Chris Luckett

There’s just six days left until the Oscars. Have you had trouble finding time to catch up on all the nominated movies? Still want to be able to join in the Oscar conversations at work? Look no further than this six-part guide to the major categories. Today, I look at the nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

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JENNIFER JASON LEIGH

The Movie: The Hateful Eight
The Role: Daisy Domergue, an outlaw wanted for murder and being escorted to the hangman’s noose — but with plans of her own to turn the tables on her captor
Prior Oscar Nominations: 0
Prior Oscar Wins: 0
Lead-Up Awards for Leigh: National Board of Review Award (W), British Academy Film Award (N), Critic’s Choice Award (N), Golden Globe Award (N)
Chances of Winning: Possible; it’s not the most likely to happen, but not the least likely either.

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ROONEY MARA

The Movie: Carol
The Role: Therese Belivet, a quiet photographer and shopgirl who enters into a secret, tempestuous relationship with a married woman in the early 1950s
Prior Oscar Nominations: 1 — Best Actress (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2011)
Prior Oscar Wins: 0
Lead-Up Awards for Mara: Cannes Award (W), SAG Award (N), British Academy Film Award (N), Critic’s Choice Award (N), Golden Globe Award (N)
Chances of Winning: Slim; hype for Carol didn’t turn into the critical love many expected.

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RACHEL McADAMS

The Movie: Spotlight
The Role: Sacha Pfeiffer, an investigative journalist for the Boston Globe whose drive and eye for details helped expose the Catholic Church’s cover-up of clergy sex abuse in 2002
Prior Oscar Nominations: 0
Prior Oscar Wins: 0
Lead-Up Awards for McAdams: SAG Award (N), Critic’s Choice Award (N)
Chances of Winning: It depends on a Spotlight sweep; while McAdams is one of the least likely of Spotlight’s nominees expected to win, if the film snowballs and takes each award, McAdams could see gold Sunday night.

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ALICIA VIKANDER

The Movie: The Danish Girl
The Role: Gerda Wegener, a Danish painter whose husband becomes the first public recipient of sex reassignment surgery
Prior Oscar Nominations: 0
Prior Oscar Wins: 0
Lead-Up Awards for Vikander: SAG Award (W), Critic’s Choice Award (W), British Academy Film Award (N), Golden Globe Award (N)
Chances of Winning: Pretty good, at this point; not only does she have a lot of Academy support for The Danish Girl, there are also voters who wish she’d received recognition for Ex Machina and will vote for Vikander herself instead of her specific performance here.

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KATE WINSLET

The Movie: Steve Jobs
The Role: Joanna Hoffman, marketing executive for Apple/NeXT and Steve Jobs’ right-hand person
Prior Oscar Nominations: 5 — Best Supporting Actress (Sense and Sensibility), Best Actress (Titanic), Best Supporting Actress (Iris), Best Actress (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Best Actress (Little Children)
Prior Oscar Wins: 1 — Best Actress (The Reader)
Lead-Up Awards for Winslet: British Academy Film Award (W), Golden Globe Award (W), SAG Award (N), Critic’s Choice Award (N)
Chances of Winning: It’s possible; her Golden Globe win means very little, but Steve Jobs was snubbed in all categories but acting, so Winslet could win in recognition of the film entire.

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Don’t forget to check out The Best Supporting Actor Nominees. Tomorrow: The Best Director Nominees!