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Feature
Oscar Nominees 2012: Best Actor
We assess the pros and cons for this year’s Academy Award nominees

It’s that time of year again, as Hollywood’s finest find themselves, with alarming regularity, donning outfits that cost more than your house and jewellery worth more than you will earn in a lifetime. But awards season is all building to one supreme event, the Empire Awards Oscars on February 26. Ahead of that milestone, we assess the chances of each nominee in the major categories, and see who’s looking good ahead of the big night…

WORDS HELEN O'HARA
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Oscar Nominees 2012: Best Actor | Demián Bichir (A Better Life)
Demián Bichir (A Better Life)

Why It Will Win

  It’s an excellent performance, which sees Bichir portray an impoverished but determinedly positive role model for his young son. It’s an anguished but not mawkish or downbeat turn.
  The last time a Mexican actor won an Academy Award was in 1956, for Anthony Quinn. Surely it’s time the Oscars acknowledged the US’s southern neighbour again.
  The Oscars did go for Crash over Brokeback Mountain, and this is another local-based story so maybe the voters will identify with it.

 


 

 Why It Won't Win

  The guy-you’ve-never-heard-of never actually wins; he just gets a raised profile and can hope to parlay that in to bigger roles – and a better chance – next time.
  The film did no business at the box office – never a positive sign.
  Bichir has had very little pre-Oscar buzz. While he got a SAG nomination, that’s about it for the mainstream awards shows.
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Have Your Say
Register or login now to let us know what you think.

Your Comments

1 Brad Pitt
It’s only his third nomination; there’s plenty of time and there’ll be more to come. Pitt’s career has gone from strength to strength in the last few years. Also, the bastard comes home to Angelina Jolie every night: he doesn’t need an Oscar too I LOL'd, bravo Empire! :D More

Posted by Zubi Q on Sunday February 19, 2012, 13:55

2 Jean Dujardin
I know SAG's always a good indicator, but he's also won Globe, BAFTA & Best Actor at Cannes which must surely count for something? More

Posted by mrsstifler on Tuesday February 14, 2012, 16:12

3 Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Dear Empire you say - He’s won Best Supporting Actor previously, but it seems odd that such a huge figure in the town doesn’t also have a Best Actor statuette. Is this correct as I don't remember Jean Dujardin winning? Cheers, Al. More

Posted by Alan Hill on Tuesday February 14, 2012, 12:07

4 Gary Oldman's pissed.
Gary Oldman to win because he's "Batman's best friend?" For an actor as talented and brilliant as Gary, I wouldv'e thought Empire could have come up with a better reason than THAT. I mean, jeez. More

Posted by TheMovieAddict101 on Monday February 13, 2012, 21:23

5 Anyways.
It really should be Dujardin taking home the main price. I didn't think Clooney's turn was all that terrific in "The Descendants" and though I acknowledge that Oldman delivered a very fine perfomance I just don't see him win. In my opinion it's either Clooney or Dujardin and then my sympathies are with J.D. More

Posted by maleachi on Sunday February 12, 2012, 15:32

6 Jean Dujardin
The third argument "Why it will win" (which should be "why HE will win", surely) has been copied from Clooney's page. Also, he's not only won the SAG award, but also the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy/musical. More

Posted by Dropje on Sunday February 12, 2012, 10:52

7 If being in Harry Potter means you won't win an Oscar...
...then that's pretty much it for the majority of the British Film Industry at the Oscars for at least a decade. More

Posted by kickpuncher on Saturday February 11, 2012, 12:41

8
I haven't seen all these movies so I can't really have a say. But having seen and liked the artist I can't understand why or how he got a nomination. It is not a bad performance but it is very theatrical. Like he is acting infront of little children. Over dramatic. I understand that the role demands smt like that becuse it is a "silent movie" but I've seen him before and it is the way he is acting. The movie as a whole actually although I liked it the moment I heard about the nominations I LOLed because this movie, charming as it is. Should not be up there. Why did it get any attention to begin with? because it is made the way movies were made 100 years ago? I understand that they want to give an academy award to Pitt and Oldman cos they own it to them but the movie with Oldman was terrible. I loved the one minute movie version of it on the empire competition by the way! The cast was great but it was one of those movies you forget and nobody who watched it will see it again.More

Posted by smakris04 on Saturday February 11, 2012, 08:18

9 Best Actor
It's a travesty that Gary Oldman has never even been nominated, so it'd be great to see him win, but Clooney's performance in The Descendants really was terrific, and considering he's never won Best Actor I think he deserves it. More

Posted by Whistler on Friday February 10, 2012, 20:17

10
If there was any justice it would Oldman and it wouldn't be one of those here you are for your body of work Oscars like Marty got for the Departed it would be an award for arguably one of if not the finest performances of his career. Oldman is riveting and the fact Alfredson and Hardy or Cumberbatch aren't up for their respective awards goes to show the Academy don't know jack! My favourite film of last year and simply a masterpiece! More

Posted by agent cooper on Friday February 10, 2012, 19:58

11 jean dujardin - Empire makes mistake!
he hasn't won best supporting actor before, has he?? for what? surely, that's wrong as this is his first proper english language film, and Oscar does really like foreign speaking movies (hence the token category) More

Posted by Count Karnstein on Friday February 10, 2012, 19:40

12 Not to be picky but...
Shouldn't that say 'Why HE will win'??? More

Posted by MissOrange on Friday February 10, 2012, 18:37


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