From ‘Star Wars’ to the Oscars: Adam Driver, Natalie Portman …

The 11 “Star Wars” movies have been nominated for a whopping  37 Academy Awards but have won just seven. Alec Guinness remains the only actor to have been nominated for his work in a galaxy far, far away. Plenty of other actors who appeared in the “Star Wars” franchise were nominated at the Oscars for other films, including Harrison Ford and Samuel L. Jackson.

Which of the “Star Wars” cast could be up for Oscars this year? Let’s take a closer look.

Riz Ahmed — “Fingernails”
This movie, from Christos Nikou, has one of the most intriguing premises of the year as it follows Jessie Buckley as a woman who works for an institute that determines whether the romance in a given couple is genuine or not. With shades of “The Lobster,” this film features Ahmed, who played Imperial cargo pilot defector Bodhi Rook in “Rogue One.” Ahmed was nominated for Best Actor in 2021 and then, a year later, won Best Live Action Short Film for “The Long Goodbye,” an award he shared with Aneil Karia.

Adam Driver — “Ferrari”
“Ferrari” is the highly-anticipated biopic of Enzo Ferrari from director Michael Mann. Driver takes on the titular role of Ferrari and will be looking to add to his existing two Oscar nominations. He was first nominated in 2019 for Best Supporting Actor for “BlacKkKlansman” and then picked up a Best Actor bid in 2020 for “Marriage Story.”

Joel Edgerton — “The Boys in the Boat”
George Clooney makes his directorial comeback with “The Boys in the Boat,” a true story about the 1930s University of Washington rowing team that went on to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  Edgerton played Owen Lars — Luke Skywalker’s uncle — in “Attack of the Clones” and the Disney+ miniseries “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” In this film, he portrays Al Ulbrickson, who was a rower and coach.  This would be Edgerton’s first Oscar nomination.

Alden Ehrenreich — “Fair Play”
Chloe Domont‘s film follows a newly engaged couple struggling to maintain their relationship after one of them is promoted at a cutthroat hedge fund firm. Ehrenreich plays one half of the couple while Phoebe Dyneveor is the other. Ehrenreich played the young Han Solo in “Solo: A Star Wars Story'” This would be Ehrenreich’s first Oscar nomination.

Rupert Friend — “Asteroid City”
Wes Anderson movies always feature extensive casts and Friend excels as Montana, a singing cowboy who strikes up an interest in Maya Hawke‘s June. It’s always hard for one actor to stand out in such a huge cast but Friend does just that. He starred as the live-action, Jedi-hunting Grand Inquisitor in “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” This would be his first-ever Oscar nomination.

Richard E. Grant — “Saltburn”
Grant featured in “The Rise of Skywalker” as Allegiant General Pryde — the second-in-command of the First Oder who previously served in the Galactic Empire with Palpatine. That role came as part of something of a career renaissance for Grant, which also included a Best Supporting Actor nomination in 2019 for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Grant appears in Emerald Fennell‘s new movie, “Saltburn,” which follows an Oxford University student (Barry Keoghan) becoming obsessed with his aristocratic classmate (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to his family’s estate for a summer.

Natalie Portman — “May December”
Portman starred in George Lucas‘ prequel series as Padme Amidala, the love interest of Anakin Skywalker and mother to Luke and Leia. She won an Oscar in 2011 for Best Actress for “Black Swan” while she was also nominated in the same category in 2017 for “Jackie.” She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Closer” in 2005. She  could make an Oscars return this year with Todd Haynes‘ “May December,” which follows Portman visiting a couple with an infamous past in order to do research for a film based on them.

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