Adding more intrigue, Smith lost the best actor award for "Ali" to Washington for "Training Day" at the Oscars virtually two a long time ago. The greatest actor race is shaping up to be a showdown among two of Hollywood's most enduring stars. Hip distributor A24 has two achievable ideal actor contenders in Simon Rex ("Red Rocket") and Joaquin Phoenix ("C’mon C’mon"), each of whom star in critically beloved pageant films.