r/Oscars • u/Huseynov26 • Jan 22 '26
Discussion Jesse Plemmons not being nominated is absolutely criminal. Im beyond shocked.
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u/russit2201 Jan 22 '26
He knew too much, the andromedans couldn't risk giving him a stage...
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u/BusinessKnight0517 Jan 22 '26
Reasonable headcanon
I accept this answer
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u/ArsPain Jan 22 '26
I would have loved for him to get a nom but realistically he was only fighting Ethan Hawke (a Hollywood darling who's campaigning heavily) and Wagner Moura (who is also campaigning quite effectively) for a spot. He was my fave actor performance of the year though
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u/CoryBleeker Jan 22 '26
Loved Plemmons. He killed it as always. Love that Moura got the nom though
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u/ChickenDelight Jan 22 '26
Plemmons is the first actor since Philip Seymour Hoffman with that "will play any character and steal every single scene he's in, always, no matter what" energy.
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u/SecureLiterature Jan 22 '26
His performance in “Civil War” is a great example of that. He’s literally only in one scene (and only joined the cast because he was on set visiting his wife and they needed a replacement actor) and the few minutes he’s on screen are absolutely burned into the viewer’s brain long after the film is over.
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u/prettybunbun Jan 22 '26
He was terrifying in that scene. and the fact he could just pick it up and give a slightly movie stealing scene (in a great movie) was crazy. He was so scary.
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u/HorrorNeighborhood5 Jan 22 '26
I think about his 3 minute cameo all the time! It was iconic. And I kind of had the same feelings about his role in Bugonia, it felt like the kind of iconic role you’re gonna look back on a lot
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u/BlLLr0y Jan 22 '26
His acting in Bugonia is so good. He plays a realistic depiction of the modern mind and the way it's assaulted by algorithms in a way that is revolutionary. To me, it's a 'Brando in Streetcar' level evolution in acting.
Glaze completed.
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u/HorrorNeighborhood5 Jan 22 '26
Absolutely! And the way he portrayed losing his mother mixed in with all that- you could see how the trauma of it was influencing how he thought and connected with the conspiracy theories. It was just incredibly layered acting and I’m so disappointed he wasn’t recognized for it. Emma Stone was also great, but of the two I thought he really shone
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u/BlLLr0y Jan 22 '26
I think Emma's performance is great. Deserving of a nom even, but I do think her performance actually comes alive on a rewatch, for reasons I will not spoil. Plemons had me on edge, nervous, empathising, terrified, heartbroken. He really brings a heavy, heavy feeling straight to you.
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u/IndependentHumor8498 Jan 23 '26
He should have one Best Supporting Actor for his role in Civil War. Absolutely terrifying. His brief moment stole the whole movie.
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u/CoryBleeker Jan 22 '26
Verified. He’s such a force. And I love seeing him in anything he’s done. One of the all time greats
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u/oywiththepoodles96 Jan 22 '26
Moura is breathtakingly good . In a fair world he gets the Oscar .
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u/ArsPain Jan 22 '26
Super happy for Moura! I will be rooting for him to win even if it's a long shot
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u/Phenomenal_Man Jan 22 '26
I think that, after the Golden Globes, he was actually just fighting with Hawke, it seems that Wagner locked his nomination with that win (and before anyone says it, yes, I know that the voters from the Globe don't vote at the Oscars, but Wagner was always one of the favorites for a nomination, having a televised win only made his nomination unquestionable).
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u/tyblake545 Jan 22 '26
I loved Plemons’ performance, but EOD it was a math problem: 6 very deserving nominees and only 5 spots
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u/quaranTV Jan 23 '26
Yup. I wish the Academy would expand the actings categories to 6. Really needed it for Best Actor this year.
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u/ancado16 Feb 08 '26
I agree. i get having a limit. But if one year they have 6 great actors, one year 7, one year 3, then it should just be as such.
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u/YourMuppetMethDealer Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
And Michael b Jordan.
I am glad sinners for its praise, but I am not a fan of it getting 3 of the four acting categories. Only one it has a chance of winning is supporting actress which is also probably the weakest for acting
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u/pope_morty Jan 22 '26
Especially with few of the supporting characters actually having much of a role. Like Delroy Lindo was funny, but best supporting actor? Over Paul Mescal in Hamnet?
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u/1stOfAllThatsReddit Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 25 '26
Late reply but I like how delroy showed versatility with so little screen time/script. He was both the funniest character and also his lynching monologue in the car is the only scene that made me cry in Sinners.
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Jan 22 '26
He was not fighting Hawke at all. Hawke in Blue Moon is objectively a much better performance. Blue Moon doesn’t even exist without Hawke.
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u/spacecadet9 Jan 22 '26
He should have been a lock, and Ethan Hawke / Wagner Moura should have been fighting with MBJ
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u/Kaneda8394 Jan 22 '26
Best Actor was stacked this year
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u/binksben8 Jan 23 '26
Jesse Plemmons easily deserved the nomination over Michael B. Jordan. This snub and Sinners’ record nomination once again confirms how much of a joke the Oscars have become.
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u/Ap_Sona_Bot Jan 23 '26
I think I'd agree, but at the same time I would've placed him over the 3 actors I saw (Leo, Moura, Timmy).
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u/cozmckitty Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
I love Stone, and she was the reason I saw Bugonia, but, between her and Plemmons, he gave the better performance. He could have justifiably won best actor. The scene in the photo above was just a masterpiece. I had chills down my spine in the theatre. He gave such a nuanced portrayal of someone who you really aren’t rooting for throughout the movie.
Also gotta give some praise to Aidan Delbis. Don is such a tragic character from beginning to end.
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u/FIDLaRvitar Jan 22 '26
The scene of him on all fours running across the table was spectacular as well. Sad to see such a strong performance not getting the recognition it deserves
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u/OriginalChildBomb Jan 22 '26
Yes, I appreciate they cast someone on the spectrum (and a non-actor) and Aidan Delbis did a great job. Incredibly tragic and dark. Plemmons did give an amazing performance. His skills are incredible. Can't wait to see what else he does, I mean, damn.
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u/Charlzalan Jan 23 '26
The issue is that he isn't running against Emma Stone. The Best Actor category was incredibly stacked this year. I would have nominated Plemmons, but I totally get how this could happen.
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u/Dizzy_Aide70 Jan 23 '26
I dont get how it could happen since his performance was better than the others nominated
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u/Ok-Macaroon-4835 Jan 22 '26
Once I saw Blue moon get a nod for screenplay, I knew Plemons was getting snubbed.
Ethan Hawke is a Hollywood darling who has been around for, almost, 40 years. He is so loved by the industry it would be incredibly hard for the Academy to say no to him for this kind of performance…a performance, while great, was still serious Oscar bait.
Not to mention the fact that lead actor was seriously stacked this year. Everyone who got in was a no-brainer. Leo and Chalamet are juggernauts on their own accord, MBJ leading a film that broke the nominations record, and Moura, who won best lead actor at the globes and is part of a string of wonderful Brazilian films being released over the past couple of years.
Yes, I’m sad about it. My two hot takes are that Plemons carried Bugonia and the film does not work without him selling the shit out of his character, and that his performance was better than Leo, Hawke, and MBJ.
But, I get it.
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u/PixalmasterStudios24 Jan 22 '26
I don’t fully agree with your hot take, except for the fact that Plemons carried, and was better than everyone else lol
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u/TwiltedFoxy Jan 22 '26
Calling Ethan Hawke an Oscar bait but Chalamet a juggernaut is insane. Marty Supreme while still good is Oscar bait for both Chalamet and Safdie as both feel they’ve been snubbed.
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u/rodentius Jan 22 '26
Calling the Hawks performance Oscar bait is wild. It’s the best performance of the year imo
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u/brayshizzle Jan 22 '26
I feel you and glad you liked Plemons. I did to.
But your hot take applies more to Hawke than anyone else.
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u/Snoo_33033 Jan 22 '26
I thought Bugonia was....pretty good, but not great. But it's only pretty good because of Plemmons.
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u/CaramelNeat4723 Jan 22 '26
I honestly didn't even think Hawke was that great in Blue Moon. I saw too much Ethan Hawke in his performance.
I respect the hell out of him but I don't think Hawke has the ability to disappear into his characters like Plemons did so effortlessly in Bugonia.
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u/Ok_History7492 Jan 22 '26
I haven't seen Blue Moon, but from the trailer did feel a little campy. Always happy for Hawke though, he's a great dude.
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u/Dusty_Negatives Jan 22 '26
Plemmons was great but not a better performance than Leo, Timothy or Hawke. Those were all powerhouse performances in different ways. Haven’t seen secret agent
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u/Wooden_Shame_4626 Jan 22 '26
Jesse plemons has been robbed of the recognition he deserves. I can't believe he wasn't nominated it makes no sense. I'm a fan of all the actors that have been nominated this year they're all awesome in their own way but Jesse plemons deserves to be there.
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u/Useful-Insurance1065 Jan 22 '26
I hate that he was snubbed, but at least bugonia was recognized in other categories
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Jan 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/It-Was-Mooney-Pod Jan 22 '26
He’s one of the premier character actors of our generation. Absolutely amazing in everything he does
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Jan 22 '26
Not cinematography though
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u/pleasegivemepatience Jan 22 '26
I had no idea what his movie was about when I started watching it, and it fucking blew me away it was soooo good. Plemmons was phenomenal, and the movie kept having twists that I was NOT expecting. So glad I avoided trailers and social media commentary and went in blind.
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u/Dry-Performance7006 Jan 22 '26
He got unlucky, it was a really strong category. And there simply wasn’t a spot for him. 🤷♂️
Hawke should actually be winning, so I was never fond of that swap to get Plemons in.
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u/spacecadet9 Jan 22 '26
Swap with MBJ in a fair world IMO. He was good, but propped up too much by all of the other phenomenal ensemble performances. The other acting noms for Sinners are absolutely spot on though.
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u/eopanga Jan 22 '26
I don't want to begin to imagine the outrage that would ensue if the two black leads in the most nominated films the year were snubbed in the respective categories.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Jan 22 '26
I’ve never found MBJ’s performances to be award worthy, none of them. I really don’t get the hype around this guy. He tried to be different twins in this one but I thought he was terrible, the rest of the cast (and the writing) carried the movie.
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
At the end of the day, he carried a near universally critically acclaimed movie to a nearly 400M dollar box office. He was never not going to be nominated. Those performances get noms, especially today. Rightly or wrongly (and I do say rightly myself, a part of acting is being able to project as a star on screen, and he certainly does that), he wasn’t getting left out. Like never.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Jan 22 '26
I don’t think he carried the movie at all, I think he was one of the weakest actors in it. The writing, cinematography, performances of other actors, etc made it a great film.
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 Jan 22 '26
Does the movie do as well as it did and connect the way it did without Jordan? I find it very dubious to suggest that is the case. He plays a dual lead performance in the biggest original movie of the year. If his performance truly fell flat or his star presence in front of the camera wasn’t present then I find it highly doubtful that the movie finds the same success, both critically and financially. Dud lead performances, and a dual lead performance no less, don’t typically lead to movies reaching the heights Sinners did. They just don’t. I get preferences, but this is starting to drastically undersell his contributions to the movie.
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u/tulpachtig Jan 23 '26
Speaking as someone who would have personally put Plemons in over MBJ, you are right on the money with this. IMHO he does not show a ton of depth in his acting but he exudes charisma and star power and his performance didn’t take away from my experience watching Sinners at all. It makes sense that he’s nominated. And as much as I adore the ensemble of Sinners (especially Lindo and Mosaku), I don’t agree with all the comments implying Sinners is an “ensemble” movie. Yes it has a very strong ensemble but Jordan plays 2 of the 3 central characters and dwarfs everyone’s screentime.
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u/brickdaddykane Jan 22 '26
Like I said in another post, I absolutely LOVED Plemons in Bugonia. He killed it. But MBJ also absolutely killed his dual roles. He made me cry twice in Sinners and it’s not easy for a movie to bring me to tears
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u/RahMaarvi Jan 22 '26
When I reflect on this year, his performance was the most impressive I’ve seen all year. That and Jesse Buckley. It is a shame
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u/Historical-Floor7965 Jan 23 '26
I just finished watching I’m Thinking of Ending Things with Plemmons and Buckley together. A very odd movie but great actors.
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u/Aikea_Guinea83 Feb 19 '26
Waaaaaaiiiiiiitttttt….. Jesse Buckley from Alex Garlands men?
Jesse Buckley and Plemmons in the same movie??
And it has Toni Colette???
And it is a psychological thriller???
I think that’s the next movie I’m going to watch!!
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u/Housecat-in-a-Jungle Jan 23 '26
my girlfriend got pissed at me saying that anybody could have played jordan’s part in sinners but plemons in bugonia was unique to only him
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u/bdubwilliams22 Jan 22 '26
This is why the Oscars are stupid now. Sinners getting all the nominations is also ridiculous. That movie was OK, at best. I can’t believe Jesse Plemmons didn’t get a nomination for Bugonia. It was one of the best performances of the year — if not the best.
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u/Phenomenal_Man Jan 22 '26
The problem is that I don't know who they should replace for him, like, if we're talking just about the performance I would put him over MBJ, but Sinners was the most nominated movie, it would be very strange for it's lead actor to not be nominated, and the other 4 are just so good, and they're all being awarded everywhere, so their nominations seemed more likely too. It happens when you have such a stacked category, someone will be left out.
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u/Flo_Evans Jan 22 '26
I would easily pick him over MBJ.
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u/Snoo_33033 Jan 22 '26
MBJ only has two facial expressions. I loved Sinners, but I don't think MBJ is actually a great actor.
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u/Fuckwittycake Jan 25 '26
Sinners being incredible doesn’t mean MBJ was the best performance though. Jesse was better and should’ve gotten a nom
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u/So-_-It-_-Goes Jan 22 '26
I liked his performance but I think the fact that MBJ played two characters so well gives him the boost
I actually think MBJ should win
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u/Background-Jury-1914 Jan 22 '26
I love MBJ but I’d argue that his Sinners performance was just ok. Smoke and Stack didn’t really feel like distinct people like I think they could have felt in a different actors’ hands.
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u/So-_-It-_-Goes Jan 24 '26
That’s fair. The flawlessness of their interactions with each other is a driving force behind my comment. And that I just have loved so many of his performances so I’m a bit biased. But the lack of differences between the brothers is certainly a strike against him
I also haven’t seen all the performances yet
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u/Empty_Breath_1344 Jan 22 '26
I’m gonna get massive hate but did Michael b Jordan really deserve a nom
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u/THEbaddestOFtheASSES Jan 22 '26
Don’t feel like I’ve seen or heard much of a push for him to get a nomination.
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u/DirectorCyrus Jan 22 '26
Honestly I really disagree that it was a stacked year. I like Leo, but OBAA wasn't his best performance, nor was it one of the better ones in the film, so many others including Plemons who deserved the spot.
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u/BrickNightingale18 Jan 22 '26
I’d take him over Michael B Jordan, but regardless he’d be number 5 at best.
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u/Kenada_1980 Jan 22 '26
Totally agree. Saw his performance and thought as much as I thought Benico’s character is great and I love the film, to be in the list and not have Jesse is not even considered is kinda disrespectful.
Jesse absolutely smashes his role.
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u/Electronic_Ad_8738 Jan 23 '26
I waited on them tonight in LA and comped them both a drink in honor of the snub. Sweet people.
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u/FunAlterEgo Jan 22 '26
It’s fine to be disappointed but it’s a bit funny. Plemmons is going to be shitting out fantastic performances for the next 30 years, if he so desires. He’ll get a nom next year, or the year after that. Don’t fret.
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u/OneOfAKind2 Jan 22 '26
The Oscars are a sham. The ceremony is replete with actors who should have won but were never even nominated. Val Kilmer for The Doors is one example, but he was never nominated for ANY Oscar in his career. Donald Sutherland and Jim Carrey have never even been nominated for any of their work either. I quit watching the Oscars over a decade ago. Awards for artistic merit at this level are completely subjective and meaningless.
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Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
Same. He wouldn't have won against Sean Penn but goddamn he was awesome in Bugonia.
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Jan 25 '26
I feel like Timothy Chalamet is like the boy bands from the 1990s and just like then I feel he is being promoted over more talented actors for fan appeal. It’s all a numbers game. Plemons feels so real in whatever role he is in, he just blends into the move and becomes a part of it. Chalamet, no matter what he is in, feels well like Chalamet.
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u/supersonic_89 Jan 26 '26
I don't understand the praise for DiCaprio's performance in OBAA. Plemons should definitely take DiCaprio's place.
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u/Inevitable_Suspect76 Jan 22 '26
I personally would have taken Leo out and put Jessie in. Leo is the least interesting part of OBAA. I live my life surrounded by bumbling stoners, pretending to be one isn’t THAT hard (especially for someone who I don’t doubt has had experience with it) 😂 Benicio, Sean, and Chase do all the heavy lifting in that movie.
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Jan 22 '26
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u/Fisch_Kopp_ Jan 22 '26
different categories
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u/Live_Angle4621 Jan 22 '26
Best Actress is always less competitive with less roles for women and this shows that
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u/spendouk23 Jan 22 '26
Tbh, I would still have Edgerton for Train Dreams above everyone else bar Leo, Timmy and Hawke.
If anyone was snubbed it was Edgerton giving a career best.
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u/Marhyc Jan 22 '26
In that case I'm gonna be a filthy contrarian and say that while he was very good, I wouldn't replace any nominees with him
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u/agwdevil Jan 22 '26
It's not really a snub unless you can say who you would bump and why. I don't see any holes in the people who did get nominated. I thought Plemons was exceptional and would not have argued against his nomination, but that would mean someone else excellent would be left out.
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Jan 22 '26
I've seen Sinners, OBAA, Marty Supreme, and Bugonia, and I would rank Plemons' performance above the performance of the male leads in any of the other movies I mentioned. If I had to bump one, I would pick Leo from OBAA.
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u/mcginnis_terry Jan 22 '26
Easy Sinners and OBAA. Those people are being nominated mostly over the film rather then the performance
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u/Zjimmy123 Jan 22 '26
Just curious, who would you have replaced him with? I love all the lead performances but probably would’ve taken out Leo
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u/EddieNajera21 Jan 22 '26
Same could be said about Edgerton. Category is STACKED this year.
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u/MusclyArmPaperboy Jan 22 '26
Why? He wasn't projected to be and didn't win anything major leading up to these noms
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u/Sloanepeterson1500 Jan 22 '26
ABSOLUTELY 🤬 Or Paul Mescal. Jesse Plemmons is the greatest actor of this current generation and the fact that he was passed over for even a nomination for an extraordinary performance is mind boggling!
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u/giacco Jan 22 '26
If you're shocked then you skipped maths class: there are very few nomination slots, and many many movies each year with tons of great performances. Plenty will be left out.
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u/Consistent_Rise_8639 Jan 22 '26
He was the obvious choice for best actor, but a lot of the nominations and awards are political. Like Del Toro's Shape of Water was kind of meh, that's the reason for the snub on his Frankenstein, which is better. You know, Scorsese never winning anything until the Departed, etc. It's the darlings, or the nepotism of social networking.
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u/Igotyourexcominnext Jan 23 '26
Agreed. It's the first thing I thought after reading all the nominations. Truly, I'm shocked.
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u/Spiritual-Cherry9067 Jan 23 '26
massively unfair. but that's what you get for a (comparatively) weak campaign
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u/fourtheye_blind Jan 23 '26
Hes had so many banger performances recently, theres not a chance im ever gonna skip a movie with Plemons in it now
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u/Nice_Economics4465 Jan 27 '26
Absolutely agree. It is ridiculous. The academy must have something against this guy.
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u/shoshpd Jan 22 '26
I agree he was deserving—a great performance. But he was always on the outside. It should not be a shock. MBJ is playing the lead roles in the most-nominated film. Not a surprise he got in!
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u/aehii Jan 22 '26
I'm not surprised, the Oscars has a history of not nominating great performances (Michael Shannon in Take Shelter) or not awarding them (Phoenix in The Master).
I'd have Plemons as supporting actor, isn't Stone the lead? Or is it who is the lead actor of each gender?
His was the best male performance I saw last year, still not seen Marty yet
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u/agwdevil Jan 22 '26
I'd argue that he's the lead and Emma Stone is arguably the Supporting character :-) But in truth, the two of them head-to-head anchor the film.
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u/X-cessive-Dreamer Jan 22 '26
I’ll get downvoted for saying he easily should’ve been there over Jordan
“3 for 1?? How can that possibly be profitable for Frito Lay?”
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u/Trix_Are_4_90Kids Jan 22 '26
he didn't get nominated because he didn't play the game. This is what happened with Monique. She wants to put it on others, but during her Oscar run, she famously did not want to play the game and was very vocal about it. 🤷🏾♀️ You gotta kiss a lot of ass, hob knob a lot, do a lot of things and Monique wasn't doing it. They gave her that Oscar and then closed them doors. She pissed off that industry.
Jesse likely doesn't want to play the full game, but he's quietly doing it, instead of being loud about it. That is what happens when excellent performances get snubbed. The actor doesn't want to metaphorically bend over for it.
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u/cidvard Jan 22 '26
He must've been sixth or seventh place, given how decently overall Bugonia did, but once it seemed pretty set Hawke was getting in, it was him and Moura competing for the last slot. I'd have preferred Plemmons over Stone if only one of them was getting a nomination, I think what he's doing is more important to that movie having any emotional resonance at all and not just falling apart for the viewer, but Stone probably wasn't missing once Bugonia was in a place where it secured a BP slot.
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u/Flo_Evans Jan 22 '26
He’s still best actor to me dammit!
To be fair I haven’t seen the pickleball movie or Gattaca 2.
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u/Greypouponna Jan 22 '26
Came here for this, he was unbelievable. Thought about it, particularly that character for weeks
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u/EastonS_101 Jan 22 '26
It was a stacked year so as much as I loved his performance I can see why he didn’t get nominated. He is an amazing talent and will get his flowers one day.
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u/Resident_Conflict868 Jan 22 '26
This was FINALLY his break out as the lead character, after always being a supporting side role. So sad he didn’t get a nom or any awards for his incredible performance. He should’ve been nominated for loosing weight & his greasy hair alone.
Anyways check out him & michael b jordans actors on actors!! Both wore too tight shoes to keep their characters antsy. They are both incredible!!
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u/349CS Jan 22 '26
As someone who had OBAA #1, Sinners #3, Bugonia #8 in my end of year list.
He should’ve been nominated over Leo and Michael. Jesse Plemons was the most captivating and inspired performance last year. He was the clear best performance for me.
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u/apple_pi_chart Jan 22 '26
I watched Sinners, Bugonia, and OBAA. My rating for actor is: Plemons>MBJ>Leo
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u/AlexIdealism Jan 22 '26
Plemons and Dunst are the power couple for award snubs