Happy Tuesday, dear readers! Each week, we’ll rank the top 10 films in a specific category. While we aim to tie these lists to big releases, that won’t always be the case. Our goal? For you to enjoy, share your own lists, and join in on a lively, friendly debate. This is an interactive space to build community here at The Contending.
No fancy intros, no long essays – just a category and a list. Sound good?
Awards season is kicking off, so over the next two weeks, I thought it would be fun to look back at the last decade of Oscar winners in the supporting acting categories. We’ll start this week with Best Supporting Actress and follow it with Supporting Actor next week.
The last ten winners offer a pretty interesting and diverse mix of characters and genres, beginning with Viola Davis in Fences (2016) and running through Amy Madigan in Weapons (2025). Some were undeniable awards-season juggernauts. Others might have surprised us. I will say, though, that of the four acting categories, this is by far the weakest collection of winners over that span. That isn’t to say these aren’t great performances. It’s simply a less memorable group of performances than the last ten winners in Lead Actress, Lead Actor, and Supporting Actor.
Let’s see how they stack up against one another. Here are my rankings of the last ten Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners.
10. Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
9. Laura Dern – Marriage Story (2019)
8. Allison Janney – I, Tonya (2017)
7. Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez (2024)
6. Ariana DeBose – West Side Story (2021)
5. Viola Davis – Fences (2016)
4. Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari (2020)
3. Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
2. Amy Madigan – Weapons (2025)
1. Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers (2023)
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