Good actors without Oscar nominations (Part 1)

If I was in charge of running the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I’d make some very distinct, controversial decisions. I’d expand the number of possible contenders in each acting category from 5 to 10; this would ensure there were no egregious snubs and also allow more actors from ‘genre films’ (comedy, sci-fi and horror) to be recognised as they’re perennially overlooked in favour of prestige dramatic performances.

These are, in my opinion, some good actors who have missed out on receiving an Oscar nomination for their acting and an attempt to decipher the reason for their snub.

I’ve only chosen actors aged 45 and over for this list. I don’t want people whining that Jacob Elordi hasn’t got a nomination yet – he’s not even 30 yet. These performers are veterans of their craft and have racked up decades of experience. The fact that they’ve been overlooked by the Academy for so long surprises me.

Also, I’ve only chosen actors who are still alive. The list of deceased stars without Oscar nominations is countless and by simply not being alive anymore means they’ve permanently missed out on the glory of winning a golden statuette. Thus, these living actors still have a chance, however narrow, of winning sometime in the future. Obviously, I shall remove anyone on the list who, in the future, dies, gets nominated, or (hopefully for them) wins.

Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section below.

  1. Andie MacDowell

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • MacDowell plays in many romantic comedies; a genre sadly overlooked by the Academy. She’s great in both comedies and dramas so she just needs to find the appropriate ‘Oscar bait’ movie.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • ‘Green Card‘, ‘Groundhog Day‘, ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral‘.

2. Andy Serkis

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • Serkis is a maestro of motion-capture; which has not yet been embraced by the Academy. His live action performances are usually minor roles.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • Any of ‘The Lord of the Rings‘ series, an awards juggernaut which should have recognised Serkis’ animalistic talents.

3. Ben Affleck

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • Perhaps he’s a better director than actor. Oscars success has not eluded him; he’s won two awards. One for Best Original Screenplay (for ‘Good Will Hunting‘) and one for Best Picture (he was a producer of ‘Argo‘. These triumphs have not translated into the field of acting.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • ‘Good Will Hunting‘, ‘Pearl Harbor‘, ‘Hollywoodland‘, a strong filmography.

4. Cameron Diaz

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • Diaz mostly does comedies, which is a genre predominantly overlooked by the Academy.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • ‘Being John Malkovich‘, this was probably her best shot at getting a nomination since it was a surrealist comedy-drama. Now that she’s out of retirement there’s still a little hope she might get one with the right choice of projects.

5. Catherine O’Hara

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • Again, she’s more of a comedy actress. The television series ‘Schitt’s Creek‘ has seen a serious revival in her popularity which could translate into high profile movie roles.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • The Christopher Guest mockumentaries ‘Best in Show‘, ‘A Mighty Wind‘ and ‘For Your Consideration‘. She was great in ‘Beetlejuice‘ as an obnoxious ‘artist’ too.

6. Danny DeVito

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • He’s a comedy legend. He makes me crack up just by being onscreen. He’s a talented director too. A prime example of how the Academy overlooks comedic performances. DeVito started out in television on ‘Taxi‘ and returned to that medium with his hilarious turn as Frank on ‘It’s Always Sunny in Phildelphia‘ (currently on its record breaking 17th season).

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • ‘Terms of Endearment‘, ‘Hoffa‘, ‘Matilda‘.

7. Diane Kruger

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • Kruger acts in many European movies (she is a native of Germany), although many notable English language ones too. While the Academy does occasionally honour non-English language performances, it’s very Western-centric in its viewpoint.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • Her compelling performance in ‘The Operative‘. I’m surprised she wasn’t nominated for ‘In the Fade‘ for which she won the Best Actress award at Cannes the same year.

8. Ewan McGregor

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • No idea – he’s successfully broken through stateside. He had a better chance earlier in his career. Appearing in such a massive franchise like ‘Star Wars‘ relatively young might have hindered his chances to taken seriously but he’s been in solid projects since then like ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’ and ‘The Impossible‘.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • The all-singing ‘Moulin Rouge‘ seems an obvious choice, his co-star Nicole Kidman got a nomination and it’s just the kind of glitzy musical fare the Academy adores.

9. Hugh Grant

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • The Divine Brown scandal? From 30 years ago? It’s a small fry compared to the actions of some actors. He’s made a comeback in the last decade, picking projects of varied genres; if he returns to his roots in British period dramas or romantic comedies, he’s in with a shot.

Should’ve been nominated for:

  • ‘Florence Foster Jenkins‘ or the universally-adulated ‘Paddington 2‘.

10. James McAvoy

Reason for lack of nomination:

  • At age 46, he’s just scraped in age-wise. Give him time, he always bring his all to his projects. It could be the ‘X-Men‘ franchise taking up most of his time in the 2010s that has resulted in a snub.

Should’ve been nominated for: