With all the celebrity and glitter attached to them, it’s easy, even tempting, to overlook the truth that film stars don’t always have the best jobs. Most of them toil away for months or years, risking everything in the process, and will most likely end up nowhere. As a result, it is simple to admire those talented few who actually put in the time and effort to succeed in the profession. However, not everyone, particularly in the sector, will agree.
You may be the most talented and hardworking performer in the world and still be overlooked for an Academy Award. Of all, with the Academy Awards, there are only so many seats each year to be filled by the greatest, and your favorite star may not feel the need to be recognized in that way. Whatever the case may be, it would be good to see them rewarded for their efforts. There are numerous types of artists who are neglected by the Academy, but for the time being, it’s worth mentioning a few who have been overlooked for Best Actor honours.
Adam Sandler
From The Wedding Singer (1998) to Jack and Jill, here is a comic who appears to have no qualms with sticking to his specialty, regardless of the quality of the project (2011). While Adam Sandler is legitimately humorous, it’s a shame he doesn’t venture out more, given his unexpectedly strong dramatic abilities, as evidenced by films like Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and Uncut Gems (2019). In fact, his omission from the Academy Awards for the latter is widely regarded as one of the most egregious omissions in recent memory.
Sandler has returned to his comic roots with Uncut Gems, but fans are looking forward to the day when the Sandman steps out of his comfort zone once more and makes the Academy regret snubbing him.
Andy Serkis
Several performers have wowed audiences with their motion capture performances, but Andy Serkis is the indisputable king of the genre. Despite the fact that he has done good work without it, such as in Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (2010), his CGI character parts, especially Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and Caesar from the Planet of the Apes prequels, have highlighted his genuine acting abilities.
Good actors can portray parts convincingly, while great actors can take on the roles of entire people. Serkis has it virtually down to a science. Through motion capture, he is able to convey specific expressions and physicality onto his characters that are astounding. Despite this, the Oscars appear to reject these as real performances owing to the use of CGI.
Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell, who was born in Ireland, is a very versatile actor. His acting career has spanned everything from hammy and subtle to honest cop or homicidal criminal, huge suits and heavy prosthetics, and everything in between. Farrell shone even when the subject was dubious, like in Daredevil (2003) and Winter’s Tale (2014).
So why hasn’t he received any Oscar nominations? He came the closest to receiving an Academy Award nomination for his role as a remorseful hitman in In Bruges (2008), which earned him a Golden Globe, but the Oscars passed him by. Farrell, on the other hand, has been going strong, allowing the Academy plenty of time to fix their error.
David Oyelowo
You’d think that playing Martin Luther King Jr. in a critically acclaimed biographical drama would guarantee an Oscar win, or at the very least a nomination. The Academy, it appears, was unable to fit David Oyelowo into their admittedly congested slate that year.
Oyelowo, on the other hand, has delivered far more than one memorable performance. He has received numerous plaudits and honors for his work in Nightingale (2014), Queen of Katwe (2016), and A United Kingdom (2016). He’ll undoubtedly be recognized by the Academy Awards in the future.
Ewan McGregor
To movie buffs, he is most known for his roles as the primary druggie in Trainspotting (1996) and Christian in Moulin Rouge! (2001). To the general public, he is a worthy replacement to Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. However, he is strangely a perpetual reject at the Academy.
It’s perplexing that, despite his illustrious career, Ewan McGregor has never received an Oscar nomination. With his roles on Fargo (2014-present) and Birds of Prey, he has only continued to show off his ferocious talent (2020). Hopefully, the Academy will catch up shortly.
Hugh Grant
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) is a modern classic that received a Best Picture nomination from the Academy Awards. Hugh Grant, the film’s likable star, was unfortunately not treated with the same affection, and had to settle for a Golden Globe. Grant has now followed in the footsteps of early Matthew McConaughey, becoming the go-to guy for romantic comedies, which he and audiences didn’t seem to mind. He has both charisma and eccentricity.
But, like McConaughey, he grew out of his typecasting and showed what he could do, more than holding his own alongside Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) and playing the egotistical has-been actor villain in Paddington 2 (2017), a performance that was nothing short of electrifying and deserving of Oscar consideration.
James McAvoy
Mr. Tumnus has come a long way since his shack in the snow hidden behind a wardrobe. James McAvoy has appeared in a variety of films, ranging from historical and period dramas to superhero films and the wonderful craziness that was Wanted (2008). He never fails to impress or stand out, and he does so on a regular basis.
His latest roles in Split (2016) and Glass (2019) as a man with over 20 different personalities serve as microcosms of his tremendous acting range and passion. Even with that, the Academy continues to refuse him an Oscar nomination, so perhaps they’ll make up for it later.
Jim Carrey
From the 1990s through the 2000s, Jim Carrey was one of Hollywood’s biggest and most bankable leading men, a cyclone of comedic energy with a pliable body. In films like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Mask (1994), and Liar Liar (1994), he became well-known for his signature humorous approach (1997).
However, he established himself as more than just a comedic actor with critically lauded performances in films such as The Truman Show (1998), Man on the Moon (1999), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2001). (2004). Despite receiving multiple honors and nominations for these films, the Oscar nomination consistently eluded him, to the point that it has ironically become a joke among Carrey’s fans and himself. His fame may not be as bright as it once was, but his efforts in Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Kidding (2018-2020) show that he can still make us laugh and cry.
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac has created a career in the previous decade that includes indies, dramas, television roles, and roles in popular franchises, making him one of the biggest breakout stars of the decade. His performances in Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), A Most Violent Year (2014), and Ex Machina (2014) should have gotten him substantial Oscar consideration, and they almost certainly did, but nothing came of it.
That hasn’t stopped Isaac, and he’ll undoubtedly continue to dazzle reviewers and audiences for years to come. The Oscars should give him his due sooner or later.
Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen is a well-known personality in the geek community, having offered his dominating screen presence to James Bond, Marvel, Star Wars, and Hannibal Lecter, to mention a few. His most acclaimed roles, aside from Bond villains Le Chiffre and Lecter, have been as an unjustly accused man in The Hunt (2012) and a teacher on a drinking spree in Another Round (2020), both films set in his homeland. Both of them deserved to win an Academy Award.
