Lady Gaga, Olivia Colman, Kristen Stewart & other contenders who might be nominated for an Oscar next Year

As 2021 comes to a close, the New Year will kick off with the awards season and we bet all eyes are already on the coveted Oscars 2022 nominations which will be announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. Despite the ups and downs that were caused by the pandemic, if there’s one thing that kept us entertained through it all, it was the work of some of the finest actors and filmmakers coming together to spin magic, be it on the big screen or streaming platforms. 

Among this year’s contenders for Oscars, there is an interesting mix of fresh faces and those who have been regular in the awards circuit. Some of the most surprising Oscars nods this year could be for actors such as Kristen Stewart who may bag her first Best Actress nomination with Pablo Larrian’s Spencer where she essayed the role of Princess Diana.

Among the leading actors’ race as well, there’s a chance that Benedict Cumberbatch may bag his second Best Actor nomination after 2015’s The Imitation Game for his performance in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog which has fetched him rave reviews. Also, an early contender in the Oscars race has been Andrew Garfield for his performance in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, Tick, Tick… Boom! Check out the list of actors and actresses who seem to be strong contenders for Oscars 2022 nominations.

Lady Gaga – The House of Gucci

After leaving everyone surprised with her exceptional acting talents in Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born (2019), Lady Gaga may return for her second Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category for her performance in the House of Gucci. As Patrizia Reggiani, Gaga managed to transform herself incredibly well as Maurizio Gucci’s wife and nailed the Italian accent with such ease that it looked natural enough. She breathed life into the Ridley Scott film with a terrific performance that will remain a notable one for her acting career. 

Kristen Stewart – Spencer

Despite there being several existing cinematic portrayals of Princess Diana, Kristen Stewart brought her own genius to the role of the Princess of Wales in Pablo Larrain’s layered drama about the people’s princess. Stewart vanished into Diana’s broken but beautiful tale of love and loss with a maturity that can be compared to none other onscreen representations of the royal figure before. The film could turn out to be Stewart’s crowning jewel for Oscars next year. 

Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter

Olivia Colman has time and again shown that she one of the finest actresses out there and after already bagging an Oscar for her performance in The Favourite in 2019, Colman could very well be back in the contenders for 2022’s leading actress award for her performance in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial, The Lost Daughter where she represents a different image of motherhood that has never been explored before. 

Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos 

Nicole Kidman is no newbie when it comes to the Academy Award nominations. The actress has been nominated in the Best Actress category thrice before and has also bagged the coveted honour once in 2003 for her performance in The Hours. With her performance in Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos, Kidman once again finds herself in the running this year as she plays the role of American TV personality Lucile Ball in the film. 

Alana Haim  – Licorice Pizza 

If Alana Haim does bag an Oscar nomination for Licorice Pizza, it will mark her first-ever Academy Award nomination for her debut performance itself. In Paul Thomas Anderson’s coming of age tale, Haim’s confident debut is being loved by critics and hence the musician may find herself among the contenders this year for the coveted honour. 

Rachel Zegler  – West Side Story

Rachel Zegler was being touted to be the year’s breakout star even before the release of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story released in theatres. The actress’ mesmerising vocals in the musical left everyone swooning over her and as the West Side Story’s Maria, Zegler brought onscreen the perfect level of innocence and emotional understanding that was needed for the role and hence her screen debut could very well fetch her first Oscar nomination. 

Ariana DeBose  – West Side Story

If you happened to watch Steven Speilberg’s West Side Story, we bet one of the actresses that absolutely left you impressed happened to be Arina DeBose as Anita. While Rita Moreno played the role of Anita in the original film and bagged an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, there’s no doubt that DeBose could very well enjoy a similar success thanks to her flawless performance.