As the 97th Academy Awards are approaching, Hollywood and the internet are abuzz with discussion about who will take home an Oscar. Though many years have had their share of drama, the 2025 awards have already proven to be marked by controversy.
Academy Award frontrunners The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez were touted from their box office releases to make it big during awards season. Since their announcements as Oscars contenders, however, both movies have faced significant backlash, making their seemingly simple paths to victory more difficult.
Nominated for Actress in a Leading Role, Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón made history as the first transgender woman nominated for an Academy Award. But, when old tweets were discovered in which Gascón used racist rhetoric, she quickly fell from grace.
From impassioned speeches at the Cannes Film Festival and Golden Globes to not showing her face at the Critics’ Choice Awards or Screen Actors Guild Awards, Gascón has significantly marred the image of Netflix’s thought-to-be winner.
With a similarly damaged reputation is The Brutalist, where the use of artificial intelligence software to edit the Hungarian accents of leads Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones has given the film bad press. With many worrying about the proper use of AI within creative fields in general, The Brutalist has fallen into controversy with its use of shortcuts to improve actors’ performances.
That said, The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez still have a fair chance at raking in the golden statues this Sunday. A year that is sure to be filled with theatrics—and not just because of the Wicked live performance—the 2025 Oscars will need to do its best to avoid this pre-show contention. With Conan O’Brien as host, I’m sure this won’t happen.
Here’s a quick rundown of what each main category brings to the table, including my predictions of who will likely win.
Actor in a Leading Role
Despite the use of AI to fine-tune his Hungarian accent, Brody is certainly going to get his second Oscar. His impassioned depiction of an architect rebuilding his life in America was a performance that outshone his slightly artificial voice.
Though I’d love to see an underdog win for Ralph Fiennes’ role in Conclave or see Colman Domingo continue his ascension to fame with a victory for Sing Sing, the Academy Awards tend to lean toward convention. This also means the beloved Timothée Chalamet won’t pull out a victory, though this fact isn’t too hard to swallow when he’s up against Brody’s immense talent.
Actress in a Leading Role
The Academy is certainly counting its lucky stars with this category. Avoiding the controversy with Gascón with ease, Demi Moore’s newfound success has been winning at every other major award show. With years in the industry, Moore is just now being recognized for her talents, winning the Golden Globe, SAG Award, and Critics’ Choice award for her lead role in The Substance.
Moore’s story is truly heartwarming, and years of her hard work going unappreciated are finally over. While Anora’s Mikey Madison has brought herself into the spotlight, Moore definitely should get her long-awaited Oscar.
Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role
These categories are fairly straightforward. Kieran Culkin is at the peak of his career even now that Succession is over, and his role in A Real Pain has already won him awards this season. Though not standing up to his television success, the Actor in a Supporting Role category doesn’t have any other particularly fantastic performances. Culkin’s got it in the bag.
Same goes for Zoe Saldaña, who has shockingly never been nominated for an Oscar. Just like Moore, Saldaña’s wait should finally be over with this year’s Academy Awards. With a speech filled with gratitude and sobs at the Golden Globes, Saldaña is sure to bring the most emotional speech to this year’s Oscars.
Though I’d like to see Ariana Grande’s return to acting get some recognition given that her casting as Glinda the Good Witch was a perfect decision, I’m content with Saldaña getting the appreciation she’s been waiting for.
Best Picture
While the previous categories I’ve gone through are set to be fairly conventional in who gets the win, Best Picture is where I hope the Academy chooses to branch out—especially since it’s the least clear-cut.
The Brutalist, Conclave, and Anora have split the best film awards at each other major film award show, winning at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critics’ Choice awards respectively. Each is popular in its own right, combining tasteful cinematography with compelling dialogue to create Oscars gold.
With the Best Film award being divided among different movies thus far, it’s hard to say which the Academy will allow to come out on top. Anora’s unique take on a Cinderella story makes it seem very likely to win, leading me to ultimately back the heartbreaking yet hilarious movie to come out on top.
Still, I’d really like to see Conclave pull out a win. A well-executed portrayal of a fascinating aspect of the Church, Conclave is a great watch that shouldn’t go without an Academy Award. And when I say Conclave shouldn’t go without an Academy Award, I mean Stanley Tucci.
Preceded by backlash and bad press, this year’s Oscars are set to be a more intriguing watch than prior years. The 2025 Academy Awards will certainly bring drama this coming Sunday, but there’s still hope for beating out the conventionality the Oscars—and award shows as a whole—have long been criticized for.
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