When filling out your office pool’s 2020 Oscar ballot, there’s one category you’re virtually guaranteed to get right: Brad Pitt for Best Supporting Actor. To quote a memorable scene from Quentin Tarantino‘s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the concept of Pitt winning is “as real as a donut.” So far this awards season the 56-year-old actor has already claimed major precursor prizes at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and SAG Awards for his role as stuntman Cliff Booth, with BAFTA just around the corner. Below, see four reasons why I predict Pitt will soon win his first Oscar for acting.
1. It’s time.
Pitt already has an Oscar on his mantel for producing “12 Years a Slave” (2013) with his production company Plan B. But he has yet to win an acting Oscar despite three prior nominations for “Twelve Monkeys” (supporting in 1995), “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (lead in 2008) and “Moneyball” (lead in 2011). Sure, there are many Hollywood stars with more Oscar acting losses under their belts (looking at you, Glenn Close, Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper), but as we know, winning is all about timing. Pitt’s time has finally arrived.
2. Voters want to be on the winning team.
We see it year after year. Once an awards contender gets on a roll, there’s almost nothing that can stop them. After all, deep down we all want to be on the winning team. In recent years we’ve seen unprecedented sweeps of the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, SAG Awards and BAFTAs by folks like J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash” in 2014), Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” in 2017) and Mahershala Ali (“Green Book” in 2018) in this category alone. In each case the Oscars rubber-stamped the winners, so there’s no reason to believe Pitt won’t follow in their footsteps.
3. That “Irishman” vote-split.
Earlier this awards season pundits believed either Al Pacino or Joe Pesci could take home an Oscar for “The Irishman.” Pacino won at the Hollywood Film Awards while Pesci prevailed at various critics groups including Detroit, Kansas, Nevada and New York. That, folks, is what we call a vote-split. If just one of these legendary actors was up for an Oscar for Martin Scorsese‘s Netflix film, he might be able to give Pitt a run for his money. But with both in the race, they’ll essentially cancel each other out. The other two Best Supporting Actor nominees are Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”) and Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”).
4. The charm offensive.
Every time Pitt gives an acceptance speech, it goes viral. At the Globes he mentioned how his friend “LDC” (aka Leonardo DiCaprio) should have “shared the raft” on “Titanic.” At the SAG Awards he joked, “I gotta add this to my Tinder profile.” Then backstage the charmer reunited with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston (winner for “The Morning Show”) and instantly made everyone forget about Angelina Jolie. If you think the Academy Awards are going to pass up the opportunity to have their own “Brad Pitt Moment” on Hollywood’s biggest stage, you’re fooling yourself.
Be sure to make your Oscar winner predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their films and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before the ceremony on February 9. And join in the thrilling debate over the 2020 Academy Awards taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our film forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
