Welcome to For Your Consideration, HuffPost Entertainment's breakdown of all things Oscar. Between now and Feb. 22, 2015, entertainment managing editor Christopher Rosen and entertainment editor Matthew Jacobs will pore over awards season and discuss which films will make the most noise at the 87th annual Academy Awards.
No one has ever lamented a need for strong film roles for men, but this year's Oscar race implies an especially ripe time for complicated male parts in Hollywood. The Best Supporting Actor contest is just as crowded as the Best Actor derby HuffPost Entertainment chronicled a few weeks ago. The difference is that the supporting stars aren't quite as locked up as the leading gents. We have two likely nominees (J.K Simmons, Edward Norton), two strong contenders (Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo) and a fifth spot that could belong to anyone. That means a handful of dudes could earn their first Oscar nominations (Miyavi, Tyler Perry, Chris Pine), while old favorites (Tom Wilkinson, Robert Duvall, Christoph Waltz) threaten to cast them aside. The rub is that many of these stars hail from massive casts ("Gone Girl," "Inherent Vice," "Selma"), so the real challenge comes in setting them apart from the pack. Here are the 22 men (you can't pick just five!) who could become this year's Best Supporting Actor nominees: