Worst2First: My Top Ten Lead Actors Who Should've Been Oscar Nominated

Worst2First:
My Top Ten Lead Actors
Who Should've Been Oscar Nominated

Every year the Academy Awards honors the best films of the year, and every year without question there's questionable choices and shocking snubs, but with only five (or in the case of Best Picture, ten) nominees, you're bound to leave out some tremendous performances. In the lead-up to the 2022 Oscars, I'll take a look at ten performers (or films) that should've been nominated - not that those who are nominated aren't deserving of it, but so were these performances (or films) as well.

This second week will look at my personal top ten lead actors who should've been Oscar nominated...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Oscar Isaac
The Card Counter

Paul Schrader manages to write and direct characters that are intensely dramatic and yet deeply nuanced, providing the viewer with an all-encompassing character. Oscar Isaac gives his best performance to date as William Tell - a gambler with a tragic past who's trying to rectify the mistakes of his past by helping others. Isaac plays Tell like an expert gambler - never showing his cards, keeping a poker face, and yet expressing a lot more than he wants in just his simple expressions.

#9

Nicolas Cage
Pig

When it was revealed that Nicolas Cage was going to be starring in a film about a man searching for his beloved pig that was stolen, we all thought it would be a wild, zany, "John Wick" style action epic - but instead "Pig" was a deeply personal, quiet, reflective film about love, loss, and how the mistakes of your past can cripple your present. Cage shocked audiences with his best performance in years, and it's a shame that his previous antics might've prevented him from becoming Oscar-nominated for this film.

#8

Leonardo DiCaprio
Don't Look Up

Adam McKay's satirical look at what would happen if the world finds out that an asteroid is about to destroy the world (hint: they care more about the relationship of a pop singer) is filled with tongue-in-cheek humor and a very sinking feeling that this might be how we actually would react in such a crisis. DiCaprio stars as Dr. Mindy, who gets swept up in the stardom of the situation and gets in over his head. Playing the everyman is something DiCaprio excels at, and he manages to provide both comedic chops and dramatic moments that should've been recognized.

#7

Joaquin Phoenix
C'mon C'mon

Veteran character actor Joaquin Phoenix dominated the Oscars back in 2019, winning the statuette for his iconic work in "Joker," and he should've received recognition in 2021 with his much more grounded performance as Johnny, a single radio journalist who's suddenly tasked with taking care of his sister's unruly kid. The connection between Phoenix and his young co-star is unmistakable, and Phoenix gives another rousing performance that needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.

#6

Mahershala Ali
Swan Song

Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali didn't just play one Oscar-worthy role, but two, in the same movie. "Swan Song" centers around Cameron Turner, a loving father and husband who's dying from an incurable disease. He doesn't tell his family because there's a way they'll never know - he'll clone himself, and his clone will have all his memories and think he's the real Cameron Turner, and while the actual Cameron Turner passes away, the clone will live his life with his family being none the wiser. Ali's performance is heightened in his expressions as he struggles with the complex feelings and issues that come with this sort of predicament, and should've gotten some serious awards recognition for it.

#5

Cooper Hoffman
Licorice Pizza

Proving that talent can sometimes be hereditary, Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Oscar-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman) makes his big-screen debut in Paul Thomas Anderson's coming-of-age dramedy "Licorice Pizza" as Gary Valentine, a 15-year-old child actor who falls in love with 25-year-old Alana Kane, and the humorous and serious exploits the two embark on. Hoffman plays the role wise beyond his years, and commands the screen like very few newer actors could do.

#4

Hidetoshi Nishijima
Drive My Car

Hidetoshi Nishijima plays Yūsuke Kafuku, an actor and theater director who struggles with loss and deception as he directs the classic Chekov play Uncle Vanya. Nishijima is a force of nature in the three-hour epic, spanning the gambit of every emotion possible while maintaining a strong upper lip throughout as he strives to see his work completed.

#3

Amir Jadidi
A Hero

In "A Hero," Amir Jadidi stars as Rahim Soltani, a man who's on temporary release from prison for unpaid debt as he struggles to find a way to pay off said debt. When a plan is concocted to sell gold coins from a missing handbag goes array, Rahim decides to return the handbag with the coins intact, and he's hailed as a hero for it. The film follows his missteps and how people see others in positive light despite their flaws, and Jadidi gives a haunting performance.

#2

Dev Patel
The Green Knight

David Lowery's visually stunning epic "The Green Knight" is his take on the classic Arthurian legend of his most loyal Knight and his journey of self-discovery and what it means to really be a hero and a man of worth. Patel stars as Sir Gawain, as he foolishly plays a deadly game with the Green Knight and must head to his domain one year later to receive what'll undoubtedly be a death blow. Along the way he runs afoul of vagabonds and other characters who teaches him important morals and transforms him from a headstrong conceited young man to a fierce, determined warrior, and Patel gives his career-best performance.

#1

Bradley Cooper
Nightmare Alley

In Guillermo del Toro's neo-noir thriller "Nightmare Alley," Bradley Cooper stars as Stan Carlisle, a man with a dark past who studies in the circus how to perform cold readings, and who uses this trick to con wealthy men out of their finances. Cooper plays Stan with a purely cold heart and a conceited jerk with a suave manner of speaking and commands the screen from start to finish, a role that's easily his best to date, and unfortunately one that went unnoticed by the Academy.