Julie Delpy
What Should He Have Been Nominated For? While we were delighted to see Patricia Arquette pick up the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” it did make us feel for Julie Delpy, whose own decades-spanning experiment in time with Linklater, the ‘Before‘ Trilogy, never got the same recognition. And arguably, being as Delpy co-wrote the two sequels (and was Oscar-nominated as a writer for both), her input was even more invaluable. Really, she could have been nominated for all three films, but was perhaps most unfairly overlooked for the last, “Before Midnight” which is a tremendously wise and well-observed movie, and Delpy is quite extraordinary in it. Elsewhere, she’s great in Kieslowski‘s “Three Colors: White” but it is the lightest of that particular trilogy, while her self-penned, self-directed “Two Days in Paris” is also a terrific showcase for her warm, neurotic, funny performance.
Will It Happen? We’re not sure it’s going to happen for Delpy as an actress if it hasn’t already, mainly because she seems more interested in pursuing her (very welcome) writing/directing career, and because her roles tend to be in the kind of comedic register the Academy finds it easy to ignore.
Oscar Isaac
What Should He Have Been Nominated For? He’s literally only just become a household name (and the internet’s boyfriend) thanks to Poe Dameron and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” but it speaks to the immensity of Oscar Isaac’s talent that cinephiles already consider him overdue for some awards recognition. In fact, all of the last three years have seen Isaac given turns that, in a just world, would have been nominees. In 2013, he gave one of the great Coens leading turns as the incorrigibly prickish, somehow still sympathetic title character in “Inside Llewyn Davis.” The next year, he was an honest man trying to get by in a dishonest world in J.C. Chandor’s tremendous “A Most Violent Year.” And last year, he was incredible as the billionaire software genius in “Ex Machina.” Three wildly different performances — a run that ’70s Pacino or De Niro would be proud of, and yet entirely ignored by the Oscars.
Will It Happen? Obviously. “Star Wars” has given him the spotlight that should bring him to voters’ attentions, and it’s only a matter of time: Terry George’s “The Promise,” co-starring Christian Bale, could give him the opportunity.
Allison Janney
What Should She Have Been Nominated For? Perhaps because she came to attention on TV (“The West Wing“) or because she’s rarely seen in a lead, Janney’s name might not be top of mind. But, when you do think of her in this context, it’s flabbergasting that she hasn’t got a shedload of supporting actress nominations. Of course she’s a terrific ensemble player, but when you consider that many of her films garnered nods/wins for her co-stars (“The Help,” “The Hours,” “American Beauty“) it feels like Janney is past due. She also could have picked up more notice for “The Way Way Back” or Stanley Tucci’s undervalued “Big Night” or Sam Mendes’ “Away We Go” had any of those films caught on. But probably her nearest miss to date was for “Juno,” again in a supporting role, where she played Juno’s dotty but wonderful stepmother, opposite JK Simmons — and if there’s any actress who deserves similar success to that which Oscar-winner Simmons enjoyed for “Whiplash,” it’s Janney.
Will It Happen? Yes, absolutely, she’s a supporting nominee waiting to happen. And perhaps if something like Campbell Scott’s “Book of Common Prayer” takes off, she could leapfrog into a Best Actress nod.
Sam Rockwell
What Should He Have Been Nominated For? Pretty much everything? Well, maybe not: Rockwell’s always the best thing in whatever he’s in, but for the most part, the kind of films he’s been doing recently haven’t been the best showcases — see, or rather don’t, “Better Living Through Chemistry,” “Don Verdean,” “Mr. Right.” But the great character actor elevates everything he does, and seems crying out for the kind of role that would let this true actor’s actor get the recognition he deserves. He’s great in films as different as “Galaxy Quest,” “Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind” and “The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford,” but his peak to date is undoubtedly Duncan Jones’ “Moon.” Playing two (or more) roles, it’s all but a one-man show, and lets the star show off the dizzying breadth of his range at its best.
Will It Happen? We’d like to think so, but if someone doesn’t hurry up and give him the role he deserves, we worry Rockwell will end up using his talents on TV instead.
