So, here they are: the top five theater alumni we feel were passed over this morning by the Oscar nominating committee
5. Margo Martindale, August: Osage County
Insiders weren’t expecting a nomination for Martindale, but Broadway fans know that the juicy role of Mattie Fae Aiken won Rondi Reed a Tony Award back in 2008, so there was still a glimmer of hope.
4. Tom Hanks, Captain Philips/Saving Mr. Banks
The Academy had not one, but two chances to honor Tom Hanks this year for his starring roles as real-life heroes Captain Richard Phillips and Walt Disney. Lucky Guy, Mr. Hanks is not.
3. Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Oscar Isaac was a hot in-demand off-Broadway star before setting his sites on the big screen. The title character of Inside Llewyn Davis should have been a big breakout with an Oscar nom in the bag, yet somehow it didn’t pan out. We blame the cat…
2. Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
OK, Emma is not technically a New York theater veteran yet, but she has a bunch of British stage credits under her belt, and she is going to make her NY stage debut as Mrs. Lovett this spring, and, most importantly, her performance as P.L. Travers was one of the biggest snubs of the morning. So there!
1. Scarlett Johansson, Her
It was the biggest long shot, since an actor has never been nominated for an acting prize for just a vocal performance, but Tony winner Scarlett Johansson’s performance as operating system Samantha in Her didn’t need more than a voice to come out as one of the strongest, saddest performances of 2014.
Bonus:
The Color Purple producer Oprah Winfrey was all kinds of fierce and fabulous as White House butler Cecil Gaines’ alcoholic wife Gloria in Lee Daniels’ The Butler.
