POLL - VOTE: Worst Oscars snubs due to category confusion?
Every year there are shocking examples of stars who should be nominated for an Academy Award, but they fail to focus their campaign properly upon the lead or supporting category and ended up slipping in between the two.
What are the worst examples in recent Oscar history? I put that question to my pal and fellow Oscarologist Tariq Khan, who picked his Top 10 list since 1990. Check out his rundown below, then give us your opinion. If you haven't voted in our earlier polls based on Tariq's lists of Oscar's Top 10 Most Gracious Losers and Top 10 Sorest Losers, CLICK HERE and HERE.
TARIQ'S TOP 10 WORST CASES OF OSCAR HOPEFULS FALLING BETWEEN THE CATEGORY CRACKS
1.) Richard Gere in "Chicago," Oscar's best picture of 2002 — He won the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical/comedy and earned a SAG nomination in the lead category, but ended up being the only major "Chicago" cast member left out at Oscar time. The role simply wasn't large or dramatic enough to compete with the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, Adrien Brody, Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine, who earned the five lead Oscar slots. Had Gere campaigned in the supporting category, he would have almost certainly been nominated over co-star John C. Reilly, who had a far less flashy role than Gere. Because he didn't, he remains one of Hollywood's biggest star who's never been nominated for an Academy Award.
2.) Renee Zellweger in "Jerry Maguire," 1996 — The brilliant casting of the then-unknown Zellweger helped make this film a smash. (Could you have imagined Winona Ryder or Mira Sorvino in the Dorothy Boyd role? They both reportedly wanted it very badly.) Film critic Gene Siskel implored academy members to nominate Zellweger for best lead actress, but the SAG committee nominated her in the supporting category. Come Oscar time, Zellweger's name was nowhere to be found, as co-stars Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. both made the list. A more focused campaign in the supporting category would have made her likely nominee there.
3.) Annette Bening in "Bugsy," 1992 — Sure she was the female lead in the film, but she had far less screen time than co-star Warren Beatty. After being nominated for best actress in a drama at the Golden Globes, Bening's Oscar spot was taken by Lauren Dern in "Rambling Rose." The supporting actress Oscar went on to be won by Mercedes Ruehl for "The Fisher King," who won the L.A. Film Critics award for best leading actress and whose role was similar in size to Bening's. Had the studio placed Bening in the supporting race for Oscar, she would have been a shoo-in for a nomination, and maybe even a win.
CLICK HERE to Read the REST of Tariq's List!
4.) Scarlett Johansson in "Lost in Translation," 2003 — She was nominated for best actress in a Musical/Comedy by the Hollywood Foreign Press, but was expected to slip into the supporting category at the Oscars. Unfortunately for her, she was lost in category confusion, translating to no Academy Award nomination.
5.) Jack Nicholson in "The Departed," 2006 — A previous winner in both Oscar categories, Nicholson couldn't decide where he wanted to go this time. He made the cut at the Golden Globes in the supporting race, but was ignored at Oscar time. Is it really conceivable that his "Departed" co-star Mark Wahlberg received more votes than him? More likely, Nicholson's votes were split between the two categories, leaving him empty-handed on Oscar nomination day.
6.) Maria Bello in "A History of Violence," 2005 — I thought she was a virtual lock to WIN the supporting actress Oscar, and the New York Film Critics seemed to agree when they gave her best supporting actress honors. Then the Hollywood Foreign Press went and nominated her for best actress in a drama, throwing her Oscar focus off track. Bello was left out in both categories, while co-star William Hurt earned a supporting actor nod for what was really just a glorified cameo. If I were Bello, I would have reacted violently.
7.) Ray Liotta in "Goodfellas," 1990 — The actor received some of the best reviews of his career for the Scorsese crime drama - but saw Oscar nominations go to his co-stars Lorraine Bracco and Joe Pesci (both deserving, no doubt.) As good as he was, the best actor race was simply too competitive - and the supporting actor buzz was all for previous nominee Pesci, who had lost for "Raging Bull" ten years earlier, and ended up winning this time.
8.) Cate Blanchett in "Bandits," 2001 — The film was something of a flop, but everyone who saw it raved about Blanchett's performance. She earned a Golden Globe nod for best actress in a musical/comedy and SAG nomination for best supporting actress, but was robbed of a slot when Oscar time came.
9.) Gary Oldman in "The Contender," 2000 — His role fell somewhere in size between co-stars Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges, who earned Oscar nominations for best actress and best supporting actor, respectively. Oldman made the SAG list for supporting actor, but was no Oscar contender in either category. (He reportedly asked the studio to campaign for him in the lead actor race, which they refused to do.)
10.) Jamie Lee Curtis in "True Lies," 1994 — OK, so maybe her Oscar chances were slim. But remember, 1994 was a horrible year for actresses (academy voters went with Jessica Lange for the long-shelved and little-seen "Blue Sky" for best actress, something that wouldn't have happened in a more competitive year.) Face it, Curtis STOLE "True Lies" from co-star and future governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and she has the Golden Globe for best actress in a musical/comedy to prove it. Even the SAG committee members acknowledged her performance with a nomination, albeit in the supporting race. If the academy actors who backed her had united and placed her in the lower category, she just might have taken an Oscar slot.
Evan Rachel Wood in "Thirteen"
Posted by: dorothy | December 17, 2007 at 05:40 PM
Alfre Woodard in Passion Fish.
Posted by: rupert | December 17, 2007 at 02:30 PM
Samuel L. Jackson for Jungle Fever was a huge snub to me. Also Why oh why have they never nominated Ruby Dee? Not to mention Kathy Bates and Judy Parfitt for Dolores Claiborne - they were robbed. Great article and choices all around.
Posted by: Antonio Cassone | December 17, 2007 at 12:21 PM
Meryl Streep in "The Hours," Dennis Quaid in "Far From Heaven," Michael Sheen in "The Queen," Clive Owen in "Children of Men."
Posted by: dorothy | December 16, 2007 at 08:49 PM
Although he was nominated for Blood Diamond,the main reason why Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't nominated for the Departed was because of the category confusion.I believe he was a lot more deserving in the Departed than in Blood Diamond
Posted by: Schnauzito Carvajal | December 16, 2007 at 06:03 PM
In my opinion, the biggest Oscar snubs of all time have been of Gary Oldman. Nearly every movie role he has played could have earned at least a nomination. Most notably Sid & Nancy, Dracula, JFK, State Of Grace, Immortal Beloved and The Contender. His portrayal of Beethoven in Immortal Beloved is one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen but yet not recognized at all. The Oscars and their nominations/voting process are a joke.
Posted by: Kathy Walker | December 16, 2007 at 05:57 PM
Many great choices above, from Jamie Lee and Cate to Renee and Annette. But of all those, I really don't think they were confused about Jack; they just found him a little hammier than usual and wanted to honor scene-stealer Mark. No one was thinking he would actually be lead for The Departed.
I feel like William Holden in Network would have had a better chance if he was competing in the supporting category rather than in lead against costar and eventual winner Peter Finch.
What about Emmy Rossum in The Phantom of the Opera? She deserved more recognition but perhaps wouldn't have been overlooked had she campaigned directly for supporting (or at least one or the other solidly).
And what happened to Steve Buscemi in Fargo? What's his excuse?
Of course, they can't all be like Barry Fitzgerald.
Posted by: Zach | December 16, 2007 at 03:10 PM
Your list misses the most obvious category loser - Roddy McDowell. He would certainly have been nominated for his electrifying supporting performance in "Cleopatra," but Fox submitted his role in the leading category. It was an acknowledged error, as Fox later apologised to McDowell publicly. (They evidently submitted the entire "Cleopatra" cast in the leading categories.) This event was a catalyst for the changing of the Oscar rules to let the voters decide which category a performance belonged. Cheers, I enjoyed your article.
Posted by: David Lormans | December 16, 2007 at 12:39 PM
For me, it's unquestionably Maria Bello, at least from this list. I don't remember that much category confusion over Nicholson. And if Gere were the victim of category confusion, then I'd say who cares. He didn't deserve a nomination.
Posted by: GelEGuy | December 16, 2007 at 09:56 AM
I think the biggest Oscar snub of all time was the Academy's not nominating the great Tilda Swinton, in her Golden Globe nominated role in "Deep End". If she gets nominated for "Michael Clayton" this year, it will be her FIRST nomination EVAH!
Posted by: Stephen Holt | December 16, 2007 at 09:38 AM
All pretty good examples, but I was thinking that the biggest would be Gene Hackman in "The Royal Tenenbaums." He won the Globe in lead actor, but many critics pushed him for supporting. Had he consistently been stated for one category, I'm sure he would have been nominated.
Posted by: jvan8829 | December 16, 2007 at 08:47 AM
I choose none of the above, because I think that the worst snub was that of Courtney Love for The People v. Larry Flynt. She won critics awards as supporting actress and then got a globe nod as a lead. I'm not sure if the studio switched her campaign, but at the very least there was confusion and she was robbed of Oscar recognition for what is arguably the peak of her professional career.
Posted by: NateDoggg | December 16, 2007 at 08:33 AM
Others I'd have included -
Brad Davis - Midnight Express
Martin Sheen - Apocalypse Now
Diane Keaton - Shoot the Moon
Shirley MacLaine - Postcards from the Edge
Gary Oldman - Sid & Nancy, Dracula, Hannibal, JFK
Posted by: Warren Sampson | December 16, 2007 at 07:25 AM
If anything, these stars should have followed Catherine Zeta-Jones' lead when she was nominated by the HFPA as Best Actress-Comedy/Musical for 2002's "Chicago." She lost to Renee Zellweger who was nominated in the same category. However, whether or not it was her decision or the decision of her studio heads, etc., Catherine subsequently campaigned in the supporting actress slots, and won a slew of awards in that category, leading to a Best Supporting Actress Oscar over co-star and sister nominee, Queen Latifah. In other words, consistency in categories, along with some humility, goes a long way.
Posted by: Michael Lewis | December 15, 2007 at 11:45 PM