With the Oscars a few weeks ahead, and the Oscar nominations already out, it is that time of year where Oscar voters give anonymous interviews where they reveal their very dumb reasoning behind their votes. Like every year, the Oscar nominations gave us a few pleasant surprises, but mostly the nominations showed a complete lack of appreciation for actors of color and female directors. Among the biggest snubs was Jennifer Lopez’ lack of a nomination for her role in “Hustlers,” and the lack of a nomination for Adam Sandler for his role in “Uncut Gems.”
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In an interview with The New York Post, several anonymous members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences spoke about the biggest nomination surprises, as well as their stupid reasons for voting this way. Regarding Lopez, a “longtime character actor and Academy member” said: “First of all, ‘Hustlers’ is not an ‘Oscar movie.’ It’s a little too rough around the edges, and I’m assuming some other people in the acting category didn’t see it,” the Oscar voter said. “Actors tend to think of Jennifer Lopez as a phenomenon more than an actress, per se. [It’s like last year, when] Lady Gaga lost the Oscar to Olivia Colman — a real actor’s actor.”
Likewise, Adam Sandler’s performance in the latest film by the Safdie brothers, “Uncut Gems” received much critical acclaim, so a lack of a nomination came as a surprise to many. The anonymous Oscar voter said Sandler’s performance was “a tour de force” but argued that there is still skepticism in Hollywood about Sandler’s status as a serious actor. “[Sandler]’s emerging as a truly great actor, but then he does cheesy Netflix comedies that are really dumb,” said the character actor.
Like every year, the issue of just how many movies the 8,000+ members of the Academy actually watch before voting, and like every year, the heartbreaking response by many of the anonymous Academy members is: very little. “There are a lot of movies, a lot of performances per year for us to watch. Unfortunately, actors become brands. Sandler’s brand doesn’t scream ‘Oscar,’ but Leo DiCaprio’s and Jonathan Pryce’s do,” said the very dumb-sounding and small-minded Oscar voter.