2025 Oscar predictions: Can Colman Domingo (‘Sing Sing’) follow Colin Firth’s path to Best Actor victory?

“Sing Sing” is the very early Oscar front-runner for Best Picture according to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users as of this writing, so it’s no surprise that its star, Colman Domingo, leads our odds for Best Actor. If he indeed goes all the way, he’ll be following a path similar to Colin Firth‘s when he claimed the Best Actor trophy for “The King’s Speech.”

Firth was already a veteran actor by the time he earned his very first Oscar nomination for “A Single Man” (2009). His Best Actor bid was the only nomination for that film, but the very next year he starred in the Best Picture winner and took lead-acting honors to go along with it.

Compare that to Domingo, who was already a veteran actor by the time he earned his very first Oscar nomination for “Rustin” (2023). His Best Actor bid was the only nomination for that film, but this year he stars in the potential Best Picture winner and could carry the momentum from last year’s nomination to a victory on his second try.

There’s a long way to go before Domingo can collect his trophy, of course, but he’s on a hot streak in his career. His resume already included Oscar-WINNING films like “Lincoln” (2012), “Selma” (2014), “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020) before his own personal Oscar breakthrough. Then in 2021 he had a standout supporting role in the indie film “Zola,” for which he received multiple critics’ award citations, plus Independent Spirit and Gotham Award noms. That same year he won an Emmy for his recurring guest role on HBO’s “Euphoria.”

Then came “Rustin,” which was accompanied by another prominent role last year, as the abusive Mister in the musical adaptation of “The Color Purple,” which also earned an Oscar nomination, for supporting actress Danielle Brooks. On top of all that, Domingo is a respected theater actor with two Tony nominations to his name. Now with “Sing Sing,” it all may be culminating, as it did with Firth, in the right actor in the right role at the right time.

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?