Viola Davis' Oscars Snub Has Fans Throwing A Fit
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has finally announced its nominees for the 95th Oscar Awards, and — according to Twitter — the results were somewhat of a mixed bag.
There were plenty of pleasant surprises among the nominees, such as Brian Tyree Henry's Best Supporting Actor nod for the drama "Causeway," "All Quiet on the Western Front's" inclusion in the race for Best Picture, Paul Mescal's Best Actor nomination for "Aftersun" and, depending on your bandwidth for celebrity jockeying and media incredulity, Andrea Riseborough's shocking breakthrough into the Best Actress race for her performance in "To Leslie."
Of course, there were some eyebrow-raising exclusions. Despite a smashing box office, exceptional buzz, and plenty of nominations in other categories, the one feat "Top Gun: Maverick" could not accomplish was earning Tom Cruise an Oscar nomination. And while "All Quiet's..." acceptance in the Best Picture category is exciting, it also underscores the sadness of "RRR's" omission (because India opted to submit "Chhello Show" — or "The Last Film Show" — instead of "RRR," it is also out of contention for Best International Feature Film, per the LA Times). One exclusion from the Best Actress category, however, has cinephiles online in an absolute uproar.
How could this happen?
Many viewers took to Twitter after this morning's Oscars announcement to grieve over the noticeable lack of one name in particular — Viola Davis. The actor, best known for her roles in "How to Get Away with Murder" and "The Suicide Squad," did not receive a nod for her work in the 2022 historical-fiction epic "The Woman King." Davis starred as General Nanisca, the leader of an all-female militia called the Agojie, who were tasked with protecting the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the early 19th century.
For her portrayal of Nanisca, Davis has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Golden Globe, a Critics' Choice award, a Screen Actors Guild award, and a British Academy Film award (BAFTA). As such, her absence in the Best Actress category is undeniably surprising. "y'all really snubbed viola davis......" wrote @midnightsyonces on Twitter, while @ljoseghine exclaimed, "VIOLA DAVIS WAS ROBBED." Indeed, the Academy's Twitter mentions were rife with fans bemoaning Davis' overlooked performance, with many, including @skylinescotty asking, "where is viola davis??"
It is worth noting that Andrea Riseborough's forceful and celebrity-backed Oscars campaign for "To Leslie" was always going to need to edge out one of the names in popular contention for the Best Actress award (as IndieWire reported earlier this year). It would be unfair to state outright that Riseborough directly took Davis out of contention; however, as Danielle Deadwyler ("Till"), Olivia Coleman ("Empire of Light"), Margot Robbie ("Babylon"), Anya Taylor-Joy ("The Menu"), Emma Thompson ("Good Luck To You, Leo Grande"), and Lesley Manville ("Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris") were all bumped out of contention as the race constricted to a handful of names.