--- title: Oscar Nominations 2016: The Biggest Snubs description: The 2016 Oscar nominations were announced Thursday, with many expected nominees, from Jane Fonda to Ridley Scott, conspicuously absent. canonical: https://time.com/4180778/oscar-nomination-2016-snubs/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-14T22:19:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:33.146Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: The 13 Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs og:description: Where were 'Carol,' Quentin Tarantino and Jane Fonda? og:url: https://time.com/4180778/oscar-nomination-2016-snubs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 13 Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs twitter:description: Where were 'Carol,' Quentin Tarantino and Jane Fonda? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # The 13 Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/) and [Kenneth Bachor](https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/) Jan 14, 2016 10:19 PM UTC by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/) and [Kenneth Bachor](https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/) Jan 14, 2016 10:19 PM UTC When the Oscar nominations were [announced](http://time.com/4178963/oscar-nominations-2016/) Thursday morning, more than a few names we expected to hear—based on [Golden Globe wins](http://time.com/4171495/golden-globes-2016-winners/), awards-season hype or simply just solid performances—were absent from the roster. _Read next:_ [_The 10 Biggest Oscar Nomination Surprises_](http://time.com/4180779/oscar-nomination-surprises-2016/) ### _Carol_  Carol. The Weinstein Company _Carol_ nabbed six nominations, but the movie was shut out of both Best Picture and Best Director despite love from [critics](http://time.com/4132996/carol-new-york-film-critics-circle-awards/), a [BAFTA](http://time.com/4172583/bridge-of-spies-and-carol-top-2015-bafta-award-nominees/) nod and its quietly beautiful contribution to the canon of love stories. Though the film has a chance to score some statues on Oscar Sunday, its exclusion from the Best Picture field still feels like a disappointment. **Read more:** [**How** **_Carol_** **Went From Long-Shot Love Story to Awards-Season Favorite**](http://time.com/4136724/carol-todd-haynes-cate-blanchett-rooney-mara/) ### _Joy_  Joy. 20th Century Fox David O. Russell’s last three movies—_The Fighter_, _Silver Linings Playbook_ and _American Hustle_—were all nominated for Best Picture. But instead of _Joy_ being the one to clinch the Oscar, it missed the boat entirely. **Read more:** [**Jennifer Lawrence Talks** **_Joy_** **Inspiration and How Katniss Would Spearhead Her Squad**](http://time.com/4151777/jennifer-lawrence-katniss-joy-david-orussell/) ### Ridley Scott  Ridley Scott is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images _The Martian_ won Best Picture in the Comedy or Musical category at the Golden Globes, and Ridley Scott took home the Globe for Best Director, so it’s surprising to see his name absent from the Best Director field this year—especially given the Academy’s propensity to recognize well-respected actors and directors who are late in their careers without ever having won. **Read more:** [**_The Martian_** **Director Ridley Scott Says He Knew About Mars Water for Months**](http://time.com/4053351/the-martian-director-ridley-scott-mars-water/) ### Quentin Tarantino  Quentin Tarantino is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jeffrey Mayer—Getty Images _The Hateful Eight_ received three nominations, but missed the Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director races. Tarantino has won two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and, despite two nominations, has yet to win Best Director. **Read more:**[ **Review: Quentin Tarantino’s** **_Hateful Eight_** **Revels in Snow, Not So Much in People**](http://time.com/4148091/hateful-eight-movie-review-quentin-tarantino/) ### Ryan Coogler  Ryan Coogler is seen on Jan. 12, 2016 in London. Karwai Tang—Getty Images The love audiences and critics had for _Creed_, director Ryan Coogler’s much lauded addition to the _Rocky_ canon, didn’t translate into any Oscar nods beyond Sylvester Stallone’s Supporting Actor nomination, despite widespread recognition of Coogler as a bright new talent—perhaps too new to win the Academy’s votes. **Read more:** [**_Creed_** **Director Ryan Coogler on His Chemistry With Michael B. Jordan**](http://time.com/4128234/creed-director-ryan-coogler-michael-b-jordan/) ### Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander  Rooney Mara, left, is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Alicia Vikander, right, is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jeffrey Mayer, Steve Granitz—Getty Images Mara and Vikander were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress—Mara for _Carol_ and Vikander for _The Danish Girl_—but many believed they should have been up for Best Actress, as they were at the Golden Globes. **Read more:** [**What** **_The Danish Girl_** **Reminds Us About Transgender People Throughout History**](http://time.com/4118940/the-danish-girl-history/) ### Helen Mirren  Helen Mirren is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jeffrey Mayer—Getty Images Mirren’s name has frequently come up as an Oscar contender in not one but two films that came out in 2015: _Trumbo_ and _Woman in Gold_. The Academy recognized her for neither one. **Read more:** [**Here’s What Helen Mirren Has to Say About Ageism in Hollywood**](http://time.com/3923502/helen-mirren-ageism/) ### Jane Fonda  Jane Fonda is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. John Shearer—Getty Images Though Fonda’s screen time in _Youth_ is limited, the actress makes the most of it as a narcissistic, aging movie star who has lost sight of the passion for acting that ignited her in her younger years. A Supporting Actress nomination wasn’t a shoo-in, but she was certainly well within range to land one. **Read more:** [**Watch Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Admit That Men Can Be Funny**](http://time.com/3663239/golden-globes-2015-jane-fonda-lily-tomlin-men-funny/) ### Idris Elba  Idris Elba is seen on Dec. 2, 2015 in New York City. Donna Ward—Getty Images Elba’s performance in _Beasts of No Nation_ earned him nominations for a Globe and a SAG Award, but he won’t be in the running come Oscar Sunday. One could argue that the film’s intense subject matter might have hurt his chances—though it was far from the only top movie in 2015 that was difficult to watch. **Read more:** [**Watch Cary Fukanaga Talk About the Violence in** **_Beasts of No Nation_**](http://time.com/4074204/cary-fukunaga-beasts-of-no-nation/) ### Johnny Depp  Johnny Depp is seen on Jan. 9, 2016 in Culver City, Calif. Jason LaVeris—Getty Images Many critics and viewers thought Depp’s performance as Whitey Bulger in _Black Mass_ was enough to land him a nod for Best Actor. But Depp, who has publicly [questioned the point](http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/10/johnny-depp-oscar-black-mass) of actors competing with one another for awards, likely isn’t losing sleep over not getting nominated. **Read more:** [**Johnny Depp Doesn’t Want to Win an Oscar, Ever**](http://time.com/4071141/jonny-depp-oscar/) ### Will Smith  Will Smith is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. John Shearer—Getty Images Though Smith’s performance in _Concussion_ arguably placed him in the outer ring of contenders for Best Actor, his Globe nomination suggested that he might have a shot at the nomination. As it turned out, his name was not mentioned Thursday morning. **Read more:** [**Review:** **_Concussion_** **Has the Truth on Its Side**](http://time.com/4160548/movie-review-concussion/) ### Jacob Tremblay  Jacob Tremblay is seen on Jan. 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. George Pimentel—Getty Images The problem with remarkable performances by child actors is that they often get categorized as remarkable performances _for a child_ instead of remarkable performances _for an actor_. Tremblay’s work in _Room_ falls into the latter category, though stiff competition in both the lead and supporting actor categories made a nomination a long shot for the 9-year-old. **Read more:** [**Oscar Isaac Played Jedi With** **_Room_** **’s Jacob Tremblay After the Golden Globes**](http://time.com/4175956/oscar-isaac-jacob-tremblay-red-carpet/) ### Paul Dano  Paul Dano is seen on Jan. 11, 2016 in West Hollywood, Calif. Michael Kovac—Getty Images Dano is one of those actors who keeps churning out remarkable performances without snagging too much of the spotlight. His turn as a young Brian Wilson in _Love and Mercy_ looked like it might land him his first Oscar nom, but he was shut out of a competitive field. **Read more:** [**Heroes and Villains:** **_Love and Mercy_** **’s Paul Dano on Playing Brian Wilson**](http://time.com/3399638/paul-dano-brian-wilson/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4180778/oscar-nomination-2016-snubs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4180778/oscar-nomination-2016-snubs/"},"headline":"The 13 Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs","datePublished":"2016-01-14T22:19:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:50:33.146Z","description":"Where were Carol, Quentin Tarantino and Jane Fonda?","url":"https://time.com/4180778/oscar-nomination-2016-snubs/","keywords":["awards"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Kenneth Bachor","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/awards/","name":"awards"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4180778/oscar-nomination-2016-snubs/","name":"The 13 Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs"}}]}] ```