If you’ve spent any time talking movies with friends or online, you’ve probably heard the Amy Adams Oscars debate. It’s practically its genre at this point. For nearly twenty years, Adams has been the go-to example of an actor who keeps showing up, doing phenomenal work, and somehow walking away empty-handed. Six nominations, zero wins, and a loyal fanbase that rallies behind her every awards season. But of all the years she’s been snubbed, none hurts so much as the shutout for her part in Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. People are still talking about it today, even all these years later—and rightfully so.
The “Arrival” Snub: A Head-Scratcher that Continues to Perplex
Let’s take a step back. Arrival releases—a clever, emotionally complex science fiction movie that’s as much about loss and communication as it is about aliens. Amy Adams is Louise Banks, a linguist brought in to decipher how to communicate with aliens, and her performance is a quietly powerful and deeply affecting one. The movie got eight Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. But when the Best Actress category is read, Adams’ name isn’t mentioned.
And to add insult to injury, her name did briefly show up on an official Oscar list due to a typo—only to be quickly corrected. Ouch.
Director Denis Villeneuve didn’t mince words about his disappointment. He said Adams bore the entire film and did so with what appeared to be ease, labeling the snub a giant letdown. He wasn’t alone in that disappointment.
The Critics Were All In
Adams was nothing short of raved about by critics in Arrival. The New York Times noted how she made “softness and quiet heroic qualities.” The Los Angeles Times referred to the film as “really Adams’s film,” singling out her combination of intelligence, sensitivity, and restraint. The Telegraph labeled her one of Hollywood’s finest, complimenting the subtlety and intensity of her performance.
She wasn’t simply being nodded to by reviewers, either. Adams received nominations at the Golden Globes, BAFTA, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and over thirty others that year. She even took home a couple. So when the Oscars omitted her from the list, it felt perplexing. It wasn’t merely fans who were outraged—it was filmmakers, critics, and industry colleagues as well.
The Oscars and Their Genre Problem
So what went wrong? How did Adams get snubbed? Well, the Oscars have a long track record of overlooking certain kinds of performances—particularly those in sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. Subtlety tends to get overlooked for something more flashy and dramatic. And Adams’ performance in Arrival was all about what she didn’t say, not what she screamed.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. There have been plenty of genre performances overlooked through the years, even as the films themselves received adoration. Consider Toni Collette in Hereditary or Andy Serkis in The Lord of the Rings. The Academy goes for sweeping moments and plain emotion, and Adams presented them with something quieter and more nuanced.
As one irate viewer noted, “How do you nominate a movie for so many things and not recognize the person who’s its heart and soul?”
How Adams Handles It All
For all the hype, Adams has always been fairly laid-back about awards. She’s mentioned that she doesn’t think about trophies when she picks parts or walks red carpets. What matters to her is whether or not the work resonates with people and gets people talking.
Nonetheless, the Oscar story continues to pursue her. With each new endeavor—such as her latest performance in Nightbitch—she is immediately set up as “maybe this is the one.” Authors and viewers begin again with the hypothesis. And whereas the acclaim would be welcome, the perpetual attention to it diminishes the work itself.
Why We Keep Coming Back to This
So why does this snub—and Adams’ losing streak overall—resonate so deeply? Perhaps it’s because we enjoy cheering for someone worthy. Perhaps it’s because Adams seems authentic, someone who really loves her work more than attention. Or perhaps we simply hate to see the talented go unrewarded so long.
Whatever the cause, the Arrival slight is one of the most infuriating Oscar snubs in recent history. It’s a testament to the fact that the Academy isn’t always correct—and that occasionally the greatest performances aren’t the ones with the most explosive clips, but the ones that linger long after the end credits.