Jodie Foster is fast becoming a sure thing for a Best Supporting Actress nomination at this year’s Oscars and her status as Golden Globe favorite for “Nyad” only boosts that theory.

Foster c0-stars in this Netflix biopic which charts Diana Nyad’s attempts to swim across the 110-mile open ocean from Cuba to Florida. Annette Bening takes on the titular role while Foster features as Nyad’s coach and friend, Bonnie Stoll. Foster arguably has the meatier role out of the two as the entire climax of the film features Bening’s Nyad swimming, largely without dialogue. That leaves Foster’s Stoll as the narrative anchor and the actress delivers a supporting turn that feels like a co-lead (this is something Oscar voters love in this category but we’ll get back to that later). Critics love Foster’s performance, too.

Peter Debruge (Variety) observed: “Foster proves a buoyant presence — like the human equivalent of those adorable pink floaties kids wear in the pool. The movie would sink without her. And so would Diana Nyad. She wouldn’t dream of doing the Cuba-to-Florida swim without Bonnie, and so, she uses her sneaky psychology to talk her pal into serving as coach…. Foster’s radiant smile leaves the biggest impression. There’s a scene where she sits and encourages Diana, reciting some pep talk about their dreams, and all you can think is what a megawatt presence Foster is on-screen, and how she really ought to make more movies.”

Benjamin Lee (The Guardian) noted: “It’s Foster who steals the film with a fine reminder of her easy charisma. We’ve barely seen the actor in the last decade, and before she makes her ‘True Detective’ debut (a seemingly perfect match of actor and material), Nyad allows her to be a real person for once, a test that not many movie stars can ace quite this well. The pair have the chemistry of old friends and when they’re on screen together and on dry land, ‘Nyad’ is swimmingly good.”

Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) commented: “Bening has terrific support from Jodie Foster, an actor of exceeding appeal who does not work near often enough these days… Foster practically boats off with the movie. That’s because we spend so much engaging time with her, as Bonnie frets over and encourages Nyad, who is lost and distant in her mad charge toward greatness. Bonnie is our proxy, and Foster’s winsome performance sways us to her side.”

Currently, Foster is fourth in our lineup of predicted nominees for Best Supporting Actress according to our Oscars odds charts. Fellow former Clarice Starling, Julianne Moore (“May December”), is in fifth spot while Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”), Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”), and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) are ahead of her.

However, Foster could rise up the ranks pretty fast and she could cement herself as an Oscars threat by winning the Golden Globe in this category. She’s nominated alongside Randolph, Brooks, Blunt, Moore, and “Saltburn” player Rosamund Pike. Her firm status as a Golden Globes darling could see her claim another gong. “Nyad” marks her ninth nomination. She’s looking for her fourth competitive win (she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2013). 

She was first nominated by the HFPA in 1977 for Best Comedy/Musical Actress for “Freaky Friday,” a category she contended in again for “Carnage” in 2012. She also has five bids to her name for Best Drama Actress. Those nominations came in 1989 for “The Accused,” in 1992 for “The Silence of the Lambs,” in 1995 for “Nell,” in 1998 for “Contact,” and in 2008 for “The Brave One.” She was one-third of a three-way tie in 1989 with Sigourney Weaver (“Gorillas in the Mist”) and Shirley MacLaine (“Madame Sousatzka”) and won solo for “The Silence of the Lambs.” She went on to win the Oscar for both of those roles.

Foster first contended at the Globes in the Best Supporting Actress race  in 2021 for “The Mauritanian.” After she won over the Globe voters, it was a surprise that she was snubbed by the actors branch of the academy. Besides those two victories mentioned above, Foster also reaped Oscar bids for her supporting role in “Taxi Driver” in 1977 and for her star turn in “Nell” in 1995; she lost to Beatrice Straight (“Network”) and Jessica Lange (“Blue Sky”) respectively.

We’re predicting that Foster will be nominated for a fifth Oscar and could well win. Like the Globes, academy voters tend to reward veteran performers in this category, including Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”), and Viola Davis (“Fences”).

The meatiness of her role is a big boost to her odds. Actresses win this category for effectively being a co-lead in their respective movies, including Davis (“Fences”), Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”), and Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”).

If Foster were to win, she would have secured three Academy Awards, joining only six other performers on three acting Oscars and becoming only the 13th thespian to win Oscars for both lead and supporting actor.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?