2011 Oscar Nominees

Best Supporting Actor

 

Christina Bale (The Fighter)

Christian Bale already won the Golden Globe award for his role as a tortured, drug-addled brother in The Fighter, and he looks like a shoo-in for the Oscar, too. In his Golden Globe acceptance speech, he graciously claimed he couldn’t have done it without his co-star, Mark Wahlberg. This talented actor refuses to take any of the credit for his successes. "Making movies takes so much time," he told People Magazine. "The character is born long before the first day of shooting and so [my wife] had to be married to so many different characters over our marriage. I know that it truly would be impossible to do it without her." If he does win, we’re looking forward to his acceptance speech!

Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)

The King’s Speech is the sophisticated feel-good film of the year. Although Rush, is somewhat of a long shot, there are many who say this veteran deserves the golden statue for his role as speech therapist to George VI—the king with a terrible stammer who ended up taking the throne after his brother, Edward, notoriously abdicated in order to be with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. But regardless of whether he wins the Oscar, Rush is already royalty: he is one of only 21 artists to have won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award.

 

Jeremy Renner (The Town)

Star-studded film The Town was a box office winner, and enthusiastic rumors are swirling that Ben Affleck’s Boston bank-robbery drama (Affleck wrote, directed, and acted in the film) may win big at the Oscars. If Renner, who was also in the critically- acclaimed Hurt Locker, picks up the award for his supporting role, he’ll go from a little known actor to a big player in Hollywood. We hope he hangs on to his small town charm: apparently, shortly after he learned he was nominated, he called his mom and asked her to be his date on the big night. Swoon.

 

Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are Alright)

Mark Ruffalo isn’t just a hunky actor—he’s talented at his craft, and made his directorial debuted this year with Sympathy For Delicious at Sundance. In The Kids Are Alright, Ruffalo’s role as the sperm donor to lesbian partners, played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, quickly becomes complicated when he meets his biological children and embarks upon a romance of sorts with Moore. “I thought it was a really interesting turn on kind of an American iconic life character,” Ruffalo told Manhattan Movie Mag. “A Peter Pan bachelor who lives his life purely for his own pleasure. A lot of us have looked up to people like that and wanted to be one.” There’s no question that the world will look up to Ruffalo if he wins the Oscar, which may be a long shot.

 

John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)

John Hawkes is one of those actors you’ve seen in dozens of films and TV shows. He is best known for his role as Sol Star on HBO’s Deadwood and many remember him from Lost. Now, with his first Oscar nod, Hawkes makes it onto Hollywood’s radar in a big way. He gives a stirring performance as Teardrop, a potentially dangerous man faced with the opportunity to help his niece, Ree (Jennifer Lawrence), escape a situation of extreme desperation. Hawkes was immediately taken by the characters in the film —who live in the Ozark mountains—but mainly came on board to work with director Debra Granik. Hawkes revealed that he had a tough time getting through a difficult scene in which he had to be violent towards his 19-year-old co-star Lawrence. But his hard work has paid off. With this Oscar recognition, people will not only be remembering John’s face, but his name too. He is definitely the dark horse in this category.

By Marissa Stapley-Ponikowski