Paul Schneider, Chairman of the Department of Film & Television at the College of Communication and a member of the Directors Guild of America, makes his predictions for who’s going to take what at Sunday’s 83rd Annual Academy Awards:
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
“It’s a buzz thing right now. There’s a momentum and the Screen Actors Guild also said that.”
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
“For reasons I don’t quite understand, she’s the front-runner. There’s a long history of the Academy picking very flashy performances and God knows Natalie Portman in Black Swan with all the hysteria is a flashy part.”
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
“Christian Bale is so stunning in The Fighter. I would be shocked if he didn’t win because that is also a showy part. But, I do think he’s brilliant.”
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
“I think she’s going to win for two reasons. One, because she’s terrific and two, because everyone knows that Amy Adams is going to get an Academy Award at some point. But, for Melissa Leo, this might be her last and only chance. And, she’s great.”
Best Director: Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
“I think Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech which is unusual because he’s not well-known. He’s not considered one of the world’s great directors which some of the others are. But, he won the Directors Guild Award and I think if he won the DGA award, I think he has a good chance.”
Best Picture: The King’s Speech
“The momentum is so heavy for The King’s Speech right now that the only one that could sneak in there and get it instead is The Social Network. But, I think it will be The King’s Speech because the Guilds have backed that picture so heavily.”
Contact Schneider at 617-353-6651 or paulsch@bu.edu.
