Amy Adams was snubbed for Arrival at the Oscars where Emma Stone won, despite her emotionally complex and captivating performance.
As much as the Oscars are one of the major accolades for the talents in the entertainment industry, they are also an incredibly rare feat for many. This is because, while the Academy has acknowledged some of the most iconic stars, it has also left behind many others, despite their deserving to win – something like what happened between Emma Stone and Amy Adams.
Amy Adams. | Credits: Arrival / Paramount Pictures.
This goes back to 2017, down to the snub that continues to sting so brutally. Back then, while Stone truly deserved to win as she was nominated for Best Actress, so did Adams, who was so critically disrespected that she wasn’t even allowed a nomination in the category. To say the least, that particular snub stung so badly that it haunts the director, Denis Villeneuve, even now.
Emma Stone Deserved the Oscar, But So Did Amy Adams
Besides the classic mixup that had the presenters actually award La La Land the win for Best Picture instead of Moonlight (before correcting it), the Oscars held in 2017 also had a lot of people disappointed with the nominations, especially for Best Actress. Not to say that the ones who got nominated and won didn’t deserve it; they did, but that didn’t make it sting any less.
Back then, Emma Stone was nominated for her outstanding performance as Mia in her musical romance La La Land. Rivaling her, were multiple other actresses, including the likes of Ruth Negga (for Loving), Natalie Portman (for Jacqueline Kennedy in Jackie), Isabelle Huppert (for Michèle Leblanc in Elle), and Meryl Streep (for her titular role in Florence Foster Jenkins).
And yet, the one actress equally worthy of at least a nomination, if not a win, was not included in the list of nominees.
Despite putting up a truly fair competition that put her on the same pedestal of excellence as Stone – if not more, Amy Adams wasn’t even acknowledged by the Academy for giving one of her best performances to date in the sci-fi-thriller Arrival.
While The Amazing Spider-Man actress did deserve to win, the same stood for the Man of Steel actress as well, whose performance was as emotionally complex and captivating as was worthy of a win. That said, this particular snub pricked especially bitterly to the filmmaker, Denis Villeneuve, who recently emphasized Adams’ distinction in the role.
Talking to Variety, he addressed that infamous snub, considering how the film garnered multiple other Oscars but not Best Actress. He said, “That was a big disappointment. Amy had the whole weight of the movie on her shoulders. It’s not easy to act in a film like that, against a green screen or a tennis ball. She made it look effortless, and it’s a shame the Academy didn’t recognize that.”
Unfortunately, that was one of the multiple times that fans couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the Academy’s choices over who is worthy of the critical commendation through that accolade and who isn’t. To say the least, being reminded of it once again by Villeneuve, fans are back to rallying against the Academy for not recognizing Adams’ true iconic talent.
Fans Still Mourn Amy Adams’ Oscar Snub From 2017
Adams. | Credits: Arrival / Paramount Pictures.
Playing Dr. Louise Banks, the linguistics expert who embarks on a mission to interpret the language of aliens who land on Earth in a mysterious spaceship, Amy Adams’ performance was so fine that she was nominated for nearly every other accolade for Best Actress, including even the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. And yet, the Academy just sidelined her like she didn’t exist.
This was something that enraged fans back then, and continues to do so even now, considering their reaction to being reminded of it all by Villeneuve. Taking to X, here’s how fans are still mourning the actress’ snub from 2017:
I loved this movie so much. She was excellent in it.
— Jodi (@JodiPietraru) November 8, 2024
Academy barely recognizes anything….
— FDFS Chandra (@saichndra) November 9, 2024
I love this film. The more you watch it, the better it gets. pic.twitter.com/4jx1ietsIa
— Paulina Plazas (@paulinaplazas) November 9, 2024
great film. she had a lot of emotional gravitas in this film.
— patrickocr (@patrickocr) November 9, 2024
My heart was broken 💔
She deserved all the #Oscars— Илья (@ilykotov) November 9, 2024
Amy’s talent s undeniable she deserve to recognize it!
— Fawn 👩⚕️ (@babesfawntasyy) November 9, 2024
She wasn’t even nominated even though she won major precursor awards what a shame
— Raymond (@Rumble_Ray) November 9, 2024
The academy never recognizes ANYTHING GREAT
— Macaiyla (@macaiyla) November 9, 2024
With all of this being put out there, it’s undeniable that not only did the Academy criminally fail to appreciate her for her outstanding performance, but Amy Adams still continues to be one of the most underrated actresses of all time. Perhaps, someday, the actress will receive the true recognition and commendation she deserves from the Academy.
Arrival can currently be watched on Prime Video.
