The potential nominees for Best Supporting Actor represent some of the biggest contenders at the 2019 Oscars. The Favourite. If Beale Street Could Talk. Vice. A Quiet Place?

The Nominees:

• Amy Adams – Vice
• Emily Blunt – A Quiet Place
• Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
• Emma Stone – The Favourite
• Rachel Weisz – The Favourite

In the Mix:

• Claire Foy – First Man
• Michelle Yeoh – Crazy Rich Asians
• Margot Robbie – Mary Queen of Scots

It would seem criminal if Regina King did not get a nomination for her role in Beale Street. However, not getting the SAG nomination is a big blow to her campaign. I still think she is safe to get into the race, but her stock has dropped considerably.

The strange thing about the SAGs is the dual nominations for Emily Blunt. While Mary Poppins Returns is a more Oscar-baiting movie, the top five Best Actress front-runners are going to be hard to usurp. That she also received a nom for A Quiet Place is a) a big surprise and b) a confusing addition into this race.

My gut tells me not to slide her into the top five, that the SAG nomination was a fluke. But then I think about the concept of a pregnant woman having to give birth without making a noise, and I foresee a clip for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar reel. The Academy is always reticent to include genre films (Get Out the most recent exception to the rule), but there is a chance that Blunt translates SAG success into Oscar success.

If not Blunt, it would be Foy. Her award season stock has been rather firm throughout the season in spite of the lukewarm response to First Man. She got a Golden Globes nomination, which ostensibly keeps her in the conversation. I would say Michelle Yeoh is also a strong dark horse contender, but she has not received the nominations that generally trend one to an Oscar nod.

The other odd thing about this category is the potential dual nomination for The Favourite. It happens sometimes, even though doing so usually means a snub of some sort. And for The Favourite, it is difficult to nominate either-or in the case of Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. Stone is already an Academy favorite, so if it is one and not the other it is likely her. But both actors have huge supporting roles, without which the film could not function. Not to mention they are both really strong performances.

Then there’s Margot Robbie, who received a SAG nomination for playing Queen Elizabeth. It is a long shot for her to get into the Oscar shortlist, but getting the SAG definitely puts her in the conversation. Who is removed from the conversation as a result: Nicole Kidman, who was snubbed two-fold at the SAGs (Supporting Actress in Boy Erased and Lead Actress in Destroyer).

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—Alex Brannan (@TheAlexBrannan)