The 9 Most Heinous Oscar Nomination Snubs

“Snub” is a loaded word.

When it comes to awards, it’s kicked around like a hacky sack in the ’90s. But, at least in this one awards obsessive’s eyes, it should only be employed in very specific situations. For something to be a “snub” on a nominations morning, like Thursday is for the Oscar nods, it needs to describe a performance that missed out on a category, and which you would replace any of the actual nominees with.

And while it’s my personal opinion that any mention of Emilia Pérez should be taken to the backyard shed and given the Old Yeller treatment, it’s otherwise been such a strong year in cinema that, overwhelmingly, this year’s Academy Awards nominations are actually great—as far as these things go.

I definitely didn’t expect The Apprentice, the Donald Trump villain origin story, to do as well as it did, scoring Best Actor and Supporting Actor nods. Those nominations are, in my eyes, totally deserved; I’m just conditioned to Oscar voters being allergic to the word “deserved.” And, certainly, I didn’t expect what could be construed as a political statement by nominating Sebastian Stan’s Trump turn and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn.

The dial turning, as it should, more international also meant that the heartbreaking, brilliant I’m Still Here surprised. The film from Brazil earned Best Picture and Best Actress nominations for star Fernanda Torres.

But am I still salty? Of course! The nominations don’t perfectly reflect my own “if I had my own ballot, and anybody cared” wishlist. So after an exhausting Oscar season, here’s who I’m most upset didn’t make the list. Are they snubs? Again, the list is so strong I’d be hard-pressed to kick anyone off it, unless they happened to sing a musical number about vaginoplasty. But these are the nominations that I think would’ve been pretty cool to happen.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) - Best Actress

This is probably the sole performance that could legitimately count as a snub. Marianne Jean-Baptiste was so extraordinary in Hard Truths that her win should’ve been pre-ordained, and any nominee could’ve been booted to make room for her. She delivered a performance as a terminally cranky woman that was so complex and alternately heartbreaking and entertaining that an attempt to describe it is futile. I can’t believe she’s not nominated.

Angelina Jolie (Maria) - Best Actress

This one flummoxes me. One of the most famous people in the world, who is not just an Oscar winner, but who has also been given honorary recognition for her philanthropy, gives the best acting performance of her career. It’s in a film that’s part of a trilogy that garnered nominations for its two previous actresses, Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart. And it’s part of a campaign run by Netflix, which has specialized in shepherding biopic performances to Oscar nods. How does it miss out?

Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) - Best Actress

Listen, the Best Actress category was so competitive that an entire second set of five nominees could be listed and no one would think they weren’t the actual nominees. Still, it’s surprising that Nicole Kidman, an Oscar darling so beloved that even her wonky Lucille Ball got a nomination, couldn’t get in for one of her most provocative and bravest performances yet. It’s especially surprising because, anyone who actually watches Babygirl, surfaces raving about how sheerly entertaining it is. It’s not a hard watch; it’s an incredibly fun one.

Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl) - Best Actress

Copy and paste the first sentence from the last category here. Best Actress was an incredibly competitive category this year. Pamela Anderson had what I call the “Jennifer Aniston - Cake” narrative this year. A major celeb whose acting skills weren’t always taken seriously scores a slew of precursor nominations, to the point that many expect to hear her name read on nomination day—but it isn’t. Anderson is nominated at the Critics Choice and SAG Awards, and that is huge recognition for this Cinderella-esque awards film.

Daniel Craig (Queer) - Best Actor

Daniel Craig is one of those actors who you assume probably has an Oscar nomination by now, but he doesn’t. Queer was supposed to be his first. He racked up pretty much every major precursor nomination. But Sebastian Stan surprised in the slot that was likely his. My guess? It’s cynical and depressing, but I just don’t think nominators pressed play on screeners of a movie called Queer.

Sing Sing - Best Picture

All credit to Sing Sing for taking the route of releasing earlier than the Christmas-week onslaught of Oscar contenders, and deservedly gaining buzz because its release has been longer than its competitors. The film is infectious, so it’s surprising that nominators didn’t go for it. I had this one as my 10th nominee in predictions—but I also didn’t expect Nickel Boys or I’m Still Here to get in.

Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez) - Best Supporting Actress

I still have a few more months of bafflement over awards organizations’ embracing of this movie. That said, the overwhelming support of a film typically carries over a surprise nomination or two in its tidal wave. I thought maybe Selena Gomez would benefit from that, and, honestly, she gives my favorite performance in this godforsaken movie. But it was Monica Barbaro who got the surprise nod for A Complete Unknown on Thursday morning, not Gomez.

Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing) - Best Supporting Actor

This is another one where I’m just like, did they not watch the screener? Sing Sing is the kind of the film that would have won Best Picture 15 years ago, with all of its performers getting deserved nominations. Maclin had a strong showing throughout awards season, and I’m surprised that he missed out on the Oscar nod.

Margaret Qualley (The Substance) - Best Supporting Actress

In my opinion, Margaret Qualley’s performance is why The Substance works as well as it does. The film got showered with love Thursday morning, with a Best Picture nod and mastermind Coralie Fargeat getting in the male-dominated Best Director category. Given the support for the film, Qualley should’ve gotten in, too. A major oversight.