2. Tom Hanks - Saving Mr. Banks
And here he is again, appearing for the second time on my list, Mr. Tom Hanks. As compared to his previously mentioned role of Captain Phillips though, this is a horse of a completely different color. While it is true that both performances are portrayals of real life men, few people know Richard Phillips the way that they knew Walt Disney. Playing unique iconic figures, that were ingrained into the subconscious of popular culture, can be a tricky proposition. In some cases, they can be wholeheartedly embraced, i.e. Cate Blanchett's impersonation of Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, but in others, it just leaves a sour taste in the brain, like Anthony Hopkins attempt at embodying Alfred Hitchcock in last year's unimaginatively titled, Hitchcock. It is with great anticipation, as well as some apprehension, that many await to see how Hanks interprets the father of contemporary childhood imagination, Walt Disney. While for younger readers, Mr. Disney may be a vague mustachioed figure that they associate with some of their favorite childhood films and vacations, but for elder members of the Academy (of which there are plenty), they are likely to have a much more vivid memory of the influential entertainer. For those that grew up watching the Mickey Mouse Club, they are likely to be very particular in the type of performance they expect from Mr. Hanks, which could make this a difficult tightrope act for the veteran actor. Of course, there's always the factor of whether the movie itself will be any good, which is fairly significant question given the fact its directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blindside), so why the role definitely has a lot of high potential, I also sense it has a lot of risk as well.