Oscar Nominations 2024: 8 Ups & 9 Downs
2. SHOCK: Sterling K. Brown (Best Supporting Actor)
Best Supporting Actor was such a fiercely contested field this year that the elusive fifth slot could've gone to one of many actors - namely Willem Dafoe, Charles Melton, or Dominic Sessa - but in a pleasant surprise it ended up going to a perhaps less-buzzed prospect, Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction).
For his superbly funny and ultimately affecting performance as protagonist Thelonious' (Jeffrey Wright) coke-huffing, fun-loving brother Cliff, Brown is an absolute hoot, but also nails the more serious-minded dramatic tenets of the character.
Brown's a great actor who's just been waiting for the right movie role to come along and propel him into the company of Oscar, and while he hasn't got a chance of winning given Robert Downey Jr.'s utter dominance in the category, the nomination is a very welcome rub all the same.