Exploring the unexpected aspects of the Oscar nominations for Oscars 2025

In one of the more wide-open Oscar fields in recent history, there were plenty of nominations surprises Thursday.

OSCARS 2025: See the full list of Academy Awards nominees

Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman were once seen as shoo-ins for best actress nominations, while the lack of interest from audiences in the young Donald Trump movie “The Apprentice” suggested that it had little chance at awards success.

But the members of the film academy had something different in mind. Here are some of the biggest surprises from the 97th Oscar nominations.

OSCARS 2025: Here are your 1st-time Oscar nominees

Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

The movie “The Apprentice,” focused on a young Trump, faced uncertainty during awards season as it failed to capture the attention of moviegoers. Surprisingly, Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan managed to secure nominations for their roles in the film, with Strong receiving a nod from the Screen Actors Guild for his portrayal of Trump lawyer Roy Cohn.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths”

One of the most puzzling oversights of the awards season was the snub of Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her exceptional performance in Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths.” Jean-Baptiste brought to life the character of Pansy, a sharp-tongued London woman, in a memorable way. Despite her standout performance, Fernanda Torres ultimately received a nomination for “I’m Still Here,” leaving many questioning the decision.

Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl”

This is perhaps up for debate, but there was certainly a lot of goodwill behind Anderson’s movie-star turn in Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl,” especially considering her SAG nomination. But like with Jennifer Lopez and “Hustlers” a few years ago, it was not meant to be at the Oscars.

James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”

James Mangold has directed several awards darlings, including “Ford v Ferrari” and “Walk the Line” but had consistently missed out on a best director nomination, until this year with “A Complete Unknown.” It may have come at the expense of Edward Berger, who missed out on a nod for “Conclave” or Denis Villeneuve for “Dune: Part Two.”

Daniel Craig, “Queer”

Daniel Craig gave one of his best performances as an American expat in Mexico in the torrid May-December romance in “Queer,” but it hasn’t been resonating with awards voters. This was the final piece in a puzzle that just never came together.

Angelina Jolie, “Maria”

If there ever were a shoo-in for a nomination and an Oscar, on paper at least, it would be for Angelina Jolie playing opera legend Maria Callas. Filmmaker Pablo Larraín had not missed yet in getting best actress nominations for his famous, tragic women biopics, including Natalie Portman for “Jackie” and Kristen Stewart for “Spencer.” But somehow Jolie did not make the cut in the end.

Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”

“Babygirl” is not a cliche awards movie by a long stretch, but Nicole Kidman’s performance as Romy, the buttoned-up, married CEO who begins a dangerous affair with a young intern at her company was undeniable. But a best actress win at the Venice Film Festival has never guaranteed Oscar success.

Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”

Despite the wide love for “The Brutalist,” Felicity Jones has been curiously absent from many nominations lists for her sharp portrayal of Erzsébet Tóth. The cast did not even get recognized by SAG. But it just goes to show that it’s never too late to sneak in for the big one

Danielle Deadwyler, “The Piano Lesson”

A few years after Danielle Deadwyler was famously left out for “Till,” she has another snub to add to her resume for Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of “The Piano Lesson.” This latest campaign might not have had as much steam behind it as “Till,” but at the very least one would assume that it could have been a make good.

Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

Supporting actress was one of the more chaotic and unpredictable categories this year, with so many deserving performers in the mix. Monica Barbaro was one of those that was on the fringe of possibilities for her turn as Joan Baez, singing and all, for “A Complete Unknown.”

Selena Gomez, “Emilia Pérez”

One who was not so lucky was Selena Gomez for “Emilia Pérez,” perhaps because she was partially competing with her co-star, Zoë Saldaña who simply had more momentum (and gave a moving speech at the Golden Globes).

Clarence Maclin, “Sing Sing”

The incarceration drama “Sing Sing” did get several significant nominations including for Colman Domingo, adapted screenplay and original song. But Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, who delivered a revelatory performance based on his own experience, was not among them. He is, however, credited with helping to write the story.

Margaret Qualley, “The Substance”

Margaret Qualley seems to have been unfairly left out of much of the awards conversation around “The Substance,” a movie that only works with a great Sue. But the focus has been more on Demi Moore, overdue for such recognition, and Coralie Fargeat – the only woman to score a best director nomination.

“Challengers” score

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross delivered one of their most popular scores ever this year for “Challengers” and yet were left off in a batch of nominees that included “The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked” and “The Wild Robot.” It’s not even that they’re consistently overlooked by the academy – they’ve already won twice, for “Soul” and “The Social Network.”

“Flow”

Everyone expected the Latvian cat movie “Flow” to get a best animated feature nomination, especially after it won the Golden Globe. But the big surprise is that it got a second for best international feature – a first for Latvia. This is not a first for an animated movie to get into the international category, though: “Waltz with Bashir” and “Flee” had the honor before “Flow,” but neither ended up winning.

“Nickel Boys”

RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” has had quite the rollercoaster awards season journey, even though it’s widely considered one of the best films of the year. The film academy thought so too, including it among the 10 best picture nominees (alongside other relative surprises like “I’m Still Here” and “Dune: Part Two”). Oddly, though, it missed out on cinematography despite its inventive first-person point of view.

Denzel Washington, “Gladiator II”

Denzel Washington was not about to hit the campaigning trail for “Gladiator II” but he was, at least at one point, thought to be a sure thing for a supporting nomination. In his review, AP film writer Jake Coyle wrote that Washington’s “performance as the Machiavellian power broker Macrinus is a delicious blur of robes and grins – so compellingly over-the-top that he nearly reaches 1990s Al Pacino standards.” But don’t cry for Washington: He’s notched an incredible 10 Oscar nominations in his career, including one for producing “Fences,” and two wins: supporting actor for “Glory” and best actor for “Training Day.”