10 Actors We Still Can't Believe Are Oscar Nominees

3. James Franco (127 Hours)

When the buzz began to rise surrounding James Franco's performance in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, I couldn't help but laugh, assuring myself it would never happen. Though Franco had won a Golden Globe for playing James Dean, an Oscar is a completely different sport, yet low and behold, the nominations were announced, and alongside Colin Firth (The King's Speech), Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges (True Grit) and Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) was James Franco's name. Franco had inexplicably come a long way from starring in the Spider-Man movies and, more to the point, comedies like Pineapple Express. Even if some might have expected him to take on the occasional high-drama role, I doubt many would have seen this nomination coming. Though it seems more obvious looking back now that Franco's firmly stuck into the "pretentious William Faulkner adaptation" part of his career, it's still a trick I'd be surprised to see him repeat.