Sure, everyone looks to the Academy Awards as the pinnacle of acting success. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned from the Oscars, it’s that they aren’t flawless. There has been a slew of films that they have purposefully or mistakenly neglected over the years. As a result, here’s a list of the top actor performances that deserved to win the Oscar more than Will Smith:
1. Anthony Ramos: In the Heights
The year’s second-best musical (after Encanto, another Lin-Manuel Miranda production) is full of enthusiasm, magnetism, and attractive people. Anthony Ramos, who explodes with charm and enthusiasm, is at the absolute heart of this movie. Would In the Heights have gained more attention if it had been released in December?
2. Dev Patel: The Green Knight
While director David Lowery deserves much of the credit for the film’s stunningly breathtaking and gorgeous presentation, Dev Patel gives a subtly striking performance as a frightened man on a mission to find himself in The Green Knight. A must-watch to explore Dev Patel’s smooth skills.
3. Simon Rex: Red Rocket
Simon Rex has the best performance of 2021 when it comes to charisma, and it absolutely deserved an Oscar. Rex is hilarious, smart, foolish, charming, and evil all at once. He tackles one of the most complex, demanding, and conflicting roles written in a long time with ease. This is also a not-so-subtle suggestion for everyone to start watching Red Rocket right now.
4. Jared Leto: House of Gucci
You may have heard about Leto‘s potential Oscar-winning performance before seeing it, but it will take more than a handful of passes for you to figure out whether it is truly Jared Leto. The contentious actor’s performance of a clownish cousin gives the Ridley Scott movie more fire than the rest of the characters coupled, and that is absolutely not a knock on the other actors.
5. Bradley Cooper: Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley was good, but Bradley Cooper‘s acting makes you dig your claws into your palms with every piece of conversation. Sure, the film has an unnecessarily long-running period of two hours and twenty minutes. Cooper, on the other hand, provides us with something to feed on. Cooper may have had his greatest performance to date with this movie.
6. Riz Ahmed: Mogul Mowgli
The whole and sole reason Ahmed isn’t higher on this list is due to the fact that a year ago, in The Sound of Metal, he practically made the exact same movie, with the same narrative and character journey. That isn’t to say he isn’t wonderful in this setting. His outstanding performance here is a visual delight for the spectators.
