Christoph Waltz surprised by winning the Best Supporting Actor award this year at the Oscars making pundits wonder which leading actor could receive this award next year.
After making headlines stating that he hated awards season, Joaquin Phoenix ended up shortlisted at the Academy Awards for his turn in "The Master." This year the controversial thespian returns in "Lowlife" with Marion Cotillard and plays a pimp exploiting immigrants. With Harvey Weinstein at the forefront of his campaign expect Phoenix to potentially receive his fourth nomination.
Bradley Cooper made a splash in awards season with his turn in "Silver Linings Playbook." The first-time nominee has two films this year. He will first be seen in "The Place Beyond the Pines" for which he received incredible reviews in Toronto. Later in the year he will rejoin with "Playbook" co-star Jennifer Lawrence in "Serena." In his film he will play a man full of greed and ambition. If either of his performances resonates, he will be back in the awards race next year.
Spanish actor Javier Bardem returns to the awards race after almost being nominated for "Skyfall." Bardem will star in Ridley Scott's "The Counselor" where he will play a villainous role similar to his turn for "No Country Old Men."
Michael Fassbender has never received an Oscar nomination, as he was snubbed for his award-winning turn in "Shame." This year he will be in two films receiving buzz. First up he will be in "The Counselor" by Ridley Scott. Then he will team up again with Steve McQueen in "Twelve Years a Slave." His roles are unknown but if they are as juicy as in "Shame" and "A Dangerous Method," Fassbender could end up on the list.
Two-time Academy Award nominated actor Jeremy Renner looks to return to the awards race in David O. Russell's untitled film. Renner will have a really showy role as he will play Angelo Errichetti, the state senator and hugely popular mayor of Camden, New Jersey who is one of the targets of an FBI sting operation intended to tackle political corruption.
Other actors who have potential of scoring nominations include Josh Brolin for "Labor Day," Colin Farrell for "Saving Mr. Banks," and Sam Rockwell in "The Way Way Back."