There were a lot of surprises and snubs when it came to this year's Academy Award nominations, but one of the more prominent names left off the list was Adam Sandler. The actor surprised a lot of people with his dramatic turn as a gambling addicted jeweler in Uncut Gems, and many thought that such a performance might earn him a nomination. It was not to be, as Sandler was left off the short list, but he has received a remarkable amount of support since the snub, and the latest came in a very public way, from Sandler's occasional costar, Jenifer Aniston.
Last night the Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out and while Adam Sandler didn't receive a nomination there either, Jenifer Aniston, who recently starred alongside Sandler in the Netflix comedy Murder Mystery, as well as in 2011's Just Go With It, did, when she surprised even herself with a win as Best Actress in a Television Drama for her Apple TV+ series, The Morning Show.
Aniston took one of her moments on that stage to give Sandler a shoutout, and make it clear she thought he was great, and was deserving of more recognition. Check out her acceptance speech below.
Adam Sandler hasn't gone entirely without recognition for his Uncut Gems performance, but the majority of his nominations and wins have been among regional critics groups. When it comes to higher profile awards, like the SAG awards, Golden Globes, or the Oscars, Sandler's name has been conspicuous by its absence.
Considering the buzz that surrounded Sandler after Uncut Gems debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, it's probably difficult to let some of that not get to you. Based on comments that Sandler had made publicly, while he might not have necessarily been expecting the nomination, he almost certainly wanted it and was hoping it would happen. And he probably thought he had decent odds of getting it considering the response the performance was getting. That, and frequently the Oscars have seemed to appreciate when comedic actors take a more dramatic turn.
While the Oscar and SAG nominations didn't happen, Adam Sandler clearly appreciates the recognition he is getting from other corners of Hollywood, as Sandler tweeted a response to Anston's comments, congratulating her on the win, and thanking her for just being an all-around good person.
If it had been me nominating for the Oscars, i would have included Adam Sandler in those top five spots, but there were certainly a lot of great performances in 2019 and it's impossible to nominate them all, at least under the current rules for most awards. Hopefully, the fact that a lot of people did agree that Sandler was great in Uncut Gems will be enough to make the actor feel good about the situation. Getting the award would have been nice, but in the end, it's about the recognition, and Adam Sandler seems to still be getting that, even without the statue.
