2015 Best Supporting Actress Oscar Power Rankings

We’re quickly approaching the 2015 Oscars. Here, you can see my 2015 Best Supporting Actress predictions in order of likelihood for a nomination. But only films that have premiered (in theaters or at a festival) will be considered for my 2015 Oscar predictions. As unknowns become knowns, they’ll be added (or knowingly omitted) from this list. And only films/directors/performances that have a genuine shot at a 2015 Oscar nomination will be brought up in this space.

For the first time in recent memory, a pool of Best Supporting Actress hopefuls feels pretty deep. Among those hopefuls, however, are a lot of unknowns, and so what you see below doesn’t exactly represent the depth I speak of.

Still, as of this Thanksgiving update, four women seem like sure things, and what a unique foursome it is. Below them is a pair of performances from the best actress working today, as well as a nice mix of veterans and newcomers.

2015 Best Supporting Actress Predictions

1.) Meryl Streep, Into the Woods (prev. N/A)
Anyone paying attention saw this coming. Meryl playing the witch in a big, bold adaptation of a beloved Sondheim musical—how could she not earn a 19th Oscar nomination? Well, even I was surprised to hear just how strong a contender she is. Take this one to the bank, folks.

2.) Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (prev. 1)
She’s looking stronger and stronger with contenders (both in this category and Best Picture) falling by the wayside. I couldn’t imagine a field of five actresses at this stage that didn’t include Arquette.

3.) Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game (prev. 2)
Here’s another case of a contender looking better every day because the field keeps thinning out. The other thing working in Knightley’s favor is that she’ll likely be all over the circuit. She’s in and could win.

4.) Emma Stone, Birdman (prev. 3)
It makes me so happy that Emma Stone is about to become an Oscar nominee.

5.) Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year (prev. 4)
Things start to get trickier here. Dueling Jessica Chastain performances (see below) could cancel each other out, but everything I’ve read about A Most Violent Year following its AFI Fest premiere is that hers here is a scene-stealing performance if there’s ever been one.

6.) Laura Dern, Wild (prev. 5)
The steady contender. Even without amazing notices for Wild, she’s in the hunt for a nod. A lot will depend on the conversation surrounding her film (and Reese’s performance) when it lands in December.

7.) Jessica Chastain, Interstellar (prev. 6)
I thought a few weeks away from the film’s release would give us some clarity regarding its Oscar chances. That doesn’t seem to have happened. I think we need to wait until the guilds start weighing in to understand exactly what we have on our hands with this film.

8.) Katherine Waterston, Inherent Vice (prev. 7)
A lot of great notices for her work in PT Anderson’s latest, but is the film too out-there and is she too much of an unknown?

9.) Kristen Stewart, Still Alice (prev. 8)
It still feels like it’s “Julianne or bust” for Still Alice, but like Laura Dern and Wild, we’ll know more when the film comes out.

10.) Carrie Coon, Gone Girl (prev. 9)
Seems like a real long-shot if only because her character fades out as the film moves along. Still, she’s great and Gone Girl is a monster hit.