11 Unexpected Actors Who Might Win Oscars Next Year

4. Joe Alwyn - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

The Role: Protagonist Billy Lynn, a soldier who returns home from Iraq and is celebrated as a hero along with his surviving comrades. As they're feted at a Dallas Cowboys game, however, it transpires that they are due to return to Iraq despite their accomplishments, causing Billy to think long and hard about his life. Why He Might Win: The source novel received universal acclaim upon release including a National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and the movie is being directed by two-time Oscar winner Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi), written by Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and lensed by twice Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll. Considering these incredible collaborators and the immense source material Alwyn has at his disposal, he could come out of nowhere and score a shock win. Why It's Unexpected: Because this is just Alwyn's second movie credit, and it's incredibly rare that such inexperienced actors end up in the Oscar conversation. It's certainly not impossible, but don't be surprised if he in fact ends up being the weak link rather than the breakout star.