2022 Oscar Awards Best Actor nominees: who are the candidates?
Five actors are competing to take home the most prestigious cinema award. But who are the chosen ones and the favorites to win the Oscar this year?
With less than a week to go until the 94th Academy Awards, final preparations are underway at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin on Saturday, March 27, at 8 p.m. ET and will be hosted by Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, and Amy Schumer.
In this year's edition, eight of the 23 categories will be pre-taped an hour before the start of the telecast, in an attempt to allow more time for comedy and shorten the ceremony.
But the 'core' awards will be televised live, and this year's Best Actor nominations promise to be very interesting, with well-known and charismatic candidates.
Who are the Best Actor nominees?
The nominees for Actor in a Leading Role are Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Garfield, Will Smith, and Denzel Washington. Here's a quick summary:
Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos
The movie focuses on the troubles in the marriage of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball while capturing the behind-the-scenes chaos of the soap opera they were a part of.
Bardem, an Academy Award, British Academy Film and Golden Globe Award winner, shares the terrain with Nicole Kidman, who is also a nominee in the Best Actress category.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank in The Power of the Dog
His turn in Jane Campion’s slow-burning Western drama is viewed as one of his best roles, appearing as a short-tempered rancher who evokes a sense of toxic masculinity.
Cumberbatch, who has received various accolades throughout his career, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Television Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award, is one of the clear favorites to win the Oscar.
Andrew Garfield as Jon in Tick, Tick…Boom!
Spider-Man or, in other words, Andrew Garfield, is another candidate to get the Academy glory by playing the real-life Broadway icon Jonathan Larson, in the semi-autobiographical Tick, Tick…Boom!.
Larson, a promising theater composer, navigates love, friendship and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City. Garfield isn't regarded as the heavy favorite to win the award, but he has been praised for his role in the musical genre.
Will Smith as Richard Williams in King Richard
Smith is looking to finally lift the trophy after two Best Actor nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. But will it happen?
The former Fresh Prince star, a recipient of numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award and four Grammy Awards, is regarded, together with Cumberbatch, as the potential Oscar winner.
Smith plays Richard Williams, a determined father who will make his daughters go down in tennis history. Along with his wife Oracene, Richard guides Venus and Serena on their path to changing the sport forever.
Denzel Washington as Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth
And last but not least, a big screen "monster" will try to win his third Academy Award, which would add to his three Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. We are talking about Denzel Washington.
He takes on the role of Macbeth in Joel Coen’s faithful film adaptation of the Shakespeare play, where he is approached by three witches who foretell his own ascension to the throne.
Spurred by his wife, he murders King Duncan, but soon their efforts to maintain power drive them into madness and desperation.