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Oscar nominations snubs and surprises, from Daniel Craig to Selena Gomez

Big-name stars like Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman also missed out on nominations this year. 

Oscar nominations snubs and surprises, from Daniel Craig to Selena Gomez

This image released by A24 shows Daniel Craig in a scene from "Queer." (Yannis Drakoulidis/A24 via AP)

In one of the more wide-open Oscar fields in recent history, there were plenty of nominations surprises on Thursday (Jan 23).

Not too long ago, it seemed that people like Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman were destined for best actress nominations, while general audience disinterest in the young Donald Trump movie The Apprentice might have indicated its awards chances were dead on arrival.

But the members of the film academy had something different in mind. Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises from the 97th Oscar nominations.

SURPRISE: Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

The young Trump movie The Apprentice has been one of the bigger awards season question marks, especially after it failed to resonate with moviegoers in theatres. And yet both Jeremy Strong, for his portrayal for Trump lawyer Roy Cohn, and Sebastian Stan (who was also in the conversation for A Different Man), for playing the future two-time president, made it in. Only Strong got nominated by the Screen Actors Guild.

This image released by Briarcliff Entertainment shows Jeremy Strong, left, and Sebastian Stan in a scene from the film "The Apprentice." (Pief Weyman/Briarcliff Entertainment via AP)
SNUB: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths

This will forever be one of the more confounding awards season oversights. Marianne Jean-Baptiste delivered one of the all-time great performances in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, as the perpetually aggrieved and sharp-tongued London woman Pansy. The general thinking is that it was either going to be Jean-Baptiste or Fernanda Torres, and Torres got in for the equally beloved I’m Still Here.

SNUB: Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl

This is perhaps up for debate, but there was certainly a lot of goodwill behind Anderson’s movie-star turn in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, especially considering her SAG nomination. But like with Jennifer Lopez and Hustlers a few years ago, it was not meant to be at the Oscars.

This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Pamela Anderson in a scene from "The Last Showgirl." (Roadside Attractions via AP)
SURPRISE: James Mangold, A Complete Unknown

James Mangold has directed several awards darlings, including Ford v Ferrari and Walk The Line but had consistently missed out on a best director nomination, until this year with A Complete Unknown. It may have come at the expense of Edward Berger, who missed out on a nod for Conclave or Denis Villeneuve for Dune: Part Two.

SNUB: Daniel Craig, Queer

Daniel Craig gave one of his best performances as an American expat in Mexico in the torrid May-December romance in Queer, but it hasn’t been resonating with awards voters. The Oscar snub is the final piece in a puzzle that just never came together.

This image released by Netflix shows Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in a scene from "Maria." (Pablo Larraín/Netflix via AP)
SNUB: Angelina Jolie, Maria

If there ever were a shoo-in for a nomination and an Oscar, on paper at least, it would be for Angelina Jolie playing opera legend Maria Callas. Filmmaker Pablo Larraín had not missed yet in getting best actress nominations for his famous, tragic women biopics, including Natalie Portman for Jackie and Kristen Stewart for Spencer. But somehow Jolie did not make the cut in the end.

SNUB: Nicole Kidman, Babygirl

Babygirl is not a cliche awards movie by a long stretch, but Nicole Kidman’s performance as Romy, the buttoned-up, married CEO who begins a dangerous affair with a young intern at her company was undeniable. But a best actress win at the Venice Film Festival has never guaranteed Oscar success.

SURPRISE: Felicity Jones, The Brutalist

Despite the wide love for The Brutalist, Felicity Jones has been curiously absent from many nominations lists for her sharp portrayal of Erzsébet Tóth. The cast did not even get recognised by SAG. But it just goes to show that it’s never too late to sneak in for the big one

SNUB: Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson

A few years after Danielle Deadwyler was famously snubbed for Till, she has another snub to add to her resume for Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of The Piano Lesson. This latest campaign might not have had as much steam behind it as Till, but at the very least one would assume that it could have been a make good.

SURPRISE: Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

Supporting actress was one of the more chaotic and unpredictable categories this year, with so many deserving performers in the mix. Monica Barbaro was one of those that was on the fringe of possibilities for her turn as Joan Baez, singing and all, for A Complete Unknown.

SNUB: Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez

One who was not so lucky was Selena Gomez for“Emilia Pérez, perhaps because she was partially competing with her co-star, Zoë Saldaña who simply had more momentum (and gave a moving speech at the Golden Globes).

Source: AP/sr
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