Unlike at the Academy Awards, where nominations are limited to five in most categories, at the BAFTAs, there are six contenders in the acting and directing contests, meaning there’s even less of an excuse to leave out a deserving name from the shortlist. Still, the British Academy has a habit of doing just that – last year, Lily Gladstone was conspicuously absent from the Best Actress line-up, as were Martin Scorsese, Yorgos Lanthimos and Greta Gerwig from Best Director. This time around, there are even more head-scratchers that have the potential to throw the Oscar race into disarray. These are the most mind-boggling snubs and surprises from the 2025 BAFTA nominations.
Surprise: Saoirse Ronan for The Outrun
Anora’s Mikey Madison, Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón, The Substance’s Demi Moore and Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo all made it onto the Leading Actress shortlist, as did – thank god! – Hard Truths’ extraordinary Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who both fully deserved to and also had some home court advantage, but the real surprise in this category is the inclusion of the previously five-time BAFTA-nominated Irish industry fixture. She is wonderful in Nora Fingscheidt’s sweeping account of addiction and recovery, though the drama seems to have largely been forgotten in the kerfuffle of awards season. It’s a joy, then, to see it and her duly recognised here.
Snub: Nicole Kidman for Babygirl
Ronan’s inclusion meant the end of the road for the last-minute BAFTA campaign waged for Lee’s Kate Winslet – which did, at least, get the national treasure on the longlist – but it also dashed the hopes of another acting legend, a shift few saw coming. The Australian stalwart, a previous BAFTA winner and four-time nominee, who goes absolutely hell for leather in Halina Reijn’s delicious workplace romp, was seen as a lock here – her omission, especially following her surprise loss at the Golden Globes to I’m Still Here’s Fernanda Torres and her…
