The nominations for the 92nd annual academy awards have been released and they have caused quite the stir to say the least. Joker dominated proceedings with 11 nominations, with The Irishman, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, and 1917 following up with 10, and a whole lot of controversy to go alongside. From films being completely ignored to female filmmakers being cast aside once again, a lot of people are not happy with the Academy.
Another major problem people have had is the amount of fantastic performances ignored. Up and coming talents ignored for the tried and tested. Persons of color being completely underrepresented. And overall, brilliant performances which deserve a place on the nomination ballot more than some who got on it ignored. Here are some of the biggest acting snubs from the 2020 Oscars nominations.
ROBERT DE NIRO FOR LEADING ROLE IN THE IRISHMAN
This is not to say that The Irishman needs any more nominations. But the fact De Niro is not getting award recognition for his outing as Frank Sheeran in Martin Scorsese’s three and a half hour epic was a bit of a surprise.
De Niro is on screen for the majority of the film and does deliver his best performance in years. His costars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci both got nods in the Best Supporting Actor category but following a miss out in both the Golden Globes and SAG awards, it was clear De Niro was not going to battle it out with the other power performers of the year.
WILLEM DAFOE & ROBERT PATTINSON FOR ACTING CATEGORIES IN THE LIGHTHOUSE
Robert Eggers’ brilliant, claustrophobic, psychological horror The Lighthouse got very little love by the Oscars. Rightfully, and pleasantly surprisingly nominated for Cinematography but other than that was completely ignored.
The film’s two roles played by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are phenomenal and both could have earned a place in each of the acting categories. Dafoe especially deserved a spot in the Supporting Actor nominations ballot, but so is the way of the Oscars and seeing the pair struggle with their sanity in black and white did not correlate to a chance at the golden statue.
JENNIFER LOPEZ FOR BEST SUPPORTING ROLE IN HUSTLERS
Jennifer Lopez’ outing in Hustlers was not expected to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Laura Dern remains the heavy favorite but Lopez not even getting a nomination was a big surprise and has caused a lot of upset.
Lopez was great in her role as a ringleader of strippers who steal from rich men and received serious Oscar buzz. The star even garnered a Golden Globe nomination for her role but still could not manage an Academy nomination and instead has been overlooked for more surprising Supporting Actress nominations.
LUPITA NYONG’O FOR LEADING ROLE IN US
The lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations has once again come under scrutiny and criticism. The actress categories had many a potential diverse options for nominees, able to pull from a variety of excellent performances, but only giving a nomination to one nonwhite actress in Cynthia Erivo.
One such actress completely snubbed was Lupita Nyong’o who pulled a fantastic double performance in Jordan Peele’s Us. She was exceptional in her dual personality role and fully deserving of an Oscar nomination, she is one of the biggest Leading Actress snubs of the year.
CHRISTIAN BALE FOR LEADING ROLE IN FORD VS FERRARI
Ford Vs Ferrari has received four Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture, but arguably deserves more. Not being recognized in any of the major categories but Editing, the lack of Academy love for its actors has been quite the snub.
Damon was great, but Bale as he so often does performs brilliantly as hothead race driver Ken Miles. He received a Golden Globe nomination for its effort and he deserved a leading man nomination. However, Bale was never going to win over Driver or Phoenix, so perhaps there are snubs whose nominations would have meant more.
EDDIE MURPHY FOR LEADING ROLE IN DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
The Oscars’ diversity issue does not just lie in the actresses, it is widespread and can also be seen in the actor categories. The biggest example of this year’s diversity snub in the male categories is Eddie Murphy and his dazzling performance in Dolemite Is My Name.
Murphy delivered massively in 2019 with this hit which received no love, and no nominations from the Academy (perhaps most surprisingly nothing for costume designer Ruth E. Carter). The film is made by its heart Eddie Murphy who received a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Nobody would have been upset at a nomination for the comedy legend.
TARON EGERTON FOR LEADING ROLE IN ROCKETMAN
A surprise to have missed out on, and who thoroughly deserved an Oscar nomination was Taron Egerton’s turnout as the legendary and ever flamboyant Elton John in Rocketman. Egerton won the Golden Globe for performance in a comedy/musical, so it did come as quite the shock to some to not see his name on the nomination ballot.
If Rami Malek can be not only nominated but win for his role as Freddie Mercury, then Egerton undoubtedly deserves at least a nomination. He sung, he danced, he was powerful, emotional, flamboyant and brilliant overall and it is a shame to see him passed over.
AWKWAFINA FOR LEADING ROLE IN THE FAREWELL
How on Earth The Farewell received a grand total of zero Oscar nominations is anyone’s guess. The film was terrific and deserved contention in multiple areas. It would have been great to see Zhao Shuzhen get a supporting nomination or Lulu Wang a screenwriting nomination, but the worst snub is Awkwafina not getting a shot at the Leading Actress nomination.
She was brilliant in the role and delivered in every way. How she was not nominated is nonsensical. Awkwafina even won the Golden Globe for a Best Performance from an Actress in a Musical/Comedy, making her lack of nomination that bit more of a shock, a shock that never should have been.
ADAM SANDLER FOR LEADING ROLE IN UNCUT GEMS
Alongside the diversity issue, Murphy and Sandler’s snubs seem to point to the Oscars simply not believing in them. On the other hand, it seems like a serious possibility the Academy has not even seen the brilliant Uncut Gems.
Sandler is unrecognizable in what is the finest performance of his career. The director, script, and cinematography all also missed out, but Sandler’s charismatic performance in this anxiety-riddled film is a true snub of this year and for sure should have gotten a nomination.
THE CAST OF PARASITE FOR ACTING CATEGORIES
Bong Joon Ho’s masterpiece Parasite was nominated for 6 Oscars this year which cannot be ignored. However, what also cannot be ignored is the fact none of its cast got any recognition. It makes you think about the barriers in place for those films that are not English speaking, especially since the director himself has called the film actor-led.
At the Golden Globes, Bong Joon Ho delivered a speech imploring people to get over subtitles and open their minds to a wider range of cinema. This may be at the root of why the performers were not nominated, alongside the often talked about diversity issue. Song Kang-ho sticks out as the most obvious deserving performer, but alongside him, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-Shik, Jang Hye-jin, and Lee Jung-eun all deliver fantastically.
