These queer actors and projects should have been nominated!
Award season is here, and with it all the glitz and glam — but what has been overlooked this year, are some of THE BEST queer performances and actors, again. We are livid.
The nominees for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards were just announced today, and while several of our favorite queer movies, actors, and filmmakers were nominated, many others that were at the top of critics’ lists and are expected to do well this award season were not.
The Golden Globes are famous for terrible decision-making when it comes to nominees and winners. (Remember when Sia’s Music was nominated for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) and James Corden was nominated for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) for his performance in The Prom back in 2021??) And once again this awards season, we’re left scratching our heads at some of the nominees and some of the snubs.
The 2024 Golden Globe Awards will be held on January 7, 2024 and will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+. Here are seven LGBTQ+ actors and projects that we think deserve some Golden Globes love.
Paul Mescal in 'All of Us Strangers'
searchligh pictures
Andrew Scott was nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for his performance in the haunting and beautiful All of Us Strangers, but his co-star Paul Mescal, who was just as enthralling, was left off the nominee list.
Trace Lysette in 'Monica'
IFC Films
Lysette’s performance in Monica is one of the most powerful and moving in recent years, and she deserves to make history as the first out trans actor nominated for an acting Oscar. However, the Golden Globes ignored her stunning turn as a daughter reconnecting with her ailing mother. It’s a packed year for actresses, but still, Lysette deserved a nomination.
Nimona
Netflix
Nimona, named as our best queer movie of 2024, is one of the most important movies of the year, but it was snubbed on a Golden Globe nomination to make room for Disney’s Wish, which currently has a 48 percent Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Todd Haynes, Directing 'May December'
Francois Duhamel for Netflix
May December was nominated for Best Motion Picture (in the Comedy category), Best Performance by a Female Actor, Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. However, the man who directed all those nominated performances was left off the list for Best Director.
Andrew Haigh, Directing 'All of Us Strangers'
Chris Harris for Searchlight
Another queer director who deserved some Best Directing attention this year was Andrew Haigh, the writer and director of All of Us Strangers. Haigh’s direction was a key part of the film’s success and deserved some recognition.
Jonathan Bailey in 'Fellow Travelers'
Showtime
We’re overjoyed to see Fellow Travelers get nominations for Best Television Limited Series and Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series for star Matt Bomer, but Bomer is far from the only cast member who deserved a nomination. Acting opposite Bomer, Bailey is magical as the idealistic Tim Laughlin.
Jelani Alladin in 'Fellow Travelers'
showtime
Speaking of Fellow Travelers, Jelani Alladin, who played gay journalist Marcus Hooks, also deserves some awards love this year. As Marcus, he deftly explores Black masculinity in America throughout the ’50s to the ’80s, and he’s an unstoppable force.
Murray Bartlett & Nick Offerman in 'The Last Of Us'
Courtesy of HBO
Of course we are delighted to see The Last of Us getting love in the nominations for Best Television Series, Drama — and both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey (although in the actress category probably needs to be unpacked) getting much deserved nods, as well. However there are two glaring omissions from the list this year and that goes to Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman who gave us one of the greatest gay love stories ever told. They did it with such tenderness and sincerity we are still nowhere close to being over it. This oversight stings!