2025 BAFTA Awards snubs and surprises: Denzel Washington, ‘Wicked,’ and more

Gladiator II star Denzel Washington, Wicked, Kneecap, Sing Sing breakout Clarence Maclin, Queer lead Daniel Craig, and The Substance star Margaret Qualley were among the biggest snubs and surprises after the 78th annual BAFTA Awards nominations were announced on Wednesday.

Conclave and Emilia Perez led all films with 12 and 11 nominations. Most of the expected Oscar contenders also landed predicted bids with British Academy of Film and Television Arts voters (the complete list of nominees is here). However, the BAFTA Awards snubs and surprises were slightly scooped by the BAFTA Awards themselves. Earlier this month, the BAFTA Awards revealed this year’s longlists in each category, with Netflix’s Emilia Pérez and Focus Features’ Conclave pacing the field with 15 and 14 longlist mentions. Other contenders that performed well on the longlists included The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, and The Substance. Films and performers excluded from the longlists in key categories included Angelina Jolie, Danielle Deadwyler, Sing Sing, and A Real Pain.

Ahead, here are some of the key BAFTA Awards snubs and surprises.

SNUB: Denzel Washington for Gladiator II

Washington is one of the most decorated movie stars in decades, with two Oscar wins and nine acting nominations. However, the acclaimed star has never received a BAFTA Award nomination. That streak continued on Wednesday as the Gladiator II star was left off the Best Supporting Actor list, even with the BAFTA Awards having six nominees in the acting categories. It potentially deters Washington’s hopes for a 10th acting Oscar nomination. The star also missed the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations last week, failing to secure space among the five nominated actors.

SURPRISE: Clarence Maclin for Sing Sing

After Maclin was snubbed by the Screen Actors Guild Awards last week, it felt like his unlikely Oscar run might have ended. However, the Sing Sing star landed among the BAFTA Awards nominees despite Sing Sing’s relatively underperforming on the BAFTA longlists. In fact, Sing Sing maxed out with BAFTA, converting all three of its longlist mentions into BAFTA nominations. That bodes well for the little-seen film as it heads toward the Oscar nominations next week — and it puts Maclin in a position to snag one of the Best Supporting Actor nominations.

SNUB: Margaret Qualley for The Substance

For fans of The Substance, the 11 BAFTA longlist mentions felt like a sign the film had broken through with international audiences — particularly after the body horror satire’s soft showing on the Oscar shortlists. However, The Substance only landed five BAFTA Award nominations on Wednesday, including Best Actress for Demi Moore, Best Director for Coralie Fargeat, and Best Original Screenplay (also for Fargeat). One nomination that seemed likely was Qualley in Best Supporting Actress, but Moore’s onscreen other half has failed to find support within the industry despite a wide embrace from critics’ groups. Qualley also could not land a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, a result that her Oscar hopes in some doubt.

SURPRISE: Jamie Lee Curtis for The Last Showgirl

The afterglow is blinding. Curtis was never widely considered a serious threat to receive an Oscar nomination for The Last Showgirl, but she’s come on like a lion in the last stages of the Oscar race. The Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once star followed up her surprise Screen Actors Guild Award nomination with a bid from the BAFTA Awards on Wednesday. Next stop, Oscar nomination?\

SNUB: Daniel Craig for Queer

After he was nominated by the Screen Actors Guild Awards last week, few probably thought Craig would miss with BAFTA voters — particularly in a field of six instead of five. But the Queer star was one of the day’s shocking snubs, as he missed a Best Actor bid. Instead, BAFTA voters went for Heretic star Hugh Grant and The Apprentice star Sebastian Stan.

SURPRISE: Sebastian Stan for The Apprentice

For Stan, the nomination is significant: it separates the actor from himself (as Stan is also in competition for A Different Man) and somewhat confirms that The Apprentice has more appeal with international voters than U.S. audiences. (The Apprentice had several BAFTA longlist appearances, including Best Film, and received three nominations on Wednesday: Stan, Best Supporting Actor for Jeremy Strong, and Best Casting.)

SNUB: Nicole Kidman for Babygirl

After her loss at the Golden Globes and missing the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Kidman felt locked outside the Best Actress race. Her snub by the BAFTA Awards further pushed the Babygirl star to the edge of the competition, mainly because she was predicted to receive a bid from the group.

SURPRISE: Saoirse Ronan for The Outrun

There was a time in the Oscar race when many pundits predicted Ronan might score two Oscar nominations this year thanks to her exemplary work in The Outrun (as a lead actress) and Blitz (as a supporting actress). Unfortunately, momentum for those nominations never came to pass, but Ronan received a BAFTA Award nomination on Wednesday for The Outrun, which also landed on the Best British Film list.

SNUB: Wicked

Was Wicked snubbed by the BAFTA Awards? It received seven nominations, including expected bids for stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. But the blockbuster musical failed to land on the Best Film list and was snubbed in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

SURPRISE: Kneecap

Maybe it’s not a surprise to BAFTA voters. Still, the debut film — a darkhorse contender for Best International Feature at the Oscars — received six nominations on Wednesday, the most ever for a first feature.

The nominations announcement came as Hollywood grapples with the deadly and destructive Los Angeles wildfires that have left thousands without homes, including such prominent Hollywood figures as Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Brody, Anna Faris, Mel Gibson, and Miles Teller. Due to the wildfires, the awards season calendar has been altered significantly over the last several days. Many precursor events and nomination announcements — including the Producers Guild Awards and Writers Guild Awards nominations, both of which have been delayed indefinitely — have been postponed or canceled outright. 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has also adjusted its plans for the 97th annual Oscars, delaying the 2025 Oscar nominations announcement to Jan. 23 and extending nomination voting until this Friday at 5 p.m. PT. That longer voting window means this year’s BAFTA Award nominations could have a significant impact on the race, potentially shoring up bolstering fringe Oscar contenders like Marianne Jean-Baptiste (a 2025 BAFTA Awards nominee for Best Actress) or rallying supporters for unexpected omissions such as Craig.

The 2025 BAFTA Awards take place on Sunday, Feb. 16. Before the nominations announcement on Wednesday, BAFTA announced its nominees for the Rising Star Award, which is voted on by the public. This year’s contenders include Marisa Abela (Back to Black), Jharrel Jerome (Unstoppable), David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), Mikey Madison (Anora), and Nabhaan Rizwan (In Camera).