5 Actresses That Are Overdue For An Oscar Nomination

Allison Janney
Nomination-Worthy Roles: Loretta in “Drop Dead Gorgeous“; Barbara Fitts in “American Beauty“; Sally Lester in “The Hours“; Bren MacGuff in “Juno“; Trish in “Life During Wartime“; Charlotte Phelan in “The Help“; Monica Patterson in “Margaret”
Why Has She Never Been Nominated? One of the great unsung character actresses of our time, Janney has made a habit of stealing scene after scene across the past decade or so, during much of which she was picking up four well-deserved Emmys for “The West Wing.” But while she’s never been anything less than superb, she’s one of those actresses who’s so good that she makes it look effortless — witness her playing decades over her real age in “American Beauty” (she was only 40 when she shot it), or walking away with “Margaret” in a critical one-scene cameo. But she’s never really had a showcase to herself outside the TV world, hence her being taken for granted.
Chances Of A Future Nomination: She’s heading back to TV shortly, for the pilot “Friday Night Dinner” with Tony Shalhoub, but if it doesn’t get picked up, or even if it does, surely it’s time some enterprising young indie filmmaker gives her the lead role she’s so long deserved.

Isabelle Huppert

**Obviously since 2012, Huppert has been nominated, this year, for “Elle.” About time.**
Nomination-Worthy Roles: Pomme in “The Lacemaker“; Violette Noziere in “Violette Noziere“; Marie in “A Story Of Women“; Jeanne in “La Ceremonie“; Marie-Claire Muller in “Merci pour le chocolat“; Erika Kohut in “The Piano Teacher“; Anne Laurent in “The Time Of The Wolf“; Maria Vial in “White Material” among many others.
Why Has She Never Been Nominated? The Academy tends to lean towards U.S. actresses at the best of times, and when foreigners do tend to slip through the cracks, it’s in American movies or in relatively accessible work like Marion Cotillard in “La Vie En Rose.” So in all reality, Huppert has never stood a chance. Her best known work tends to be tough, auteurish stuff with filmmakers like Claude Chabrol and Michael Haneke, and when she does come to the U.S, it’s to work with mavericks like Michael Cimino, Hal Hartley or David O. Russell.
Chances Of A Future Nomination: Huppert is busier than ever, but her future parts are with international filmmakers like Brillante Mendoza, Hong Sang-Soo and Haneke — not exactly the kind of films that get you Oscar nominations. Maybe, like Max Von Sydow, she’ll end up taking a supporting part in a Stephen Daldry film, but we don’t imagine she cares much if she has an Oscar or not.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

**Obviously since 2012, when this article was written, Jennifer Jason Leigh was nominated for “The Hateful Eight.” Thank goodness for that.**
Nomination-Worthy Roles: Stacy Hamilton in “Fast Times At Ridgmont High“; Tralala in “Last Exit To Brooklyn“; Lois Kaiser in “Short Cuts“; Amy Archer in “The Hudsucker Proxy“; Dorothy Parker in “Mrs. Parker and The Vicious Circle“; Pauline in “Margot At The Wedding”
Why Has She Never Been Nominated? Leigh has always been somewhat underrated among her contemporaries, with an indie bent that kept her away from the A-list. But that’s not to say she hasn’t come close: she was a stand out in Altman’s “Short Cuts,” her co-star Mare Winningham was nominated for “Georgia,” and she won several critics awards, and a Golden Globe nod, for her career-best turn in “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.” But critical enthusiasm never carried over to Academy voters, and given her relatively sparse on-screen appearances of late, it’s not terribly surprising that she’s not been in the running for a while, even if she deserved a nod for “Margot At The Wedding.”
Chances Of A Future Nomination: Given the lack of decent roles for women of her age, and the Academy’s favor for ingenues (in the last twenty years, only four Best Actress winners were over the age of forty), Leigh’s chances would be fairly slim, even if she did appear on screen more. That being said, all it takes is one little indie film to give her the kind of boost that Viola Davis, Melissa Leo and Janet McTeer have all had in the last few years.

Also Overdue For A Nomination:  Just left on the cutting room floor and one we argued over intensely was Ellen Barkin. She put in a fabulous, Oscar-worthy lead performance for her turn in the criminally underseen “Another Happy Day” last year. Arguably Meryl Streep could have taken a nap instead for her overcooked turn in “The Iron Lady,” with Barkin getting deservedly-nominated instead, but it was not to be. Other females we can think of that have chops and could get nominated in the right role include Maria Bello, Judy Greer, Charlotte Rampling and Parker Posey with a host of rising young actresses who are certain to be nominated down the line including Kirsten Dunst, Brit Marling, Evan Rachel Wood, Scarlett Johansson, Mia Wasikowska, Elizabeth Olsen, Rebecca Hall and more.