Oscars 2025 nominations: Denzel Washington snubbed for ‘Gladiator II’
Denzel Washington did not hear his name called when the Oscar nominations for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ were announced earlier today. Despite speculation that his role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II might earn him his eleventh career nod from the Academy, he is not among the nominees this year.
In the film, Washington plays a former slave-turned-political powerbroker in Rome who mentors Paul Mescal’s young gladiator. His was the standout performance in a film marked by opulent period detail and a starry cast, and he was widely considered to be the only actor in the movie with awards potential.
The actors who did make the cut were Yura Borisov for Anora, Guy Pearce for The Brutalist, Clarence Maclin for Sing Sing, and Edward Norton for A Complete Unknown.
Washington’s snub is particularly bittersweet considering that he recently announced his plans to retire in the near future. Over the course of his decades-long career, he has earned numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor‘ in 1989’s Glory and ‘Best Actor’ in 2001’s Training Day. His most recent nomination was in 2022 for his leading role in The Tragedy of Macbeth.
He is slated to appear in Spike Lee’s upcoming film adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s The High Low, so he may still have more Oscars on the horizon.
See the full list of nominations below.
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