It is hard to believe that such a consummate actor like Ralph Fiennes has yet to win an Oscar. Clearly, this reality has yet to sink for a few Academy voters.
Variety spoke to two separate AMPAS members who didn’t vote for Fiennes because “he won before.” They both thought he won an Oscar for 1993’s “Schindler’s List,” but in reality he lost the category that year to Tommy Lee Jones (“The Fugitive”).
“Oh sh*t!” one of the voters said after being corrected by Variety. Yet they both voted for Adrien Brody’s “The Brutalist” performance, and that’s despite Brody having actually already won an Oscar for “The Pianist” (2002). Go figure.
I’m not going to whine about Tommy Lee Jones’ awesome ‘Fugitive’ performance, but Fiennes was brilliant as the truly evil SS officer in Spielberg’s film — a depiction of genocidal evil that still haunts to this day. Fiennes was also nominated for 1996’s “The English Patient.”
I think we can all agree that Fiennes is a great actor, but his first Oscar will have to wait, and that’s despite again being nominated this year for his performance as the cardinal who experiences a crisis of faith in “Conclave.” Fiennes is probably a distant third right now in a race, pitting Timothee Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”) and Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), that’s too close to call.
Let’s take a moment and appreciate Fiennes, 62, who hasn’t necessarily gotten his due over the years. He’s always been overshadowed by more prolific actors, but absolutely deserves to be up there with the greats of the last 30 years.
Fiennes’ filmography is filled with impressive work, some of my favorites include “Schindler’s List,” “Quiz Show,” “Strange Days,” “The English Patient,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “In Bruges,” “The Red Dragon,” “Spider,” “The Constant Gardener,” and “The Menu.”