You’ve seen Ben Foster in movies before, and you likely – like me – love him. Foster first caught my eye way back in 1996 with the release of Barry Levinson’s underrated Liberty Heights, wherein he played a Baltimore teen in the 1950s coming to terms with his wacky family, and slowly falling in love with his black classmate (Rebekah Johnson). He was great. Critics were warm to the film, and it didn’t get the attention it deserved. Bad luck.
In 2002, Foster appeared in one of the funniest films of that year, Big Trouble, a wacky ensemble film about the ins and outs of dumb criminals. Foster played the sarcastic teen son, and stole every scene he was in. One of the plot points of Big Trouble, however, involved a pair of idiot criminals sneaking a bomb onto a plane. The film was originally set for release around September 11th, 2001, and had to be delayed. No one was in the mood to laugh when it came out. Bad luck.
Foster turned out great performances in a series of notable films for a while, getting some actual recognition for his turn in Alpha Dog. Hollywood took notice, and he took a role in a giant Hollywood blockbuster, playing notable X-Man Angel in X-Men: The Last Stand. Sadly, that film was rejected by fans, and is often cited as one of the worse films in that series. Bad luck.
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Some took notice of Foster for his performances in 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma and 2009’s The Messenger. Both performances gained him many acting awards and nominations from various bodies. Foster, however, seems to have overshadowed by his more famous co-stars in both instances. The former starred Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, and the latter Woody Harrelson. Foster seems to have been outshone by Hollywood sparkle. Bad luck.
Last year, Foster took another stab at what seemed to be a sure-thing Hollywood blockbuster, appearing as a wizard in the video game adaptation Warcraft. He pulls everything he can from the role. The film tanked. Bad luck. Last year, he also turned in two more excellent performances in Steven Frears’ The Program, wherein he played Lance Armstrong, and in Hell or High Water, a film up for Best Picture. The former went largely unseen, and the latter… just more bad luck, I imagine.
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Why can’t Ben Foster get a break? This man should be one of the most awarded actors of his generation, and yet the Academy Awards consistently ignore him. He is one of the most appealing, versatile, intense, and funny performers I have had the pleasure to see, and yet he can’t seem to get a proper foothold in the Hollywood consciousness. He’s handsome and talented, and eager to work in the world of both soulful indies and big-budget genre piles. He doesn’t have, as far as I know, any trouble getting along with directors or co-stars, and he’s never been embroiled in any sort of scandal.
So why hasn’t he been recognized by the Academy? One of his 2016 films has been nominated for Best Picture, so clearly a lot of the voters have seen his performance, but he wasn’t nominated himself. This is a crime.
Looking back over some of the great performers currently working, though, one does find a distressing number of admirable, currently-working actors who just never seem to get Academy Awards recognition, despite a solid body of work. Some were ignored by this year’s Oscars, while others have been ignored for years. Here are ten of the most egregious.
Slideshow: 10 Great Actors Who Are Consistently Ignored By The Oscars
Top Image: CBS Films/Lionsgate
Witney Seibold is a longtime contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and the co-host of The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon. He also contributes to Legion of Leia and to Blumhouse. You can follow him on “The Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
10 Great Actors Who Are Consistently Ignored By The Oscars
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Ben Foster
Seriously. Ben Foster.
Image: CBS Films/Lionsgate
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Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt has proven her range, playing icy receptionists, betrayed alcoholics, and badass war heroes. She has garnered Golden Globe nominations as well as other acting awards, but the Academy has, to date, shut her out.
Image: Universal Pictures
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Joel Edgerton
Edgerton first gained the world's recognition for his excellent performance in Animal Kingdom, and went on to great acclaim in Warrior. His film The Gift, which he directed and starred in, was a powerhouse. To date, the Academy seems to have shut him out.
Image: STX Entertainment
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John Cusack
Given the length and breadth of his career, it's kind of surprising to realize that John Cusack - a man capable of playing dark killers as well as warm sweethearts - has never been acknowledged by The Academy. Although I suspect Cusack cares more about performing than accolades.
Image: Focus Features
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Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale has had an odd career that encompasses a long string of machine gun-wielding badasses as well as classical theater. In films like Snow Angels, The Last Days of Disco, and 2016's Love & Friendship, she has proven, time and again, that she is endlessly talented. The Academy doesn't seem to have noticed yet.
Image: Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions
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Kristen Stewart
Many still dismiss Stewart as "that girl from Twilight," and she still carries around a bad reputation as an actress with limited range. Hollywood, however, loves an ingenue, and with films like Still Alice and The Clouds of Sils Maria, Stewart has clearly grown as a performer. An Oscar nomination would prove that to the world.
Image: IFC Films
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Michael B. Jordan
The soulful and affable star of Fruitvale Station and Creed is poised to be a worldwide blockbuster star, as well as one of the more enthused performers of his generation. I imagine he will have his nomination soon enough. Let's hope the shutout doesn't continue.
Image: Warner Bros.
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Rebecca Hall
Hall was acclaimed in Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona, but not as acclaimed as her just-as-good co-stars. Her performance in 2016's Christine has been hailed by critics as the best performance of the year. We can only postulate as to why she hasn't been recognized by the Academy yet.
Image: The Orchard/Curzon Artificial Eye
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Richard Gere
It's pretty notoriously known that Richard Gere, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, has never been nominated for an Oscar despite excellent turns in films like An Officer and a Gentleman, Unfaithful, The Hoax and Time out of Mind. Worry not. He'll likely get a Lifetime Achievement Award in about 15 years.
Image: Miramax Films
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Steve Buscemi
The "funny lookin' fella" from Fargo is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, turning in great performance after great performance, usually playing sad sacks or criminals. He's directed a few excellent films (including Trees Lounge) and currently garners acclaim on television. The Oscars, however, don't ever seem to see him.
Image: Live Entertainment/Orion Classics/Pioneer Entertainment
