So there I was, watching “Mare of Easttown” (Brad Ingelsby, 2021) as my boyfriend rubbed my feet, when I saw Evan Peters and blurted out: “I don’t get why he’s never been nominated for an Emmy or Golden Globe after all these years giving us amazing performances”. (This was pre-Emmy 2021 nominations by the way). My boyfriend was like: “Yeah, you’ve often said that. You actually say that about many actors/actresses.” It’s true. I do say that about many actors/actresses. So why not make a post about it? Here’s 10 performances that deserved more recognition.

1. EVAN PETERS “American Horror Story” (Brad Falchuk & Ryan Murphy, 2011-?)

So yeah, Evan Peters. He has delivered outstanding performances throughout all seasons of “American Horror Story” which is why I can’t understand why he has never been nominated for an Emmy or Golden Globe. My personal favorite performances of his are of course “Murder House” (Season 1) but also, “Hotel” (season 5), “Roanoke” (Season 6 – my favourite AHS season, btw) and “Cult” (Season 7).

Thankfully, The Emmys served some justice on July 13th 2021, when they finally nominated Evan for his supporting role in “Mare of Easttown”. Hopefully they’ll start paying more attention to his future “American Horror Story” performances from now on.

2. CYNTHIA ERIVO “Bad Times at the El Royale” (Drew Goddard, 2018)

“Bad Times at the El Royale” is a completely underrated film in my opinion. All performances are incredible but Cynthia Erivo’s acting in this movie particularly stands out. I still for the life of me can’t understand why she wasn’t nominated for a Golden Globe, Emmy or Oscar for her performance. It is freaking outstanding. Her confrontation with Billy Lee is… chef’s kiss.

3. ALEX WOLFF “Hereditary” (Ari Aster, 2018)

“Hereditary” is one of my favorite horror films ever, largely because of its amazing performances. Yes Toni Collette, also deserved more recognition than what she got. But I’m going to go with Alex Wolff’s performance for this post. It’s just heartbreaking, terrifying and completely great.

4. MICHAELA COEL “I may destroy you” (Michaela Coel, 2020)

HOW DARE YOU, GOLDEN GLOBES?! HOW DARE YOU?! “I may destroy you” was not nominated for a single thing. Everything in this show deserved recognition, from Michaela’s performance to her writing and her directing.

Thankfully, Michaela did get recognition at the BAFTA awards and this year’s EMMY awards, but what the Golden Globes did still hurts. Look at this scene. She’s not only acting in this, se wrote and directed it. She is a Goddess and deserves better.

5. ROONEY MARA ” A Ghost Story” (David Lowery, 2017)

This probably wasn’t the first or the last time Rooney Mara got snubbed, but I’m using this movie because it’s one of my favorites of all time. The pie-eating scene alone deserved an Oscar. I’ve spoken my part.

6. ANDREW GARFIELD “The Social Network” (David Fincher, 2010)

The “You better lawyer up asshole” line alone deserves an Oscar in itself, but so does the rest of his performance. His work as Eduardo Saverin is outstanding and I can’t believe he did not get nominated or won for bigger awards.

I feel like Andrew has slowly garnered more recognition in the bigger awards circuits recently but still, his lack of Oscar nomination for his work in “The Social Network” is still burned in the back of my mind.

7. THE CAST OF “THE WIRE” “The Wire” (David Simon, 2002-2008)

Despite it often being called one of the best shows on TV, “The Wire” was severely overlooked during the awards season in all aspects, least of not which, for its performances. It’s obvious this show had important actors that have come to do great things: Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael Kenneth Williams, Aidan Gillen and Michael B. Jordan to name a few. Although some actors did receive some recognition (Dominic West and Aidan Gillen), most of the performances were completely overlooked.

8. JESSE BUCKLEY – “I’m Thinking of Ending things (Charlie Kaufman, 2020)

Although the film and performances did garner certain attention in the smaller awards circuits, I was surprised when “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” received 0 Oscar nominations, as there were quite a few rumors when this film came out that it would be an important Oscar contender.

Jesse Buckley was particularly outstanding in this film. Yes Toni Collette once again was incredible. David Thewlis and Jesse Plemons were too. Still, I feel like Jesse carried a great part of the weight in this film.

9. ADEN YOUNG “Rectify” (Ray McKinnon, 2013-2016)

For his incredible performance in “Rectify”, Aden Young was only nominated (never won) for a Critic’s Choice TV Award and a Satellite Award. That’s it. I highly recommend “Rectify” if you haven’t watched it. It’s an incredibly poignant show that never got the attention it deserved.

10. SAM ROCKWELL – “Moon” (Duncan Jones, 2009)

The first time I saw Sam Rockwell in a movie, I was 11 years old and my teacher decided to show us “The Green Mile” (Frank Darabont, 1999) at school. I remember she fast-forwarded through some parts, but there was something else she should have fast forwarded through: Sam’s character, “Wild Bill” Wharton. That man haunted my dreams for years.

Luckily, I grew older and opened up to watching films with Sam Rockwell in them. The man has been in many incredible films. One of his lesser known roles was his performance in “Moon”, a film he practically carried all by himself. He is incredible in it and he should have got all the awards. This wasn’t the first time Sam Rockwell’s performances have been overlooked. Luckily, he finally received his Oscar for his performance in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Martin McDonagh, 2017). Not only that, he was nominated again the next year for his perfomance in Vice (Adam McKay, 2018). It’s as if the Academy Awards suddenly realized they were sleeping on this man (they were) and suddenly decided to catch up on all his career. 

Do you agree with this list? Do you have any other performances you believe didn’t receive enough recognition? Feel free to share with me on social media!