Best Actor 2020+

My top choices in the order I would place them on my Academy ballot if I were allowed to vote. In other words, this is my top five, but I acknowledge that this list is already influenced by awards buzz. They are not in order of my preference. Instead, the actors whom I think would theoretically benefit the most from my vote are at the top.

LEVAN GELBAKHIANI, And Then We Danced (და ჩვენ ვიცეკვეთ)

ROB MORGAN, Bull

LUCA MARINELLI, Martin Eden

DANIEL KALUUYA, Judas and the Black Messiah

RIZ AHMED, Sound of Metal

Also loved:
Ben Affleck, The Way Back
Bartosz Bielenia, Boże Ciało (Corpus Christi)
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Pierfrancesco Favino, Il Traditore (The Traitor)
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Hu Ge, The Wild Goose Lake (南方車站的聚會)
Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
Mads Mikkelsen, Druk (Another Round)
Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
Toby Wallace, Babyteeth

Apologies to:
Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island), Armando Espitia (I Carry You with Me), Jude Law (The Nest), Juan Carlos Maldonado (The Prince), Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Farewell Amor), Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian), and Christian Vazquez (I Carry You with Me), whose films I have not yet seen.

Related:
My Best Actor picks from past years (2004-2019)
My Best Actress picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actress picks from 2020+
My Best Supporting Actor picks from 2020+