Oscars 2019 Nominations: 13 Biggest Shocks, Snubs & Surprises

12. Surprise: Willem Dafoe - Best Actor

At Eternity's Gate
CBS Films

Most of the Best Actor category went as expected, with Christian Bale (Vice), Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) securing nominations.

The fifth was the one where there was some stiff competition, but even with that Willem Dafoe looked like something of an outsider. It did have a Golden Globe nomination, but apart from that had been ignored by most of the big awarding bodies, which suggested his turn as Vincent Van Gogh was going to be ignored here.

It's the second year in a row, though, that Dafoe has pulled off a nomination for his performance in a film that doesn't get a look in elsewhere, after his nod for The Florida Project last year. That one had more going for it in the build-up though, whereas this seems more out of the blue, but it's hard to complain about Dafoe getting recognition.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.