1. Lupita Nyong'o - Twelve Years a Slave
According to IMDb, Lupita Nyong'o thus far has two acting credits in her career, one in a short called East River and the other in a television mini-series called Shuga. This means Twelve Years a Slave will be her feature film debut. You may then think it ballsy, or maybe just preposterous, for me to include her on a list of the ten likeliest actresses to receive a Best Supporting Actress nomination come 2014. I can certainly understand this sentiment, as I myself felt a bit queasy over her inclusion on the list, but while she may be quite the talented actress and end up having a long and fruitful career, I chose to incorporate her based solely on the role she plays in the film. Ms. Nyongo's character in Twelve Years a Slave is that of a slave named Patsey. Patsey is considered the best slave at picking cotton on the plantation ran by the sadistically cruel Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). Epps forces Patsey into a sexual relationship against her will (being a slave and all), which none too pleases Mrs. Epps and leads to Patsey being severely berated and physically beaten by her master. It's an obviously tragic and sad role that will likely affect audiences, including Academy members, who see the film. Apparently, the role has a lot of screen time in the movie and is featured fairly prominently, which could give the little-known actress a leg up on some of her more famous competition who may not have as prominent of a role in their respective films. Her lack of name recognition or resume will likely be a problem for her awards prospects though. There are surely more than a few actors in the Academy's Actors branch who struggled mightily to get their careers off the ground and they may be disinclined to nominate an actress, no matter how good the performance, on her first try. There's also the issue of the film itself, which may prove too prickly and bleak for the Academy's constitution. If the film does find some traction during awards season though, expect at least a few critics to support Nyongo's chance for an Oscar nomination.
That wraps up my preview of 2014's Best Supporting Actress race, but there were other viable candidates who didn't make the list, so if there are any names you feel should have been included on this list, let me know below in the comments section.