SNUBS AND SURPRISES
No love for ‘Wonder Woman’ or Michelle Williams, but Denzel Washington is tapped.
Nearly two weeks after five women accused James Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior, the actor missed out on an Academy Award nomination for his performance in “The Disaster Artist.”
The 39-year-old had been an early favorite on the awards circuit for his turn as the eccentric Tommy Wiseau, winning the leading comedic actor prize at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7. Four days later, on Jan. 11, The Times published a story detailing the five women’s accounts, all of which Franco has denied. Voting for the Oscars closed on Jan. 12.
Among those to earn a nomination over Franco on Tuesday was “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” star Denzel Washington, whose performance received positive reviews in a movie that bombed at the box office and was generally not beloved by critics. Tom Hanks, who played Washington Post Editor in Chief Ben Bradlee in “The Post,” did not receive a nomination, but newcomer Daniel Kaluuya, who stars in “Get Out,” did earn recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Front-runners Gary Oldman of “Darkest Hour” and Timothée Chalamet of “Call Me by Your Name” were nominated as expected, as was “Phantom Thread” star Daniel Day-Lewis, who has said the performance in the movie will be his last as he heads into retirement.
In the directing category, Paul Thomas Anderson received a nomination for “Phantom Thread” — which had a surprisingly strong showing overall with six nominations — while Steven Spielberg did not for “The Post.” (Spielberg’s film received only two nods, for picture and lead actress Meryl Streep.)
Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) and Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”) were nominated too, but Martin McDonagh — who was favored by prognosticators for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and earned a Directors Guild Award nomination — was not.
Christopher Plummer, who filled in as a last-minute replacement for Kevin Spacey on Ridley Scott’s “All the Money In the World,” scored a supporting actor nomination. The 88-year-old finished his work on the film in November. (The film was not honored in any other categories, including for the Golden Globe-nominated work of lead actress Michelle Williams and director Scott.)
Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell were recognized for their work in “Three Billboards,” but neither Armie Hammer nor Michael Stuhlbarg got nods for their performances in “Call Me by Your Name.”
Lesley Manville, who stars opposite Day-Lewis in “Phantom Thread,” was nominated for supporting actress after receiving a BAFTA Award nomination but no other major precursor.
SAG award nominee Holly Hunter, however, was not honored by the academy for her turn in “The Big Sick,” and neither was SAG and Golden Globe nominee Hong Chau for her work in the box office flop “Downsizing.”
The generally unpredictable foreign language film category snubbed two top contenders — Israel’s “Foxtrot,” which collected the second place prize at the Venice Film Festival, and Germany’s Golden Globewinning “In the Fade.”
On the nonfiction front, Brett Morgen’s “Jane” — the documentary about primatologist Jane Goodall that’s swept up a handful of awards over the last few months — was overlooked. The documentary, a rare commercial success, collected more than $1 million more in its theatrical release than any of the academy’s five nominees.
Of course, it wasn’t the only hit to be ignored: “Wonder Woman,” the third-highest-grossing picture of 2017, received no love from the academy.
The superhero smash — a long-shot contender for picture, director, adapted screenplay and actress — was expected to at least have a chance in technical categories, including costume design and sound.