Biggest Oscar snubs, surprises include omissions for Lady Gaga, Denis Villeneuve, Leonardo DiCaprio, more

Another year, another morning where the Academy announces their nominees for the Oscars. Some people wake up to their early morning call congratulating them on their nominations while everyone else’s phone stays silent. This year was definitely no different as there were a series of glaring Oscar snubs from a lot of early 2022 awards season favorites.

The biggest snub for me was Denis Villeneuve being left out of the Best Director category for Dune. Villeneuve took a book that MANY said couldn’t be properly brought to the big screen and he did so in a very visually stunning way. The film did land a Best Picture nomination so it’s a little shocking that he did land a nod, especially since he was nominated by the DGA, which is a solid predictor for where the Oscar nominations may be headed.

The Lady Gaga snub for House of Gucci is surprising since she earned nominations with the Critics Choice Awards, SAG, and the BAFTA’s. In a film that received mixed notices, Lady Gaga was singled out as a highlight and she certainly did campaign for the award. It would appear that Penelope Cruz got her spot for her role in Parallel Mothers.

Leonardo DiCaprio was getting some buzz for his role in Don’t Look Up. The film was honored with a Best Picture nomination along with a Best Original Screenplay nod but none of the star-studded performers were recognized. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a Network-inspired monologue in the film that many thought could secure him a nomination but he just didn’t make the cut.

Aaron Sorkin missing the mark is a bit of a surprise and snub as well. He wrote and directed Being the Ricardos but only the film’s performers (Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, and J.K. Simmons) were recognized. Seemed like a potential lock for a Best Original Screenplay nomination but it appears the competition was too stiff.

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley scored a Best Picture nomination but he was snubbed in the directing category. It would be interesting to see how close some of these directors were to making the cut. The Best Picture nomination used to correlate with a Best Director nomination but since the Academy can nominate up to ten films as Best Picture, this doesn’t really hold true anymore.

Tick, Tick…Boom! deserved more love as a Best Picture nominee and I personally think Lin-Manuel Miranda could’ve pulled out a Best Director nomination but the film wasn’t acknowledged in those categories. Andrew Garfield is the film’s biggest nomination for Best Actor and he has a STRONG shot of taking that award home.

Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe being snubbed for Belfast is a bit surprising considering their momentum all awards season. Perhaps the biggest issue for Belfast is that the film is littered with solid performances and some were bound to cancel each other out.

I thought Ben Affleck had a shot for his supporting turn in The Tender Bar, which has earned him raves for his sincere performance in the George Clooney-directed film. Perhaps the field was too crowded to allow Affleck to get into the Best Supporting Actor category.

Ruth Negga’s role in Passing has earned her raves and many thought she could secure a Best Supporting Actress nomination but it honestly looks like Judi Dench took the nod for Belfast. While some are surprised that Dench got the nomination, she is an Academy favorite.

Two young actresses in critically acclaimed films both missed the cut as they each could’ve snuck in a surprise nomination as Best Actress. Alana Haim had some momentum for her turn in Licorice Pizza while newcomer Rachel Zegler also earned raves for her role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Thankfully they both have promising futures so we’re bound to see them in contention again in the future.

What were some of YOUR biggest Oscar snubs for 2022?