Michael Fassbender
Despite being one of the biggest breakout stars of 2011, thanks to his mesmerizing performance as a sex addict in the harrowing drama Shame, Michael Fassbender was surprisingly not called among the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards.
Long considered a shoo-in for a Best Actor nominee, Fassbender was edged out by first-time nominee Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and dark horse nominee Demián Bichir for “A Better Life.”
Ryan Gosling
But Fassbender wasn’t the only shocking snub in the Best Actor category. Ryan Gosling was a triple threat in 2011 with his acclaimed turns in Drive, The Ides of March, and Crazy Stupid Love. Fans of Gosling and Fassbender are no doubt disappointed today.
DiCaprio and Tilda Swinton
Joining Fassbender and Gosling in the notable snubs in the acting races are Golden Globe and SAG nominee Leonardo DiCaprio for J. Edgar (Best Actor), Gosling’s Drive costar Albert Brooks (Best Supporting Actor), and We Need to Talk About Kevin‘s Tilda Swinton, who lost her spot in the Best Actress race to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo‘s Rooney Mara.
Will Reiser
As if awards show perennials like DiCaprio and Swinton getting left out weren’t surprising enough, there were plenty of other baffling snubs in other categories. A Golden Globe nominee, Will Reiser’s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking autobiographical 50/50 was omitted from the Best Original Screenplay race.
Steven Spielberg
Hollywood legend and three-time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg was snubbed from the Best Director category for War Horse. While The Adventures of Tintin won the Globes’ Best Animated Feature trophy, it was no match for out-of-left-field choices like A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita.
Dinally, Harry Potter fans, the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 was left out of all of the major categories.