10 More Actors Who Tried Like Hell To Win An Oscar (But Failed)

10. Adam Sandler - Uncut Gems

For the longest time, it felt as though the ship had thoroughly sailed on Adam Sandler ever truly embracing the dramatic route that he'd proven so adept at occupying earlier in his career.

But bucking the soul-crushing trend of putrid "comedy" the star had churned out for the majority of his recent filmmaking career, The Safdie Brothers' Uncut Gems once again provided him with the canvas to paint a morally complex and undeniably captivating character as Howard Ratner tore around New York trying to keep his life from going up in flames.

And the sheer amount of energy and commitment Sandler pumped into the role was evident in the star's appearance on The Howard Stern Show coming into the 2020 awards season, with the Happy Gilmore thespian jokingly quipping about how he'd react if he weren't to get an Oscars nod for his work:

"If I don't get it, I'm going to f***ing come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay. That's how I get them."

As it goes, Sandler wasn't even acknowledged for this career-best shift at the ceremony, so you can blame the Academy for the deluge of drabness no doubt on its way.