The Oscar nominations are either satisfactorily expected selections, or speedbreakers that leave spectators rewinding to hear it right. Over time, this event has accumulated a few instances definitive of unpredictability.

While many Oscar nominations raise eyebrows, these 10 have left decades hailing their element of surprise.

1. Lana Turner

The 1957 drama film Peyton Place brought Lana Turner an Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category. It had been the first Oscar nomination Turner received in her entire cinematic career.

Turner was believed to have far more fitting works that could have bagged her that nomination. Skepticism was further fuelled by other major parties like the BAFTAs or the Golden Globes not doing the same.

2. Marisa Tomei

The Best Supporting Actress category was won by Marisa Tomei in 1993, for her role in the film My Cousin Vinny. The absence of any precursory nominations in other ceremonies sparked surprise.

3. James Cromwell

The 1995 family comedy Babe had been an overall success, save for James Cromwell. His Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor amid snubs from everywhere else came as a pleasant surprise.

4. Marcia Gay Harden

Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, Julie Walters, and Frances McDormand were the most cheered for as Best Supporting Actresses in 2001. Maricia Gay Harden prevailed at the Oscars instead, and rather unexpectedly.

The surprise, again, came from the lack of acknowledgment elsewhere. Her role in Pollock, however, seemed to have earned her not only an Oscar nomination but a win.

5. Laura Linney

Laura Linney had given Angelina Jolie a break in her 2007 awards season streak with a Best Actress Oscar nomination. In other places, her role in The Savages was largely overlooked.

6. Tommy Lee Jones

In The Valley Of Elah brought Tommy Lee Jones his first Best Actor nomination in 2008. While he was another case of lacking precursory nominations, he was flanked by George Clooney and Johnny Depp.

7. Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal has sported an unparalleled portfolio and several snubs. Her 2010 Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress surprisingly broke this streak for her.

8. Jonah Hill

Despite entering his prestige-era in 2011, Jonah Hill had received close to no calls for The Wolf of Wall Street. His Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor broke the dry spell.

9. Michael Shannon

Initially, Aaron Taylor-Johnson had prevailed over the 2017 awards season for Nocturnal Animals. Michael Shannon, however, surprisingly yet aptly received a fifth-slot Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for the film.

10. Marina De Tavira

Roma and its lead actress, Yalitza Aparicio, were all the rage at the 2019 awards season. Supporting actress Marina de Tavira stole the spotlight, surprisingly, yet only for one nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.

These actors had left the Oscar nomination shaken by their unexpected entries. As they changed the trajectories of Oscar possibilities, they created a new unofficial category out of the awards.

Which of these Oscar nominations had left you shocked? Let us know in the comments below!

Written by

Adiba Nizami

Edited by

Hriddhi Maitra