Mere Oscars oversights or major disses? Hollywood’s most celebrated actors and actresses aren’t always the most decorated.
Despite having amassed notoriety and critical acclaim, there are plenty of stars who come up short in the awards department — at least as far as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is concerned.
John Travolta, for instance, has been nominated twice but came up short of a win both times, as did his Pulp Fiction costar Samuel L. Jackson, who was nominated in one category for the film in 1994. However, the latter became a winner in March 2022 with an honorary Oscar presented by Denzel Washington at the Governor’s Awards days before the televised ceremony.
“I guarantee you, this this is going to be cherished,” Jackson told the audience.
Other beloved celebs, including Jennifer Aniston and Blake Lively, have never even had the honor of being recognized by the prestigious group, with no nominations to their names.
While some stars keep quiet about their snubs, others are more outspoken. In 2019, Jim Carrey admitted that he has no interest in the campaign strategy that coincides with awards season.
“There’s a lot of monkey business that goes on around awards,” Carrey, who’s scored two Golden Globes throughout his career but is still without a single Oscar nomination, told Vanity Fair. “[It’s a] gigantic clusterf–k. … If you don’t show up to a certain dinner, you screw your chances and all those things. I’ve never been real good at playing that game.”
The Liar Liar actor continued, “The only time I’ve ever felt a twinge of something about an award or not getting nominated is whenever people tell me I should be. Like, really? Should I be disgruntled? I had a wonderful time and I met a bunch of people. … Isn’t that enough?”
Though Carrey hasn’t been nominated for the most prestigious trophies in Hollywood, Glenn Close has been just shy of an Oscar more than once. Before earning her eighth nomination from the Academy in March 2021, the Hillbilly Elegy actress sat down for a virtual chat with Pete Davidson — who couldn’t believe Close didn’t have an Oscar to her name.
“What can we do to get you an Oscar?” the SNL star asked in the January 2021 Variety interview. “We have to get the internet to help because you deserve seven!”
Close, however, wasn’t too concerned. “Is it better to be wheeled out in a wheelchair and get the lifetime achievement award?” she teased at the time. “You don’t have to make a speech. It’s beyond me. I don’t know what to say about that. I just have to keep doing what’s good. You’re fulfilled by your work, and that’s the process to me. It’s what feeds my soul, but it really is nice when other people like it. It might be cool to never get one.”
Scroll through to find out who else is still waiting on their gold statues below!