There’s a strong group of performers angling to be nominated at the 2027 Oscars for Best Supporting Actress, but only one can win. This category has produced some significant wins in the last few years, with Amy Madigan’s Weapons performance the latest to be crowned by Academy voters.

Best Supporting Actress winners traditionally are first-time recipients rather than previously recognized performers. 2026 could continue this trend, as some incredibly talented stars are looking for their first-ever wins. But there are also actresses like Anne Hathaway and Penélope Cruz who are hoping to add another Oscar statue to their collection.

Ahead of the 99th Academy Awards on March 14, 2027, this race will evolve significantly as more film festivals and precursors take place. Yet there are still a few performances that have already risen to the top when considering who could be nominated for and win Best Supporting Actress.

Now that October is here, it’s time for the first look at where this race stands regarding who is in the best position to be nominated, who else is in the mix, and who has the edge for winning. Check back all awards season as I’ll be updating this piece with fresh analysis as new developments come.

The Best Supporting Actress Nomination Frontrunners

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey delivered two major contenders for Best Supporting Actress with Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton. The former gives a powerful, emotional performance as Penelope. It’s a great showcase for her abilities, and a good chance to bring her back to Oscar contention over a decade after winning this category for Les Misérables​​​​​​.

Morton isn’t in The Odyssey for nearly as long, but her scenes were no less impactful. Playing the witch Circe, she’s central to one of the movie’s standout sequences. Morton, a two-time Oscar nominee already, does an amazing job bringing the horror of the scene to life and conveying the wickedness and pain of her character. The visibility that she and Hathaway have from The Odyssey really cements them in this race.

Similarly, Sandra Hüller has become a top contender for a Best Supporting Actress nomination thanks to Project Hail Mary. She’s asked to play a strict, no-nonsense character, and she does so incredibly well. But there are also excellent, more emotional beats included that really make her performance shine. Given Project Hail Mary‘s crowd-pleasing nature, voters could be quite receptive to her.

Penélope Cruz seems destined for another Oscar nomination, but for which movie remains to be seen. Her warm, seductive, and funny performance in The Invite has left a strong impression. She also has a small, music-heavy role in Netflix’s Oscar contender La Bola Negra that has earned acclaim. Either could net her a spot in this category, with The Invite seeming more likely at the moment.

The other actress in the best position for a nomination right now seems to be Tao Okamoto, one of the stars of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden. She shared a Best Actress win at Cannes with her co-star and expected Best Actress 2027 Oscar nominee, Virginie Efira, which has given her a leg up early on.

Others In The Mix For Best Supporting Actress

While those five are who I think will be nominated in Best Supporting Actress right now, several other performances from big and small films remain in the conversation. Scarlett Johansson is one of the biggest stars in consideration. Her performance in James Gray’s Paper Tiger has been praised, so it’s possible her third nomination is coming.

It’s also always worth calling out Olivia Colman as a name to watch. While she has a major role in Wicker still to come, Telluride’s debut for Elsinore brought more praise her way for a strong supporting performance. If the movie does make Andrew Scott a Best Actor Oscars 2027 nominee, Colman’s work could gain more attention, too.

The Oscars could even bring more love to Kate O’Flynn after her Emmy-winning work in 2026’s hit series, Widow’s Bay. Her performance in Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care is being campaigned as a supporting performance. If voters take to the movie as well as critics have, O’Flynn could very easily move into the top group of contenders.

Other names to remember in the months ahead include Mariana di Girolamo (Wild Horse Nine), Gemma Chan (Josephine), Esmé Creed-Miles (Sense and Sensibility), Olivia Wilde (Behemoth!), AnnaSophia Robb (I Play Rocky), and Hüller again for Digger. There’s even a world where Dune: Part Three‘s reception is so rapturous that Zendaya, Florence Pugh, or Rebecca Ferguson make noise in this category.

Predicted Best Supporting Actress Winner

When it comes to predicting the Best Supporting Actress winner, Anne Hathaway is my pick. She’s got perhaps the biggest and showiest role of anyone in contention. Her chances of winning seem high if The Odyssey proves to have a dominant awards season. Even if it falls short of Best Picture, Hathaway winning for her work would stand to be a category for the film to still produce some Oscar gold.

Hathaway winning Best Supporting Actress would be historic. This would be her second Oscar win for acting. While 46 performers have two or more acting Oscar wins, Hathaway would be just the third to have multiple Best Supporting Actress wins. Shelley Winters did it first with The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and A Patch of Blue (1965), and Dianne Wiest was the last to do it over 30 years ago, following her wins for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Bullets Over Broadway (1994).

While Hathaway has yet to receive any accolades for The Odyssey, that is sure to change. Critics’ groups and other awards bodies will absolutely recognize her work by the end of the year. She figures to be a shoo-in for nominations at the Golden Globes, Actor Awards, and other major precursors, too.

Hathaway may take some time out of the spotlight for the rest of the year, but she should be able to campaign enough once 2027 rolls around to stay at the front of the pack. That’s not to say that she is a lock for winning Best Supporting Actress, but the 2027 Oscars category is certainly leaning in her favor right now.

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Dates

March 15, 2026

Website

https://www.oscars.org/