Critics’ Choice Awards 2025: Will Robert Downey Jr. Win Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for The Sympathizer?

The Critics Choice Awards announced their nominees for the 30th annual awards ceremony recognizing achievements in film and television. Robert Downey Jr. received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for his performance in HBO’s The Sympathizer. Could this role earn Downey his first Critics’ Choice Award?

About The Sympathizer and Robert Downey Jr.’s Performance

The Sympathizer is a limited series adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. It follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese captain who serves as a mole within the South Vietnamese regime while secretly working for the Viet Cong.

Robert Downey Jr. plays four separate roles in prosthetic makeup – a CIA agent named Claude, a film director called the Auteur, a right-wing congressman named Ned Godwin, and a university professor named Hammer. The characters represent different facets of American arrogance and self-importance.

Reviews have praised Downey’s commitment to the multiple roles.

Downey’s Competition in the Category

Downey faces strong competition in the Best Supporting Actor category. Other nominees include Hugh Grant for The Regime, Ron Cephas Jones for Genius: MLK/X, Liev Schreiber for The Perfect Couple, Logan Lerman for We Were the Lucky Ones, and Treat Williams for FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans.

Downey is the biggest star name among the nominees, which could give him an advantage. However, the category features several acclaimed veterans and rising talents. In particular, Hugh Grant, who will be hoping for an award this year for his role in the Regime.

Will Robert Downey Jr. Win Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for The Sympathizer at the 2025 Critics’ Choice Awards? 22bet21.com gives odds of 1.286/1 or 77.80%.

Downey’s Awards History

While Downey has been nominated for his share of major awards, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Chaplin in 1993 but did not win. In 2024, he finally won a Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Oppenheimer. He’s been nominated six times for a Golden Globe, scoring four wins, and has also won many other awards over the years.

An Early Favorite?

Based on the caliber of the performance and Downey’s star status, he has emerged as an early frontrunner to win the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.

The four outrageous yet human characters he inhabits in The Sympathizer allow him to demonstrate his impressive range. The extravagant prosthetic transformations showcase his dedication to his craft.

While the competition is steep, the bravura quality of Downey’s work makes him a standout. But he faces strong competition from both veterans and rising stars in the category. If he wins, it would mark a significant milestone for the veteran actor. We will find out on January 12 if Robert Downey Jr. will take home a Critics’ Choice Award for The Sympathizer.