Every year, the cinematic community comes together for the biggest night of the year, The Oscars. A celebration and commemoration of the year's best films and the people who made them possible, The Academy Awards are widely seen as a reputable, if certainly imperfect, ceremony.
To distinguish the leading performances from the supporting ones, the Oscars separates them into separate categories. However, whether because of studio jockeying or because the part wasn't as flashy, the Oscars messed up these acting categorizations.
1 LaKeith Stanfield — 'Judas and the Black Messiah' (2021)
Released during the heart of the pandemic, Judas and the Black Messiah was one of the best films of the year. With lively direction, a vivacious script, and dynamic performances, the biographical crime film would be nominated for five Oscars. Starring LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya, the film follows Bill O'Neill as he is tasked to infiltrate the Black Panther Party.
Both Stanfield and Kaluuya are excellent, with both being nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Kaluuya winning, despite the film campaigning for Stanfield to be nominated as a lead. Fans and pundits found this confounding, with the New York Times' Kyle Buchanan questioning, "If Stanfield and Kaluuya are both supporting actors, then who exactly is this movie supposed to be about?"
2 Jamie Foxx — 'Collateral' (2004)
After the mild disappointment that was Ali, crime expert Michael Mann returned with a typically thrilling and stylish thriller, Collateral. Set against the backdrop of LA, the film received praise for its performances and visual splendor. Led by Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, the film concerns a cab driver whose night is hijacked by a deadly assassin on a mission.
The film received two Oscar nods for editing and Foxx's performance. However, although he is in most of the movie and the events of the movie are squarely happening to him, Foxx was nominated as a supporting actor. Perhaps this is because Foxx was already nominated for Best Lead Actor that same year for Ray, an award he would go on to win. If he were nominated again as a lead for Collateral, it would mark the first time in history for that to occur.
3 Peter O'Toole — 'The Stunt Man' (1980)
Holding the title for most Oscar nominations without a win, Peter O'Toole would receive an Honorary Academy Award in 2002. An eight-time Best Actor nominee, The Stunt Man should have only made it seven. Going under the radar due to a limited release, the film surrounds a fugitive who gets pulled onto the set of a film by a larger-than-life director.
While his performance was deemed "peerless" by critic Pauline Kael, O'Toole's turn as the David Lean-Esque director is transient: Steve Railsback's character is truly the lead, as well as the namesake of the film. A Best Supporting Actor nomination could have surely been in the cards, and in that category, O'Toole might have secured his first win.
4 Rooney Mara — 'Carol' (2015)
Only five films have ever received two nominations for Best Actress for the same movie, and Carol should have made it six. While Cate Blanchett received her nomination for the lead, Rooney Mara was erroneously pushed into the supporting category and directed by Todd Haynes; the film circles a forbidden affair between a department store worker and a much older divorcee.
Lauded by critics, Mara and Blanchett were nominated side by side for Best Actress at numerous awards, including Cannes and the New York Film Festival. However, a decision by The Weinstein Company had Blanchett run as Lead Actress and Mara as Supporting Actress at the Oscars. While Blanchett's Carol is the title of the film, Mara's role as the younger lover is just as essential.
5 Daniel Day-Lewis — 'Gangs of New York' (2002)
Widely regarded as one of the finest actors of all time, it would be strange to think of the great Daniel Day-Lewis in a supporting role. However, the five-time Best Actor nominee and the three-time winner was just that in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, about a young man who sets out to avenge his father's death during the Civil War.
Day-Lewis is splendid and, as always, the utmost deserving of an Academy Award nomination. However, the film is about Leonardo DiCaprio's Amsterdam Vallon, as he is the main protagonist that the audience follows throughout the film. Although Day-Lewis had the flashier role as the antagonist, his character is only present as a foil to DiCaprio's primary.
6 Ethan Hawke — 'Training Day' (2001)
Noted as the film that helped transition Ethan Hawke into a more mature actor, Training Day is also prominent as one of the most fun action films of the 21st century. Led by Denzel Washington in a colossal, career-defining performance as detective Alonzo Harris, the film follows a young cop shown the ropes through the day by an unethical senior narcotics officer.
Everyone remembers Washington's signature lines from the film, such as "This sh*t's chess, it ain't checkers" and "King Kong ain't got sh*t on me." However, no one really remembers any memorable quotes from Hawke. This distracts from the fact that Hawke is as much the lead as Washington in the film, highlighted by Hawke's character opening the film and acting as an audience surrogate.
7 Michael Douglas — 'Wall Street' (1987)
The defining portrait of Reagan-era greed and power, Wall Street is an enduring time capsule. Set right in the middle of Oliver Stone's all-time run; the film was only nominated for one Oscar: Best Actor for Michael Douglas. The film follows a junior stockbroker who becomes involved with a cutthroat corporate raider named Gordon Gecko.
Douglas's Gekko was voted 24th on AFI's "100 Years...100 Villains" list, and his lasting quote," Greed, for lack of a better word, is good," was voted 57th on their "100 Years...100 Movie Quotes" list. However, the indelibility of Gecko overshadows the fact that the movie's protagonist is Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox. While an all-time great movie character, Gordon Gecko is a supporting one.
8 Cate Blanchett — 'Notes on a Scandal' (2006)
One of the greatest actors alive, Cate Blanchett, is a powerhouse performer. Notes on a Scandal features one of her best performances ever. Adapted by Patrick Marber from Zoe Heller's novel of the same name, the film concerns an older teacher who stumbles upon an illicit affair between a fellow teacher and a student.
Blanchett is an inherently physical performer, and here, she ejects her carnality to excellent effect, posing broad and vivid on screen. While Judi Dench's character narrates the film, the events that take place surround Blanchett. Furthermore, much of the film is seen through her point of view. Although Dench is great in the movie, Blanchett should have been rewarded as her co-lead.
9 Anthony Hopkins — 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)
Sweeping the big five Academy Awards, The Silence of the Lambs was one of the best-reviewed films of the 1990s. A mainstream appraisal for director Jonathan Demme as well as star Anthony Hopkins, the film would win him Best Actor. Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2011, the film follows an FBI agent who seeks help from a convicted serial killer to track down another serial killer.
Hopkins's Hannibal Lecter is one of cinema's most iconic characters, voted number one on "AFI's 100 Years…100 Villains" list. However, in an almost two-hour movie, Hopkins sees a measly 16 minutes of screen time, one of the lowest ever marks to win an Oscar, never mind for a lead performance. Hopkins is incredible and possibly the film's lasting legacy, but he doesn't nearly account for enough time on screen to be deemed the film's leading male actor.
10 Al Pacino and Marlon Brando — 'The Godfather' (1972)
There is little about The Godfather that hasn't been said already. The Oscar-winning film has been a staple of "best film ever made lists" for decades. However, as much as the film is talked about, few mention its Oscar fraudulence. Featuring a cast of some of the greatest actors ever, the film follows the Corleone family and their prominence as a criminal organization.
Marlon Brando would go on to win the Best Actor award, seen as a comeback since his last nomination was 15 years prior. In addition, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Al Pacino would also be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. However, as great as Brando is, the story is still about Michael. Perhaps giving Brando the Best Actor instead of Best Supporting was to further mythologize his comeback, but at the end of the day, it was the wrong choice.