10 Iconic Performances That Weren't Even Nominated For An Oscar

2. Romain Duris - The Beat That My Heart Skipped

There are a lot of reasons why Romain Duris wasn't nominated for The Beat That My Heart Skipped. The Academy doesn't usually spend a lot of time and energy rewarding foreign language films outside of the category that is explicitly allotted to them, and foreign actors usually only get themselves nominated if they're either starring in a Hollywood film or a major international hit. It's entirely possible that The Beat That My Heart Skipped wasn't even eligible for the Oscars that year, if it didn't have a wide enough release in the United States. But if there was any way for them to nominate Duris for his work in that film, they should have, because he was amazing. He plays a young man torn between his life as a low level hood working for his criminal father, and his passion for playing the piano. Duris fills the role with such a combination of rage and vulnerability that his intensity sears off the screen, and leaves an indelible mark on the viewer. It's a star-making performance from one of the best French actors working today, one that saw him nominated for a César Award, but nary a whisper of praise from the Academy.