Never say never, I suppose. But Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie’s chances of winning the Oscar for Best Actress became microscopic Wednesday.
What did Kidman say in that viral AMC ad? We come to this place for ice-cold rejection?
Both women, who have each been the front-runner at different points of this topsy-turvy race, were left out of the all-important Screen Actors Guild best actress nominations.
Any way you slice it, that’s a big problem.
They’ve both received months of acclaim. In “Babygirl,” Kidman plays a powerful CEO who has a fling with the 28-year-old intern, and Jolie, in an Oscar-bait role, portrays opera singer Maria Callas in “Maria.”
Nicole Kidman at the National Board of Review Gala Tuesday at Cipriani 42nd Street. WireImage
But now they are the biggest snubs of awards season so far.
Does SAG overlap with the Academy Awards 100% of the time? Far from it. There are almost always one or two nominees who get swapped out at the Dolby Theater come March.
Last year, for instance, SAG nominee Annette Bening (“Nyad”) was given the old heave-ho for Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”) at the Oscars.
However — and this is jarring — only once in 30 years has a woman who was not nominated at the SAG Awards gone on to win the Oscar for Best Actress — Kate Winslet (“The Reader”) in 2009.
Making their victories even more improbable, consider that Winslet still was nominated that year by the SAGs, only for a different movie — “Revolutionary Road.” So, both groups acknowledged her work in some way.
Not so of Jolie and Kidman, whose campaigns have come to a crashing halt.
Angelina Jolie at last Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills. AFP via Getty Images
Who did get best actress nods Wednesday? Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”), Mikey Madison (“Anora”), Pamela Anderson (“The Last Showgirl”) and Karla Sofía Gascón (“Emilia Perez”).
After her Golden Globes win — and rah rah speech — the SAG nod cements risk-taking Moore as the Oscar front-runner.
Unlike last Sunday’s Globes, which are voted on by some 300 international critics and journalists, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are chosen by, to state the obvious, actors.
And the actors branch just so happens to be the largest of the 10,000-strong voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. There is overlap with the SAG Awards. So, they punch far above their weight.
Kate Winslet wins the Best Actress Oscar for “The Reader” in 2009. AFP/Getty Images
There is even a possibility that both Jolie and Kidman won’t be nominated at the Oscars at all. Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, who won the Globe for actress – drama, is much admired. So is Marianne Jean-Baptiste of “Hard Truths.”
Another film that was dealt a blow was the excellent Globes best motion picture – drama winner “The Brutalist.” The 3 ½ hour epic did not make the cut for SAG’s best picture equivalent, outstanding ensemble in a motion picture, although its lead Adrien Brody was included in the best actor category.
The ensemble slots went to “A Complete Unknown,” “Anora,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Perez” and “Wicked.” All will likely be top Oscar nominees.
Demi Moore wins for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for “The Substance” at the Golden Globes. AFP via Getty Images
The diss for “The Brutalist” isn’t as brutal as Nicole and Angie’s though.
Movies given a shrug by SAG have gone on to win Best Picture a somewhat-better four times, and a few of those were quite recent: “Braveheart” (1996), “The Shape of Water” (2018), “Green Book” (2019) and “Nomadland” (2021).
So, “The Brutalist” isn’t out of the running yet. But let’s pour one out for Angelina and Nicole.
