Angelina Jolie Snubbed by Oscars Despite Intense Preparation for ‘Maria’ Role

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Angelina Jolie, 49, was overlooked by the Academy Awards for her portrayal of opera legend Maria Callas in the biopic “Maria,” despite months of preparation and critical acclaim. The film, which earned a single nomination for Best Cinematography, marked Jolie’s acting comeback after a hiatus.

Jolie, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Girl, Interrupted” in 2000, was widely expected to receive a nomination for her role as Callas. However, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominees Thursday without including her name. The snub came despite Jolie’s extensive promotional efforts, including her first late-night TV appearance in over a decade on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

“Angelina will be devastated… look at all the press she did for the film — she wanted to get nominated,” a senior awards source told Page Six. “She did Jimmy Fallon, her first late-night show in over a decade. She even went to the Gotham Awards. She did all these magazine covers.”

Hollywood insiders speculate that Jolie’s highly publicized divorce from Brad Pitt may have influenced the decision. “This just shows that Hollywood is Team Brad,” a movie insider said. “The Globes showed that the foreign press loves her, but that’s not Hollywood. Nobody was going to go against Brad and give Angelina a vote… people just love Brad.”

Jolie and Pitt finalized their divorce in December after eight years of legal battles. Her lawyer, James Simon, acknowledged that the process left her “exhausted” and focused on healing her family. Despite the personal challenges, Jolie poured herself into the role of Callas, even learning to sing like the opera star. Her sons Maddox, 23, and Pax, 21, worked as production assistants on the film and witnessed the emotional toll it took on her.

“The character [Callas] has a lot of pain, and they’ve of course seen me go through a lot of things, but they hadn’t experienced me expressing a lot of the pain that usually a parent hides from a child,” Jolie told the BBC. “So they were there to witness some of that, but then we would hug or they would bring me cups of tea.”

Directed by Pablo Larraín and written by “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, “Maria” focuses on Callas’ final days in Paris before her death in 1977. The film received critical praise for its cinematography, earning Edward Lachman a nomination in that category.

Meanwhile, the Best Actress category saw a mix of first-time nominees and seasoned performers. Cynthia Erivo, nominated for “Wicked,” is the only previous Oscar nominee in the group, having been recognized for “Harriet” in 2019. Karla Sofía Gascón made history as the first openly transgender actress nominated for Best Actress for her role in “Emilia Pérez.”

Other nominees include Demi Moore for “The Substance,” Fernanda Torres for “I'm Still Here,” and Mikey Madison for “Anora.” Moore, who won a Golden Globe for her performance, is considered a frontrunner for the Oscar.

Despite the snub, Jolie remains a respected figure in Hollywood, having won two Oscars and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2013. Her dedication to the role of Callas and her willingness to share her personal struggles with her children have added depth to her legacy as both an artist and a mother.