‘Oppenheimer’ at the Oscars: How many of the cast will contend?

“Oppenheimer” is one of Christopher Nolan‘s best movies according to both critics and audiences. While the film’s script, technical achievements, and directing are all being praised, however, it’s the cast that makes the film pop. Simply put, it is one of the most stacked casts in cinema history outside of, say, “Avengers: Endgame.”

Cillian Murphy leads the line in the titular role of Robert J. Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, while “Endgame” actor himself, Robert Downey Jr., portrays political player Lewis Strauss and Emily Blunt is Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty. Matt Damon, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti, Florence Pugh, and Alden Ehrenreich also appear. As such, our odds charts are currently predicting that “Oppenheimer” will land not one acting bid, not two acting bids, but three nominations for its cast. Here’s the rundown.

Best Actor — Cillian Murphy
This is the obvious one and for good reason. Murphy delivers his best performance yet in a role that is the masthead of the movie. He demonstrates the necessary intelligence and wit, of course, but he also effectively communicates the grit, determination, stubbornness, brokenness, and flaws of the infamous scientist. It’s a commanding performance and Murphy’s dazzling blue eyes and gaunt faces with the brim of that hat bearing down on him like the weight of the world is one of the most captivating cinematic images of the year.

As such, we are predicting that Murphy will be nominated for Best Actor alongside Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers), Colman Domingo (“Rustin”), Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). This would be Murphy’s first-ever bid but fear not, Murphy fans, an Oscars pattern is one his side: voters’ love of biopics in this category.

Last year, Austin Butler was nominated for “Elvis.” In 2022, Andrew Garfield was nominated for “Tick, Tick… Boom!,” Javier Bardem was nominated for “Being the Ricardos,” and Will Smith won for “King Richard.” And in 2021, Gary Oldman was nominated for “Mank.” That’s just the last three years, too.

Voters’ love for actors playing real people in this category goes back decades. Expect Murphy to reap the rewards of that trend this year in what could be a biopic-filled Best Actor lineup — DiCaprio, Cooper, and Domino all play real people while Kingsley Ben-Adir (“Bob Marley: One Love”) and Joaquin Phoenix (“Napoleon”) are both on the precipice.

Best Supporting Actress — Emily Blunt
Blunt has had a pretty patchy history at the Oscars. Some actresses are forever the bridesmaid, never the bride as they can’t seem to win. But Blunt hasn’t even been invited to the wedding yet. She came oh-so-close to nominations on several occasions for the following films — “The Devil Wears Prada” (BAFTA and Golden Globe bids for Best Supporting Actress in 2007), “The Girl on the Train” (BAFTA and SAG bids for Best Actress in 2017), “A Quiet Place” (SAG win for Best Supporting Actress in 2019), and “Mary Poppins Returns” (Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and SAG bid in 2019). However, that now means that Blunt is well overdue a first Oscar bid and this could be the perfect chance to make that happen.

The Oscars like this sort of role — there might not be a nicer way to put it but it’s the “long-suffering wife” supporting role in a biopic with a leading man. This type of role has been nominated countless times in Academy history. Aunjanue Ellis was nominated for “King Richard” in 2022, Amy Adams was nominated for “Vice” in 2019, Alicia Vikander won in 2016 for “The Danish Girl,” Sally Field was nominated in 2013 for “Lincoln,” and Helena Bonham-Carter was nominated in 2011 for “The King’s Speech.”

Blunt fits this bill exactly but it must be noted that she makes the absolute most out of what she gets. In every scene she’s in, she’s a force to be reckoned with. It’s also quite an “Oscary” performance — Kitty Oppenheimer is a distressed woman who has demons of her own. Blunt was outside of our predicted five nominees in this category but, in recent days, she has leapfrogged Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) and cracked our lineup of predicted nominees alongside Julianne Moore (“May December”), Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson (“The Color Purple”), and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). This could finally be Blunt’s year for a first-ever Oscar bid.

Best Supporting Actor — Robert Downey Jr.
The third option for a nomination here is the iconic Downey Jr, who plays the political schemer Strauss. Strauss seems like an ally of Oppenheimer’s at first but it is gradually revealed that he is actually he villain of the piece and is, in the shadows, orchestrating a takedown of the scientist. Downey Jr. excels in this role with every twitch, flick of the eye, and gesture culminating in a magnetic performance that could see him land his third Oscar nomination. Previously, he was nominated for Best Actor in 1993 for “Chaplin” and Best Supporting Actor in 2009 for “Tropic Thunder.”

The villainous role very much fits the bill of what kind of performances voters like to nominate in this category. In recent years, Sam Rockwell won for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” in 2018, Tom Hardy was nominated for “The Revenant” in 2016, J.K. Simmons won for “Whiplash,” Michael Fassbender (“12 Years a Slave”) and Barkhad Abdi (“Captain Phillips”) were nominated in 2014, and Christoph Waltz won for “Inglourious Basterds” in 2010. Downey Jr. would be the latest in a long-line of bad guys to land an Oscar bid.

Plus, Downey Jr. is both a huge star and a veteran who his peers all love. That status should help him land an Oscar nomination — just look at the 2020 Best Supporting Actor lineup. Joe Pesci and Al Pacino (“The Irishman”), Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”), Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”), and winner Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) are all similar names. We think Downey Jr. will pick up that third Oscar bid alongside Colman Domingo (“The Color Purple”), John Magaro (“Past Lives”), Ryan Gosling (“Barbie”), and Robert De Niro (“Killers of the Flower Moon”).

Those are the three names we think could land Oscar nominations and, at this very early stage of what looks like a fantastic awards season, it looks good for “Oppenheimer.” If they do all land bids, then that would be the most acting bids a Nolan film has ever received. In fact, Nolan has only ever received one acting nomination across all his films — that was for Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger, who won, in 2009. “Oppenheimer” could drastically improve that record.

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