When Oscars season rolls around, many stars are wishing to see their name on the nominations list — but it always doesn’t pan out.
Even before her Barbie snub, Margot Robbie was overlooked for her previous projects. Robbie had her breakout role in Martin Scorsese‘s The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013, which she starred in alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Robbie did not receive an Oscar nomination for her critically acclaimed performance, despite the film receiving five nods for Best Picture, Best Director (Scorsese), Best Lead Actor (DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Terence Winter).
Five years later, Robbie scored her first nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of Tonya Harding in the biopic I, Tonya. Robbie ultimately lost out to Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Meanwhile for DiCaprio, his journey with the Academy has had its fair share of ups and downs. Dicaprio scored his first nomination in 1994 at age 19 for his supporting role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. While the award went to Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitive, that didn’t discourage DiCaprio from trying again.
As DiCaprio continued to give celebrated performances in countless films, he wouldn’t take home his first Academy Award until 2016 for his work in The Revenant.
Keep scrolling to see which stars have been constantly snubbed by the Oscars:
Pugh has been nominated for one Oscar for her performance in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women in 2020. The award went to Laura Dern for Marriage Story, instead. While Oppenheimer received a total of 13 nominations in 2024, Pugh did not receive a nod for her role as Jean Tatlock.
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The late actor was constantly snubbed by the Academy before his death. Boseman became a breakout star for his portrayal of James Brown in Get On Up in 2015. Following that film, Boseman went on to play countless historical figures, including Jackie Robinson in 42 and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.
Boseman became a household name after he landed the lead role of T’Challa in Black Panther. While Black Panther became the first Marvel movie to earn a nomination for Best Picture in 2019, Boseman was snubbed for Best Actor.
Boseman died in August 2020 following his battle with colon cancer, and he received his first Oscar nomination posthumously in 2021 for his leading role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The award ultimately went to Anthony Hopkins for The Father.
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Throughout her career, Robbie has only been recognized by the Academy twice. In 2024, there was public outcry after she was excluded from Best Actress for her role as the titular character in the Barbie movie. Meanwhile, her costars Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera received nods for their respective roles in the blockbuster. While Robbie is not nominated for Best Actress, Barbie is nominated for Best Picture.
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While DiCaprio has been nominated six times by the Academy. He finally won an Oscar in 2016, but a lot of his iconic roles have been passed over through the years. DiCaprio was not in contention for his roles in Titanic, The Departed, Catch Me if You Can, Inception, Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, Don’t Look Up and Killers of the Flower Moon.
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Bassett has received two Oscar nominations in her career for 1994’s What’s Love Got to Do With It and 2021’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She did not receive recognition for her roles in Boyz n the Hood and Malcolm X.
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While Williams has been up for an Oscar five times, she has not taken home a statue. She was nominated for the first time in 2006 for her supporting role in Brokeback Mountain and lost to Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener. Williams was up for Best Actress in 2023 for The Fablemans but lost to Michelle Yeoh, who starred in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
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Despite starting his career in the 1960s, Elliot did not receive his first Oscar nomination until 2019 for his supporting role in A Star Is Born. Elliot was not recognized for his role in Up in the Air. However, his costars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick received nominations for their respective roles.
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Close has been nominated by the Academy eight times but has yet to win the award. She got her first nomination in 1983 for her role in The World According to Garp, but Jessica Lange won for Tootsie. She also lost for her work in The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs, The Wife and Hillbilly Elegy.
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Despite being in hundreds of films, Jackson has only been nominated for his role in Pulp Fiction. He was snubbed for his performances in Jackie Brown, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.
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Adams has received six Oscar nominations in her career and has yet to win the statue. She was nominated for the first time in 2006 for her supporting role in Junebug. She also lost for her roles in Doubt, The Fighter, The Master, American Hustle and Vice. In 2015 and 2017, Adams was snubbed for her leading roles in Big Eyes and Arrival, respectively.
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While several of Gerwig’s movies have been nominated over the years, she hasn’t always received recognition for her directorial skills. She has only been nominated once for Best Director for Lady Bird. She was famously snubbed for Little Women and Barbie, which were also nominated for Best Picture.
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Scorsese might be considered one of the best directors in film history, so it’s shocking to see that he has only won one Academy Award in his career. He took home his first and only trophy in 2007 for The Departed. Despite only winning once, he’s been nominated for Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon.
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