10 Oscar-Worthy Recent Performances The Academy Will Ignore
5. Lupita Nyong'o - Us
The list of horror films nominated for above the line Oscars is shorter than it should be. Get Out, The Excorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, The Sixth Sense, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde make out the list (while some would, incorrectly, add thriller’s Black Swan, The Silence of the Lambs, and Jaws to the List).
Get Out broke ground as the first traditional horror movie to get a Best Picture/ Acting nomination since 1999 and Jordan Peele hopes to do it again, or at least, get some love for his leading lady.
If any entry on the list has a chance of actually cashing in, its Lupita’s duel performance in Us. She already has a win under her belt (the Academy loves rewarding previous winners), stars in a box office juggernaut (the Academy wants more eyes on their show), has one of the hottest directors on the scene behind her (everyone loves Jordan Peele), and gives a damn good performance as well (the Academy, from time to time, has chosen correctly).
Not only did Lupita play a woman facing paranormal threats, she played the threats as well. She was great as Adelaide, the mother trying to keep her family safe, but she was absolutely impeccable as Red, the woman trying to destroy that safety.
The performance has a lot going for it to get a nomination but being a genre film released in February, it’s going to be an uphill battle.