The Conversation

The Conversation: 2015 Oscar Predix: A String Theory SAG to Best Actor Oscar Win for Eddie Redmayne

Published on February 20, 2015

The Nominations: Best Actor
Steve Carell in “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper in “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Eddie Redmayne in “The Theory of Everything”

Shoulda Been a Contender: David Oyelowo for “Selma”

The Academy loves tragic biopics, so the absence of Oyelowo’s name in the list of this year’s nominees, especially considering his masterful performance as MLK, was a bit shocking.

Should Win: Michael Keaton for “Birdman”

The only one playing a fictional character in there is Keaton, and of the nominees, it’s certainly the most inventive performance.

Could Win: Michael Keaton for “Birdman”

An actor’s film plus a long career with no trophyware recognition from the Academy means Keaton could pull off what would not be an upset, but a logical Unfortunately, it seems there’s little room for surprise in this year’s Best Actor category. Like Redmayne he nabbed a Golden Globes award, and the Gothams, but lost the BAFTA, and more importantly the SAG (though he was a winner for the SAG’s Outstanding Performance by a Cast).

Will Win: Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything”

The clear favorite of the pack is Redmayne, who certainly gives an honorable performance as Stephen Hawking.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.