Ben Affleck being snubbed for Best Director by the Academy may have been a blessing in disguise for ‘Argo’. The film is starting to sweep award after award after the now famous snub for one of the most important Oscar categories. After Affleck didn’t got a nomination for Best Director, there are rumors that voters started to give Argo ‘pity’ votes because they were upset at the snub or feeling sorry for Affleck. After ‘Argo’ won Best Picture [Drama] at the Golden Globe Awards, it swept the top prize at the Producer’s Guild Awards, and then won ‘Best Ensemble Cast’ at the Screen Actor Guild Awards tonight.
'Argo' competes with 'Silver Linings Playbook' and 'Lincoln' on Oscar night
While ‘Argo’ is a feat on a technical level, it’s a stretch to say that it had a better acting ensemble than ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, ‘Lincoln’, and ‘Les Miserables’. It only had one major acting nomination, and has not been raved for its performances the way SLP and Lincoln have.
Affleck himself addresses the competition his film has for the Oscars, saying to the LA Times, “The analytical part of me really enjoys burrowing into the odds. That said, one of the least appealing things in this process is its competitive aspect. That’s why I’ve gone out of my way to do things … like I emailed ['Silver Linings Playbook' distributor] Harvey [Weinstein] today and I’ve talked to ['Silver Linings' writer-director] David O. Russell and I made sure to run into Steven Spielberg at AFI … just to appreciate them and support their work too. That’s important.”
Ben Affleck in 'The Town'
He also talks about his Oscar snub, adding, “Of course, it was disappointing at first. But I’m over it. And I’m happy to still be out here talking about the movie. I’m having fun.” The Oscars air on February 24th.
Ben Affleck won Best Director at the Golden Globe Awards
