The 2014 Academy Awards ceremony is just around the corner. There’s no telling who will win awards in their respective categories but this much is for sure: the nominees are in. We know who the contending actors are. But can you name some worthy contenders who didn’t make the cut?
If not, that’s okay. But keep in mind, there have been many times when people were overlooked in the past. In fact, there are quite a few notable Oscar snubs. So for this new segment, called Retroactive Geek Out (where we examine films from cinema past), we will be looking at this very thing. Specifically, 5 actors that received an undeserved Oscar snub.
Everyone knows Christian Bale as brooding goth Bruce Wayne. Beyond the cowl, he’s actually a very distinguished actor. It was just 2 years ago that he won an Oscar for his performance in The Fighter. But it’s Bale’s greatest role, in American Psycho, where he received no acknowledgement from Hollywood’s most prestigious award ceremony.
His performance as serial killer, Patrick Bateman, was a tour de force. He infused every scene with his own dynamism, stole every moment with dramatic fortitude, and punctuated it all with a darkly comic turn. After watching this film, you realize only Bale could have played this wonderfully layered role so well. It then begs the question, why was this magnificent performance ignored?
Who knows? Maybe this performance was too “cool” for the powers that be. Perhaps, for the Academy’s sake, it’s hip to be square.
An actor who played opposite of Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy, was actually making waves well before he played the nasally, Mad Maxian villain Bane. And that was in the 2008 film, Bronson.
The film follows the life and times of real life criminal Charles Bronson (born Michael Gordon Peterson), a man who spent much of his life in prison and, often, solitary confinement. For a person as colorful as Charles Bronson, it took an actor with tremendous abilities to bring it to life. Enter Tom Hardy. Here we have a truly brilliant performance – one that, again, received no attention from the Academy Awards.
This is the most unique performance on the list as it is the only one where the actor used motion capture to deliver their performance. Not that it works against Mr. Andy Serkis as he is a true master of motion capture performance, one who has helped this revolutionary technology grab a foothold in the industry with performances as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, the titular character in King Kong as well as this one here. His work in Apes in so fearless, that it’s a tragedy he wasn’t nominated.
Serkis’ work is even beloved by his fellow actors. So much so, that James Franco, who starred alongside Andy in Apes, made a petition detailing why Serkis’ performance deserved to be included in the best actor category (that article can be found here). Sadly, because of the “restrictions” of motion capture, the performance was not allowed to be in contention.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, “Trust Me”, Andy Serkis / Caesar Morph from Andy Serkis on Vimeo.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes / “Coming Back Soon” / Andy Serkis – Caesar Morph from Andy Serkis on Vimeo.
Scarface. One of the truest examples of a cult classic. The movie was seen as so violent and grotesque when it came out, that many critics just dismissed it altogether. Since then, Brian De Palma’s meditation on greed has become an American classic. It’s doubtful any of this would have happened without Al Pacino’s brilliant turn as drug tycoon Tony Montana. He delivered an infinitely quotable persona and is a character that has been immortalized the world over. It’s hard to fathom how the Academy passed this one up.
To be Frank (see what I did there?), I was shocked to learn Dennis Hopper wasn’t nominated for this performance. You’d be hard pressed to think of a villain more chilling and downright reprehensible than Hopper’s rendition of Frank Booth, a sadomasochistic, sociopathic gangster.
There’s a nightmarish quality to David Lynch’s films, but perhaps no character has been more unsettling in this Kafkaesque world than Frank Booth.
It’s difficult to deny any actor the recognition they receive but, as you can see, there have been times where great performances have gone unacknowledged by the Academy. So, when you’re watching the Oscar ceremony this year, just keep in mind that the list of nominees might not completely capture all the great performances of 2013.
