|
 Casey Affleck, by contrast, plays an introverted father,
taciturn, mumbling and depressed.
Both men are competing to be named best actor at Sunday's Oscars
in what award watchers say is the ceremony's biggest cliffhanger
after weeks of campaigns and show business accolades.
While musical "La La Land" is widely expected to win the top
award -- best picture -- Washington's performance in black
family drama "Fences" and Affleck's role in the heart-breaking
"Manchester by the Sea" are going down to the wire.
"There is a lot of affection for Denzel Washington and there is
also the #OscarsSoWhite controversy from last year that has to
be on Oscar voters' minds," said Matt Atchity, editor in chief
of review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com.
If all goes well for Washington, 62, he would join the likes of
Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson among a rare group of actors who
have won three Oscars.
Affleck, 41, the younger brother of actor Ben Affleck, is
seeking his first ever Oscar. He had swept 90 percent of prior
awards and critics prizes until losing to a stunned Washington
at the Screen Actors Guild ceremony in January.
Affleck's early wins came despite 2010 sexual harassment
allegations that resurfaced as his Oscar prospects gathered
steam. Two civil lawsuits alleging unwanted advances were filed
by female crew members on an earlier Affleck film, and were
settled out of court for undisclosed sums. Affleck's lawyer at
the time denied the allegations.
"It doesn't help, but I don't think it's going to be a key
factor at the Oscars," said Tim Gray, who covers awards for
Hollywood trade publication Variety.
Gray likened the Affleck case to that of film maker Roman
Polanski, who won a best director Oscar in 2002 despite a 1977
rape case.
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"When Polanski got the Oscar for 'The Pianist,' nobody predicted he
was going to win. But it felt like Academy voters were sending a
message that they were voting on the work, not a person's
character," Gray said.
The other lead actor contenders -- Andrew Garfield ("Hacksaw
Ridge"), Viggo Mortensen ("Captain Fantastic") and Ryan Gosling ("La
La Land") -- were thought to be long shots as voting by the 6,600
members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences closed on
Tuesday.
Sunday could bring surprises also in the lead actress race with a
late surge of support for French actress Isabelle Huppert, star of
psychological thriller "Elle."
Huppert, 63, was an upset winner over early favorite Natalie Portman
("Jackie") at the Golden Globes last month. She has now moved into
second spot among experts at awards site Goldderby.com, although
most expect Emma Stone to take home her first Oscar for playing a
struggling actress in "La La Land."
The Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, takes
place in Hollywood and will be shown live on ABC television starting
at 5 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST (2200 GMT).
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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