7) Mad Max: Fury Road – Best Actress
At first glance, some people may be surprised to see Mad Max: Fury Road appear on this list. After all, George Miller’s explosive comeback earned ten nominations in total, including Best Picture, Best Director and a slew of technical awards, but no accolades were given for the acting.
Fortunately, Tom Hardy was nominated for Best Actor in The Revenant, a deserved nod for the performer’s best year in film yet, but co-star Charlize Theron was ignored, mirroring the gender inequality that the film strives to demolish.
Theron is no stranger to the awards season, earning a win and a nomination for roles in Monster and North Country respectively, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that she was shamelessly overlooked for her performance as Imperator Furiosa, one of the most iconic characters to grace our screens this millennium.
Perhaps it was too much to ask for the Academy to nominate an action movie AND consider the central performances alongside the typical roles played in more heavily dramatic films.