Oscars 2025: 11 Most Notable Snubs As This Year's Nominations Are Announced
Some of Hollywood’s brightest stars have major cause for celebration this evening after landing nominations at the Oscars – particularly those lucky first-timers like Ariana Grande, Sebastian Stan, Monica Barbaro and, of course, Demi Moore.
But, of course, not everyone will be feeling quite so jubilant.
With only a handful of slots to fill, some of the biggest and most-celebrated performances of the past 12 months have gone unchecked by the Academy, with cinephiles on social media already going off about this year’s most notable “snubs”.
Here are 11 of them...
Daniel Craig
Timothée Chalamet, Adrien Brody, Colman Domingo and Ralph Fiennes’ spots in the Best Actor category were pretty much dead certs by the time the Oscar nominations rolled around, leaving a few big names competing for the one remaining spot.
In the end, it’s gone to Sebastian Stan for his performance as Donald Trump in The Apprentice, but there are sure to be a few disappointed Daniel Craig fans.
The former James Bond actor couldn’t have been further from the roles that have made him most famous in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, in which he plays William Lee (a fictionalised version of the author William S Burroughs), an American writer who embarks on a journey of sexual and substance exploration.
Still, given how open Sebastian has been about the difficulties he faced putting The Apprentice in front of an audience in the current climate, we’re glad that more people might now be afforded the chance to see it.
Danielle Deadwyler
American performer Danielle Deadwyler received a wave of acclaim for her performance in the August Wilson adaptation The Piano Lesson.
While the film itself failed to score much awards season buzz, fans had hoped Danielle might scrape through in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as Berniece, a woman determined to hold onto her late father’s piano when the rest of her family are hoping to sell it.
The snub stings twice as hard as it marks the second time an Oscar-worthy performance from Danielle has ultimately gone ignored by the Academy, after 2022’s Till was similarly overlooked.
Denzel Washington
Considering the original Gladiator was a Best Picture recipient, it might come as a surprise to some to see the sequel pick up just one nomination in 2025, in the Best Costume Design category.
Lead actor Paul Mescal was among those to be singled out for praise when the action-packed epic hit cinemas last year, but it’s Denzel Washington who was really being tipped for awards buzz.
After scoring a nomination at the Golden Globes last month, however, both the Baftas (who, interestingly, have never nominated Denzel in his entire 40-year screen career) and Oscars have paid him dust, making him one of this year’s most noticeable snubs.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
It’s rare that you’ll find outcry over a snub in the Best Score category – but then again, it’s rare a score will capture people’s attention in the way that Challengers’ did.
The Nine Inch Nails musicians delivered one of last year’s most iconic contributions to the world of cinema when they scored Luca Guadagnino’s tennis-themed romance drama Challengers, perfectly amping up the tension between its central trio with their musical output.
We’re sure we’re not the only ones confused to see the score – which won a Golden Globe just a matter of weeks ago – not even nominated for an Oscar when it felt like such a shoo-in.
Margaret Qualley
The Substance has been the surprise hit of 2025’s awards season, and we’re over the moon to see not just Demi Moore landing an acting nomination, but Coralie Fargeat’s name popping up on the Best Director shortlist.
However, there’s no denying that The Substance was a two-header, and while we’re over the moon for Demi scoring her first Oscar nomination at this stage of her career, we’re still a little sad there wasn’t space for Margaret Qualley in the Best Supporting Actress category.
The Maid star has made no secret of what she put herself through to help bring the character of Sue (and, perhaps more impressively, Monstro Elisasue) to life, and she was the perfect foil to her Golden Globe-winning co-star’s character in the graphic body horror.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
She may not have had the fanfare and loud push behind her that the likes of Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo or even Demi Moore have had over the last few months, but Marianne Jean-Baptiste had quietly been climbing up the ranks as a contender for a Best Actress nomination thanks to her role in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths.
When Hard Truths premiered at Toronto Film Festival towards the end of last year, Marianne’s performance as a pessimistic woman struggling to connect with those closest to her saw her being met with a wave of praise, which has translated into recognition from the Baftas and Critics’ Choice Awards.
The British performer was nominated for an Oscar once before for her role in another of Mike Leigh’s projects, Secrets & Lies.
Pamela Anderson
Alright, we know this one was always going to be a long shot, but “Oscar nominee Pamela Anderson” had such a ring to it that we couldn’t help crossing our fingers that this could be her year.
Oscar nomination or not, we’ll still be seeing The Last Showgirl the second it hits UK cinemas, and we’re certain this is the beginning of a new era of the former Baywatch star’s career.
Stanley Tucci
Conclave went into this year’s Oscars race as a favourite, and has ultimately received eight nominations, including recognition for cast members Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini.
For the past few months, Stanley Tucci has been hovering around the middle of the list of favourites to score a Best Supporting Actor nod (which would have marked his second ever nomination, after 2009’s The Lovely Bones) but sadly, it wasn’t to be.
He’ll just have to make do with being the entire internet’s imaginary husband instead, we suppose…
Denis Villeneuve
With 10 slots in the Best Picture category and only five in Best Director, there’s always going to be someone who winds up disappointed.
But considering everything that Denis Villeneuve had to contend with to make Dune: Part Two the epic that it was (it’s one of the year’s most-nominated films thanks to recognition in more technical categories, which is no mean feat for a sequel), a Best Director nomination would have been fitting.
Angelina Jolie
The Best Actress category was absolutely heaving with competition this year, and we understand there can’t be room for everyone, but Angelina Jolie’s major comeback to the cinema world after a few years away felt so triumphant that an Oscar nomination would have been more fitting – especially given the performance she delivers in Maria.
While this may not be the year the former Best Supporting Actress wins over the Academy yet again, there’s no denying that it’s great to have Angelina back, and we can’t wait to see what this unusual thinker chooses for her next project.
Selena Gomez
Emilia Pérez may not have been to everyone’s tastes, but do a quick search on social media for Selena Gomez’s name, and you’ll see it for yourself, there are a lot of people seriously pissed off that she didn’t make the cut.
The divisive Netflix musical is, of course, this year’s most-nominated film at the Oscars, with 13 nods in total. Had Selena been recognised, that number would have matched Emilia Pérez with Titanic, All About Eve and La La Land as the joint most-nominated films in history.
