2016 Oscar Predictions – Best Actor

With the 2016 Oscars fast approaching, we asked cinema usher Tom Hughes to back his choice for Best Actor.

If one could measure an actor’s success by multiplying their total popular acclaim by their credibility, then who would currently be Hollywood’s top male star? At time of writing, this man still doesn’t have an Oscar. He’s got Golden Globes, Emmys, BAFTAs, a little beard, a three-letter name and unquestionable talent, yet the biggest star in the Hollywood zodiac may be roaring mad this year if he doesn’t get a statuette for his turn in The Revenant which, despite mostly only requiring ‘hungry’ ‘vengeful’ and ‘cold’ direction, became one of the most intense performances of his career. Too intense, some said; one scene featuring the actor eating and then vomiting up raw bison guts was allegedly improvised after the cast and crew unexpectedly stumbled upon a carcass while filming one of director Alejandro Iñárritu’s long tracking shots. The longer this actor is deprived of recognition, the further he’ll go on amping up his performances, driven ever closer by unfeigned frustration to the edges of his psyche. So, in my opinion, this year’s Best Actor Oscar should go to Bryan Cranston for Trumbo.

Click to read more about The Revenant and Trumbo and to find out about current screenings. Want to find out who else our ushers are backing at the Oscars? Click to read their choice for Best Actress, Best Picture and Best Director.

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