Timothée Chalamet to win Best Actor Oscar at 97th Academy Awards

Steve Starr
By , Updated on: Feb 28, 2025 12:00 AM
97th academy awards picks
  • What: 97th Academy Awards
  • When: Sunday, March 2, 7-10 p.m.
  • Where: Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

After Oppenheimer dominated the Academy Awards last year with wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, this year's Oscars have much tighter races in all the top categories.

Will it be Anora or Conclave for Best Picture? Demi Moore or Mikey Madison for Best Actress? Adrian Brody or Timothée Chalamet for Best Actor?

Let's look at the latest betting lines for the 97th Academy Awards and make our picks. Odds are subject to change.

Best ActorBovadaBetOnlineMyBookie
Adrien Brody - The Brutalist-225-225-225
Timothee Chalamet - A Complete Unknown+165+165+165
Ralph Fiennes - Conclave+2000+2000+2000
Colman Domingo - Sing Sing+5000+5000+5000
Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice+5000+5000+5000

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Upset in Best Actor category?

After taking home the award for The Pianist 22 years ago, Adrien Brody (-225) is the frontrunner to capture his second Best Actor statuette. It looks like he could become only the 11th man to claim this honor more than once. Brody already has wins at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and BAFTAs this awards season.

Timothée Chalamet (+165) claimed the SAG Award for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. That's notable because the Actors branch is by far the biggest in the Academy. Rather than honor a past winner in the backend of his career, we think voters will want to crown a likable rising star like Chalamet instead. We love his +165 odds.

Best ActressBovadaBetOnlineMyBookie
Demi Moore - The Substance-250-250-250
Mikey Madison - Anora+190+190+190
Fernanda Torres - I'm Still Here+1500+1500+1500
Cynthia Erivo - Wicked+3500+3500+3500
Karla Sofia Gascon - Emilia Perez+4000+4000+4000

Lifetime achievement award for Demi?

Mikey Madison (+190) plays a sex worker in Anora - a role which Academy voters have traditionally rewarded over the years. She also has all the momentum following her BAFTA and Indie Spirit victories.

However, voters also love handing out lifetime achievement awards to actresses with decade-long careers like Demi Moore (-250). The 62-year-old already has wins at the Critics Choice, SAG and Golden Globes, where her acceptance speech likely won her even more votes.  Take Demi at -250.

Best PictureBovadaBetOnlineMyBookie
Anora-200-200-200
Conclave+250+250+250
The Brutalist+600+600+600
A Complete Unknown+2200+2200+2200
Emilia Perez+6500+6500+6500
Wicked+6500+6500+6500
Dune: Part Two+10000+10000+10000
I'm Still Here+10000+10000+10000
Nickel Boys+10000+10000+10000
The Substance+10000+10000+10000

Who will win Best Picture?

Anora (-200) has emerged as the favorite to take home Best Picture after winning the triple crown (Critics Choice, Producers Guild, Directors Guild) in the lead up to the 97th Academy Awards. All three have been reliable indicators for the Academy Awards in years past.

Conclave (+250) claimed both the BAFTA and the often prescient SAG Outstanding Cast Award. While it didn't snag a directing nomination for Edward Berger, that didn't hurt past winners such as Argo, Green Book or CODA.

The Brutalist (+600) scored more nominations (10) than Anora (6) or Conclave (8). But, its punishing runtime (3 hours and 35 minutes) will likely hurt it in a preferential voting system that is designed to produce a consensus win - either the most “liked” or least “disliked" movie of the 10 nominees.

Best Bet for 97th Academy Awards

We like Conclave (+250) in a Best Picture upset for two reasons: One, Anora has a lot of graphic sex scenes that may turn off older Academy voters. And two, Conclave has a middlebrow appeal that often appeals to older Academy voters.

With Berger not nominated in the directing category, voters who want to split their votes between the two films will be pushed to reward Conclave in the Best Picture category.

Conclave To win Best Picture
Bovada
+250

Meet the author

Steve Starr

Accomplished Sports Betting Specialist with over two decades of experience in sports analytics, strategic betting formulation, and risk management, with a particular focus on professional sports such as the NFL, NBA, and NHL. Proven success in applying statistical mo...

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