Note: Much like the ladies list, I also shied away from the men that I was ABSOLUTELY positive will win one of these things, so Liam Neeson, Robert Downey, Jr., Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, I salute you; but you guys are not on this list.
Leonardo DiCaprio: Leo is probably almost a shoo-in as well, considering his collaborations with both Scorsese and Christopher Nolan. But homeboy wasn’t even nominated for Titanic when he was thought of nothing more than a pretty boy, so perhaps that stigma could hurt him. I’m thinking one day when he plays a super whacked out role he’ll snag an award.
Ryan Gosling: For me Ryan Gosling is the Laura Linney of men in that he tends towards the awesome roles in the small, indie movies. If he should ever branch out and star in something a little more grandiose—like a biopic—he’ll definitely up his chances for grabbing a statue. But Gosling definitely has the range to win one day.
Peter Sarsgaard: Out of all the men on this list, Sarsgaard is perhaps the biggest toss-up, but I’m gonna step out on a limb here. With his knack of playing odd, quirky characters, I’m not sure Sarsgaard has much of a chance to walk away with a Best Actor Academy Award. Instead I think his greatest chances lie within the Supporting Actor category, and he should definitely keep pushing for intense smaller roles. Look at Christoph Waltz, Peter. That could have been you!
Jude Law: Okay, so Law has been nominated twice before, so that wouldn’t make him much of a surprise if he actually one of these damned things. But considering his recent decline of truly exceptional roles—umm, remember The Holiday?—it’s no wonder he hasn’t cinched an Oscar yet. He needs to die more in his films or have a dying kid. I bet that would do it.
What about you, folks? Which actors/actresses do you think WILL DEFINITELY win an Academy Award before they die? Also, make sure to tune in Monday when we report this year’s Oscar winners!
--Darcie Duttweiler