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

 Worst2First:
My Top Ten Lead Actresses
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 third week will look at my personal top ten lead actresses who should've been Oscar nominated...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Jodie Comer
The Last Duel

Jodie Comer is a Primetime Emmy Award winner for her epic work on the hit series "Killing Eve," and 2021 she figuratively killed it in the box office, starring in the crowd-pleasing action blockbuster "Free Guy" as well as Ridley Scott's powerful period piece "The Last Duel." Her role as Marguerite de Carroughes, a woman who claims she was raped by her husband's friend, was huge due to the historical nature of the real-life event and Comer's portrayal, which should've been Oscar-worthy due to her compelling and thought-provoking performance.

#9

Agathe Rousselle
Titane

Horror films really get the shaft when it comes time for the Academy Awards, with only a few breaking the barrier between the general consensus that horror films are somehow beneath the likes of the cinematic elite ("The Silence of the Lambs," for instance, is one of only three films in history to win the "Big 5" Oscars - Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay). Director Julia Ducournau's follow-up to her debut film "Raw" centers on a young woman with a very strange fetish and even stranger event that happens in her life, but then turns from a bloody body horror to a full-on family drama that sheds light on familial restraints and the bonds that unite us. Agathe Rousselle gives a tour-de-force performance that earned her a coveted Cesar Award, but silence from the Academy.

#8

Morfydd Clark
Saint Maud

In Rose Glass's powerful directorial debut, "Saint Maud" focuses on a young nurse who's trying to make up for the mistakes of her past and help a patient of hers attain eternal life with God on the other side by indoctrinating her with her Roman Catholicism beliefs. Morfydd Clark plays Maud with this intensity that's undeniable and showcases a truly religious zealous nature that's like a force of nature, equal parts cringe-worthy and impossible to look away.

#7

Emma Stone
Cruella

As Disney continues to re-imagine their classic animated properties into live-action cinematic experiences, they've started to turn their villains into anti-heroes, and give them a unique voice different than what we've known (it's worked wonderfully for Maleficent). Emma Stone tackled the role of the iconic "101 Dalmatians" villainess Cruella de Vil, turning her from a dalmatian hating monster to a fashionista who is trying to find vengeance for her murdered mother. Stone - an Oscar winner herself for "La La Land" - captivates the screen as the marvelously mischievous Cruella, and her performance should've been recognized.

#6

Jennifer Lawrence
Don't Look Up

Adam McKay's satirical look at how the world would handle an apocalyptic event is equal parts hilarious and thought-provoking, and at the center of it all is Jennifer Lawrence's Kate Dibiasky, who discovered the comet is about to collide with Earth. She's the most logical person in any room, but is constantly looked down on and pushed aside in favor of more light-hearted, humorous stories to keep the general populous in a state of enjoyment. Lawrence's character is the most serious of everyone, and she manages to pull off an awards-worthy performance in light of the comedy around her.

#5

Jennifer Hudson
Respect

Maybe it's because "Respect" was released in August (years ago, in the eyes of Academy voters), or maybe there's a musician biopic fatigue setting in, but in any event Jennifer Hudson was surprisingly snubbed of an Academy Award nomination for her powerful portrayal of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. While the film as a whole was a cookie-cutter biopic story, Hudson's committed performance elevated it from blah to blazing, and while she did receive a Screen Actors Guild award nomination, she was somehow shut out of the Academy.

#4

Rachel Zegler
West Side Story

Before starring as Maria Vasquez in Stephen Spielberg's take on the classic "West Side Story," Rachel Zegler was a YouTube sensation without a film credit to her name. Having won the role of Maria over 30,000 other hopefuls, Zegler proved to the world that her light was just beginning to shine, earning herself numerous accolades including a Golden Globe nomination. While it was hot buzz that she would also receive an Oscar nod, she was shut out in favor of other, more established, actresses. It's a shame, but her career is just taking off and I wouldn't be surprised to someday soon see her name among the Oscar winners in history.

#3

Emilia Jones
CODA

Making her big screen debut as the only hearing person in her family, Emilia Jones proves that she has the talent and determination to make it big in Hollywood. She played Ruby Rossi with a fierce resolve and steely nerve that elevated her performance higher than others in 2021, yet she didn't receive any Oscar appreciation. Her character struggled between her love of family and love for singing, as they came into conflict quite often, and you felt her emotional center throughout the story, and was something that should've been celebrated and appreciated more.

#2

Alana Haim
Licorice Pizza

2021 was a huge year for females in their big screen debuts, as along with Zegler and Jones, Grammy-nominated singer Alana Haim also broke into the big screen in an epic way in Paul Thomas Anderson's coming-of-age dramedy "Licorice Pizza." As 25-year-old Alana Kane, Alana traversed the 1970s California countryside alongside her headstrong 15-year-old friend Gary Valentine, who openly professed his love for her time and again. Haim's performance was more intelligent, grounded, and powerful than her male co-star, and she should've received an Oscar nomination for her compelling performance.

#1

Lady Gaga
House of Gucci

When the nominations were announced, it was almost expected that Lady Gaga's name would be mentioned for her off-the-wall performance in Ridley Scott's highly divisive epic "House of Gucci," but her name was never called, leading to numerous cinephiles gasping in shock. Even the worst reviews of the film praised Gaga's performance as the murderous Patrizia Gucci, but the Academy committed their own murder by not including Gaga in the prestigeous list of nominees.