The 2025 Academy Award nominations are in and BetMassachusetts.com is pausing Massachusetts sports betting coverage to break down the numbers, looking at which states boast the most nominees in the lead and supporting acting categories. This year, Massachusetts has two hometown contenders, Edward Norton and Jeremy Strong, who are both nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category.
But how does that stack up against the rest of Americaâs fifty states? And what chance do these hometown heroes have at taking home Oscar gold?
States Most Represented In 2025 Oscar Actor Nominations
Rank | State | Number of Nominees |
1 | New York | 3 |
T-2 | California | 2 |
T-2 | Massachusetts | 2 |
T-4 | Pennsylvania | 1 |
T-4 | New Mexico | 1 |
T-4 | Florida | 1 |
T-4 | New Jersey | 1 |
And The Winners Are...
While New York tops the list with three nominees originally born in the Empire State, Massachusetts lands respectably in a tie for second with California. Not bad, especially considering the Golden State is arguably the entertainment capital of the world.
Of the two Massachusetts-born nominees at the 97th Academy Awards, itâs Edward Norton with the most likely chance of winning. Albeit, according to the 2025 Oscar betting odds, he is still a major long shot to win at +850 on Massachusetts Fanduel sportsbook. Norton is nominated for his role in the musical biopic A Complete Unknown as folk singer Pete Seeger, who was an early mentor to Bob Dylan. Despite this being Edward Nortonâs fourth Oscar nomination, he remains shut out at the Academy Awards.
That said, according to Massachusetts sportsbook apps, Norton still has a better chance to win than his fellow Bostonian, Jeremy Strong. Nominated for his role as Roy Cohn in the Donald Trump origin-story drama The Apprentice, Strong is listed at +2600 on Fanduel. Nevertheless, Strong has received rave reviews for his turn as Cohn, a mentor and advisor to Trump. The Apprentice tracks their relationship as Donald rises to prominence through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Although this is Strongâs first Oscar nomination, he previously won an Emmy for his role as Kendall Roy in the hit HBO series âSuccessionâ
The massive favorite to beat out Norton and Strong, and win Best Supporting Actor, is Kieran Culkin for his role in A Real Pain, a somber dramedy about two Jewish cousins on a pilgrimage through Poland. Fanduel has Culkin at -750 to take home the award.
Kieran Culkin is also one of the trio of New Yorkers nominated in this yearâs Acting categories, alongside TimothĂ©e Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) and Adrien Brody (The Brutalist). Meanwhile, the two California stars are Mikey Madison (Anora) and Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown).
Representing Pennsylvania is Phillyâs own Coleman Domingo (Sing Sing), with Ariana Grande (Wicked) hailing from Florida, and Zoe Saldana (Emilia Perez) calling New Jersey home. Finally, The Substanceâs Demi Moore was born in Roswell, New Mexico.
All the winners of Hollywoodâs biggest night will be announced live on Sunday, March 2nd from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. But until then, Massachusettsâ most popular sportsbooks are offering betting odds on all 23 categories.
Hope is here. Call (800) 327-5050 or http://gamblinghelplinema.org
Play it smart from the start! Live Chat @ http://GameSenseMA.comAuthor
Jeff Parker is an entertainment writer for BetMassachusetts.com. A writer for film, television and the internet, Jeff is a life long movie buff, with a Masters Degree in Popular Culture. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he works full time as documentary filmmaker and producer.
