> Do actors submit themselves as being eligible for nomination?

Studios do with consultation with actors, I imagine.

For example, Fox Searchlight submitted The Favourite's Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz for supporting and pushed Olivia Colman as lead so she would have a bigger shot at winning. Even though, arguably, Stone is the lead in the movie.

There is a Stallone movie where he plays a trucker and the plot revolves around arm wrestling competition.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093692/

All of Kubrick's movies.

I liked Bruce Willis in Armageddon.

His last movie was The 355 and he managed to make a total snooze fest with a stellar cast.

Zero faith in anything Simon Kinberg touches.