As the annual awards season gallops towards its climax with the Academy Awards, the same familiar names dominate the conversation. While the likes of Jessie Buckley and Timothée Chalamet collect trophies, a host of equally compelling performances risk being forgotten. With Oscar voting now underway, it's time to shine a light on the actors whose superb work this year has been unjustly sidelined by the awards narrative.
The Art of Being Overlooked
Every January, the Oscar race solidifies, and a consensus forms around a narrow group of contenders. While surprises are always possible, the list of those who won't be nominated is often depressingly long. Only twenty acting nominations are handed out each year, with perhaps forty performances ever considered genuine possibilities. Yet cinema produces countless great performances annually, across every genre and budget. Many fall victim to factors beyond their control: an early release date, modest box office, genre bias, or simply not fitting the Academy's traditional idea of 'awards-worthy' work. This rundown serves as a plea to voters for last-minute consideration, and a guide for viewers seeking exceptional acting beyond the usual headlines.
Motion-Capture Mastery and Quiet Humanity
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Oona Chaplin delivers a physically intense motion-capture performance as the villainous Varang. As the leader of the Mangkwan clan, Chaplin creates a captivating, strangely seductive character through movement alone—her battle posture, strut, and snarls giving life to a digital creation. Meanwhile, in a much quieter register, Kirsten Dunst excels in Roofman. Playing an ordinary Toys"R"Us employee and single mother, Dunst radiates subtle emotion without resorting to showy techniques. Her scene deciding to ask out Channing Tatum's character is a masterclass in understated, truthful acting.
Genre-Defying Depth and Emotional Grief
Ralph Fiennes subverts expectations in Danny Boyle's zombie sequel 28 Years Later. Introduced as a blood-soaked menace, his Dr. Ian Kelson is revealed to be a gentle, iodine-stained survivor. Fiennes uses his considerable authority to guide the film towards a moving climax about acceptance, not fear. The horror genre also yielded two stunning, overlooked turns. In Keeper, Tatiana Maslany is brilliantly focused as a woman questioning her sanity, while Danielle Deadwyler is wrenchingly honest in The Woman in the Yard, portraying a mother paralysed by grief and haunted by a spectral figure.
Transformations and Comic Grace
In the twin drama Twinless, Dylan O'Brien delivers a guileless, heartbreaking performance as Rocky, a man grieving his brother. He avoids caricature in portraying a tough, emotionally confused character, showing impressive range in a brief dual role. Keanu Reeves reminds audiences of his stealth versatility in the comedy Good Fortune. Playing a bumbling guardian angel, Reeves brings a daft, puppyish charm to the role, finding both humour and genuine emotion in his character's fish-out-of-water journey.
Veteran Brilliance and a Stellar Triple Bill
In Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest, Jeffrey Wright is masterful as Paul Christopher, a driver and ex-con whose friendship with a music mogul (Denzel Washington) is tested by a kidnapping. Wright subtly embodies the complex dynamics of loyalty and class. Finally, Amanda Seyfried had a remarkable year. While her monumental turn in The Testament of Ann Lee may yet secure a nomination, her two other 2025 roles deserve equal praise. She was a portrait of controlled frustration in Seven Veils and delivered movie-star glee in the gothic thriller The Housemaid. Together, they form a masterful showcase of her range.
As the Oscars approach, these performances stand as a powerful reminder that great acting isn't always found in the spotlight of the awards horserace. They represent the rich, diverse talent that flourishes in cinema every year, waiting to be discovered and celebrated.
