The Best Supporting Actress race is one of the most wide-open categories this year as there is no clear front-runner and there are no stand-out nominees. This year could see many first time contenders as well as many veterans. However, it is very unpredictable at the moment.

The upcoming five nominees could join recent winners Patricia Arquette, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway and Octavia Spencer.

1. Rooney Mara - "Carol" - If Mara is nominated in this category it will definitely be "category fraud" as she is the lead in the film. However, The Weinstein Company has decided to campaign her in the supporting category because Cate Blanchett is the title character. Mara is clearly the lead in the movie but she is not as renowned as Blanchett and she also has a stronger chance to win in this category. It will be interesting to see if the Academy follows the Weinstein Company especially since she has already won the Best Lead Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

2. Alicia Vikander - "The Danish Girl" - Vikander will definitely get nominated after having starred in five films including three critically acclaimed dramas. Like Mara, Vikander is the lead in "The Danish Girl," but since she is not known to the Academy and is still young, Focus Features will likely get away with it. While Vikander is surely better in "Testament of Youth" and "Ex Machina," "The Danish Girl" is the most Oscar-buzzy film she is in. It is likely to be a Best Picture nominee and will likely get the biggest campaign of her films.

3. Kate Winslet - "Steve Jobs" - It’s been seven years since the Oscar-winning actress has been nominated and most believe she has been in a slump. Her performance in Danny Boyle's film is a tour-de-force and she is receiving rave reviews. However, it will be interesting to see if the role is big enough for the Academy to bite and if they have already forgotten some of her latest films, which have been disastrous. Nevertheless, Winslet has been nominated six times and she is one of the Academy's favorites.

4. Jane Fonda - "Youth" - Fonda has been nominated seven times in her career and has gone home with two Academy Awards. However, she has not been nominated in years and this past May she astounded audiences at Cannes for her small role in "Youth." While the role is small, it may be a long-shot but it is important to remember that Judi Dench won an Oscar for five minutes in "Shakespeare in Love" and Jacki Weaver was nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook" for doing very little in the film. So it is always possible that standout work like Fonda's could really make an impact on the Academy.

5. Kristen Stewart - "Clouds of Sils Maria" - It’s very unlikely that this will happen as IFC Films will likely not even campaign the film. However, this is truly one of Stewart's best performances in years and it is also one that the Cesar has already recognized. It would be interesting to see if the Academy looks at the performance especially after a foreign awards show has already recognized her.

Other actress who could be in consideration include Jennifer Jason Leigh for "The Hateful Eight," Julie Walters for "Brooklyn," Rachel McAdams for "Spotlight," and Helena Bonham Carter for "Suffragette."

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