In this year's weirdly unpredictable Best Actress Oscar race, Kristen Stewart's chances of a win appear increasingly slim. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, could be primed for a victory.
The British Academy Film Awards, the British equivalent of the Oscars, announced their 2022 nominations Wednesday. Pundits had a close eye on them especially considering that during the last two years, all four acting winners at the BAFTAs went on to win at the Oscars.
It was notable, then, that the BAFTAs didn't nominate Stewart for her performance as Princess Diana in Spencer. Stewart was once considered the frontrunner, but she was also snubbed at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, meaning there's now a chance she won't even earn an Oscar nomination at all.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
She wasn't alone in being snubbed at the BAFTAs, though, as Best Actress Oscar contenders including Nicole Kidman, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, and Jessica Chastain were all missing. The only person previously considered a top Best Actress contender whom the BAFTAs nominated was Lady Gaga, as she earned a nod for House of Gucci alongside Alana Haim for Licorice Pizza, Emilia Jones for CODA, Renate Reinsve for The Worst Person in the World, Joanna Scanlan for After Love, and Tessa Thompson for Passing.
In fact, AwardsWatch's Erik Anderson noted that Gaga is the only lead actress to be nominated this year at each of the major Oscar precursors of the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and BAFTAs, putting her in a strong position to win.
Meanwhile, other surprises included Oscar contenders Denzel Washington and Andrew Garfield not being nominated for best actor, a bad sign for them but a good sign for Will Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch, who both earned a nod.
We'll get a better sense of the acting races — and find out if Stewart is still in the mix at all — when the Oscar nominations are revealed on Feb. 8.
