awards, losing to Domingo. With Craig's position in the race decreasing a little, A24 could now double over Brody and The Brutalist as his strongest candidate for Best Actor. If done right, Brody winning his second Oscar is doable.
2
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
He is twice nominated for an Oscar
The 2025 Oscars Best Actor category could finally be the time for Ralph Fiennes to become an Oscar winner. Fiennes' performance is one of the highlights of the film for almost everyone who watches it. His work should resonate with Academy voters and put him in contention for a Best Actor Oscar nomination. After all, he was even our predicted winner in the category previously. While this is no longer the case, through no fault of your own, it would be a mistake to completely disregard your chances.
It's been almost thirty years since his last Oscar nomination
The narrative behind Ralph Fiennes being nominated for and possibly winning the Best Actor Oscar is strong. He has been nominated twice before by the Academy. His first Oscar nomination came in 1994 for Schindler's List in Best Supporting Actor. He followed it up with a Best Actor nomination three years later for The English Patient. Despite the overall excellence of his career, it has been almost thirty years since his last Oscar nomination and a win has still eluded him. The 2025 Oscars could change that.
Conclave is an expected Oscar contender in several categories, which helps Ralph Fiennes' case, but the film needs to gain more momentum or shift its focus to just supporting him for a win to happen. He's been a favorite among early critics circles who make year-end lists, but his most notable achievement is his Golden Globe nomination. If he can win there and gain the support of other important precursors, Fiennes could return to the top.
1
Timoth̩e Chalamet РA complete unknown
Chalamet already has a best actor nomination
Timothée Chalamet looks set to receive his second Best Actor Oscar nomination thanks to A complete stranger. He plays iconic musician Bob Dylan in the film, directed by James Mangold. All signs point to this being a somewhat transformative performance from the young Hollywood star, as he puts a unique spin on Dylan's speaking and singing voice. The Academy has a thing for biopicsespecially when they involve a celebrity as famous as Bob Dylan, which is another point in Chalamet's favor.
A complete stranger it would be Chalamet's first Oscar nomination since 2018, when he entered the race thanks to Call me by your name. He only became a bigger star in the following years, balancing roles with more obvious Oscar potential, such as A complete stranger with its first franchise, Dune. Although his performance as Paul Atreides is great in Dune: Part Twohe is unlikely to be recognized for this by the Academy. This could make your Bob Dylan movie a chance for the Oscars to effectively recognize the overall work he's done in 2024 between the two films.
Although there is still time before A complete stranger hits theaters, Chalamet's standing in the Oscar race is rising. It could have been easy to mess up Bob Dylan's interpretation and disappoint audiences familiar with the musician, but Chalamet seems to have completely fulfilled the role. Following its Golden Globe nomination and critical acclaim, Chalamet is now our likely Best Actor Oscar winner. If he does, he will break Adrien Brody's record for being the youngest Best Actor Oscar winner in history. THE Oscars 2025 It would then mark the fourth year in a row that the Best Actor award went to a first-time winner.