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Ben Affleck recently revisited one of the most talked-about moments of his career - his unexpected Oscar snub for Argo. While promoting his upcoming Netflix
film The Rip, the actor-director appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and candidly spoke about the emotional fallout of missing out on a Best Director nomination, despite being widely considered a frontrunner that year and how that was a 'massive embarrassment' for the actor-director.
Ben Affleck's unexpected Oscar snub
Released in 2012, Argo went on to become one of the most celebrated films of the awards season. Affleck swept major precursor awards, winning Best Director at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and BAFTAs. However, when the Oscar nominations were announced, his name was conspicuously absent from the Best Director category - even as Argo secured seven nominations overall and ultimately won Best Picture along with two other Oscars.
Reflecting on the experience, Affleck admitted the snub felt deeply humiliating. “It was the year, the horrible thing of everyone telling you, ‘You’re gonna get nominated, you’re gonna get nominated for director,’” he recalled. “And so, of course, I wake up that morning, and sure enough - and, by the way, it’s not [unlike] any other morning that I had not been nominated for best director. But all of a sudden, it’s a massive embarrassment. I woke up and people [said], ‘You didn’t get nominated.’”
Ben Affleck calls the snub 'a bummer'
The situation became even more uncomfortable later that same day. Affleck was required to attend the Critics Choice Awards, where the focus quickly shifted from celebration to interrogation. “The day of the snub, which all of a sudden it’s a negative event and a horrible thing, I had to go to the Critics Choice Awards,” he said. “I remember getting there and there’s a red carpet line, like 500 people dying to talk to me, and every single one of them was like, ‘Hi! So the snub…’ What do you say to that? ‘It’s a bummer!’ I did end up winning the Critics Choice Award.”
Despite the professional recognition, the emotional sting lingered. “Honestly, it’s just embarrassing,” Affleck added. “I wasn’t the one going out there being like, ‘I’m going to be nominated!’ It’s having to be put through the ritual of then answering for why you didn’t get nominated. I didn’t say I was [going to be]!”
Over a decade later, Affleck’s honesty offers a rare glimpse into the pressures of awards season - and how even major victories can be overshadowed by public expectations and high-profile disappointments.
