The 95th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are right around the corner and more competitive than ever, especially in the core six categories. These areas include the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards. In the days leading up to the highly-anticipated award show, fans are taking their bets— here who is predicted to win each of these categories, and who the fans really want to win. You can read the complete list of categories and nominees here.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Angela Basset, Hong Chau, Kerry Condon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu
Who do the fans want to win?
Every actress in this category delivered exceptional performances in their respective roles, but the fans really seem to want to see one actress, in particular, take home the Academy Award: Angela Bassett. Bassett’s performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was deeply moving and impacted audiences in so many ways. Bassett winning this award also means a lot for fans as it would make her the first actress to ever win an Oscar for a superhero-style film. Only two actors have done this in the past, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix, both for their portrayal of the iconic villain Joker. Bassett’s win would serve as a touching way to honor the late Chadwick Boseman, whose character from the first film, Black Panther, was greatly honored in the sequel.
Who will win?
Most sources have Angela Bassett at the top of their lists to win the Oscar, but Jamie Lee Curtis for Everything Everywhere All at Once and Kerry Condon for The Banshees of Inisherin are highly likely to win as well. Each of these three actresses has picked up major awards for their performances, so the likelihood of any of them winning is high, but the odds are in Bassett’s favor.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Brenden Gleeson, Brian Tyree Henry, Judd Hirsch, Barry Keoghan, Ke Huy Quan
Who do the fans want to win?
Fans have been saying who deserves to win the Oscar for this category as soon as his film came out: Ke Huy Quan. Quan’s performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once stole the show and captured fans’ hearts all over the world. Quan gave an extremely versatile performance, portraying several different characters all at once and engaging in several genres.
Quan’s victory would also serve as a great comeback story after Hollywood seemingly forgot about the actor after his performances in The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as a child. He would also become the first Asian actor to ever win in this category, serving as an inspiration for millions of aspiring actors.
Who will win?
Sources agree with fans for this category, Quan will most likely win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Quan has been taking home award after award during the entire season, and for good reason. Barry Keoghan follows for The Banshees of Inisherin, but all things point toward 2023 being Quan’s year.
Best Actress
Nominees: Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Michelle Williams, Michelle Yeoh, Andrea Riseborough
Who do the fans want to win?
The Best Actress category was filled with top talent this year, but the fans have chosen their favorite, and that is Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Yeoh gave a star performance in the A24 film, encompassing almost every genre under the sun as her character goes through an emotional journey of love and acceptance in multiple realities. Yeoh is only the second Asian actress to be nominated for best actress, and her winning will serve as an inspiration to so many underrepresented people in film.
Who will win?
This is a true tossup; sources have narrowed down the potential winners to two: Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett for Tàr. Both women gave spectacular performances in their respective leading roles, and critics are having a very difficult time predicting which one will take home the Oscar. Blanchett won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama while Yeoh won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical. This makes for a truly competitive category, like the situation with Will Smith and Andrew Garfield for the 2022 Oscars. One thing is for certain, no matter who the winner may be, both women gave fantastic performances and both are deserving of this honor.
Best Actor
Nominees: Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brenden Fraser, Paul Mescal, Bill Nighy
Who do the fans want to win?
This is arguably the most competitive and unpredictable category, and two performances have really stuck out to fans. These are Austin Butler for Elvis and Brendan Fraser for The Whale. Film critics are pulling for Fraser’s moving and emotional lead performance in the drama while Gen Z is rooting for Butler’s shining performance as the iconic musician Elvis Presley in the film of the same title. These two actors have also been rotating wins, each taking home several awards this season while being in competition with one another. With the unpredictability of this category, one thing is clear: it is bound to cause controversy with no matter who wins.
Who will win?
This category is the most difficult to predict this year, and sources are being very transparent about that. With Butler and Fraser winning award after award, it is really looking like it will be a tossup between the two for the Oscar. Some sources are throwing another name into the loop: Colin Farrell for The Banshees of Inisherin. The Oscars do have a history of going in favor of the “dramedy” actor over the expected ones from drama films. A recent example of this was when Olivia Coleman took home the Oscar for Best Actress over Glenn Close for her performance in The Favorite. This really is a tough call, but after reading sources my personal prediction is that the award will go to either Austin Butler or Colin Farrell.
Best Director
Nominees: Martin McDonagh, Todd Field, Ruben Östlund, Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, Steven Spielberg
Who do the fans want to win?
Best Director isn’t typically a category fans get excited over, but this year everyone is very eager to see who will win. Most fans are rooting for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert to take home the Oscar for their work on the daring film Everything Everywhere All at Once. The directing duo took many risks making the groundbreaking film, but the final production paid off, creating a masterpiece that encompasses many genres and is a turning point for Asian representation in the film industry.
Of course, no directing category would be complete without the addition of the legendary Steven Spielberg for his work on the film The Fabelmans, a fictional telling of his life growing up in the industry and becoming a director. Spielberg has been dominating the industry for decades, so it’s no surprise that he has his own fanbase cheering for him to take home his fifth Oscar. Many fans have been expressing their disappointment for the exclusion of Baz Luhrmann from this category for his bold work on Elvis, but the category is great and competitive despite this missing director.
Who will win?
While this category is very competitive, most predictions place Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert taking home the Oscar. The duo broke boundaries and tested limits with Everything Everywhere All at Once and deserves all the credit the film is receiving. As for Spielberg, many are saying that if this was any other year he would win, but Kwan and Scheinert have created a genuinely fantastic and, some would say, an arguably better film, and ultimately deserve this honor.
Best Picture
Nominees: Top Gun: Maverick, Women Talking, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness, The Fabelmans, All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis, Tàr
What film do the fans want to win?
Every one of these films has generated a passionate fan base around the project, making the fan expectations very scattered. Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and Elvis have all earned high acclaim from fans, but many do agree that they are not bound to win the Oscar. Many agree that Everything Everywhere All at Once deserves the night’s highest honor of Best Picture. This film is daring, inspirational and entertaining, and many fans of film agree that it deserves the Academy Award this year.
What film will win?
Despite the desire of fans, Everything Everywhere All at Once may not be the top pick for Best Picture in 2023. Many predictions are placing All Quiet on the Western Front to win the award. The film is sure the win Best Foreign Language Picture earlier in the night, creating a possible path to take home the Oscar at the end of the ceremony. This would make the German film the second foreign language film to ever win Best Picture, the only one as of right now being Parasite. However, any one of these fantastic movies could take home the award.
You can find more information regarding predictions here.
There is only one way to see if these hopes and predictions come true: tune into the 95th Academy Awards on March 12 at 8 p.m. ET!
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