Ridley Scott has made 30 films over his 50-plus-year career; however, he has yet to win a directing Oscar. He wasn’t even nominated for “Alien” or “Blade Runner,” his two most lauded films, which is perhaps understandable given that both were not met with glowing reviews upon release.
With all that in mind, Scott is finally being recognized by the Academy, though not for a single film, but rather for his entire body of work. It has been announced that Scott, alongside Glenn Close—who has received eight acting nominations without a win—will be awarded honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards in November.
It’s probably not the form of Academy recognition Scott once envisioned. It won’t make him an Oscar winner in the traditional sense, but it is recognition nonetheless.
The closest Scott ever came to winning a golden statuette was in 2001, when “Gladiator” won Best Picture, but he lost Best Director to Steven Soderbergh for “Traffic.” Two decades later, do people still believe Soderbergh’s win was deserved? I personally believe it was—“Traffic” remains one of Soderbergh’s crowning achievements.
The following year, Scott again lost Best Director to Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”) after being nominated for his visceral war film “Black Hawk Down.” In 2015, he was snubbed for a nomination for “The Martian,” which is also the last time a film of his was nominated for Best Picture.
A few years back, Denzel Washington seemed determined to get Scott his long “overdue” Oscar, telling THR that Scott not having an Oscar “doesn’t make sense” is “damn-near criminal.”
In another interview with BBC Radio 1, Washington went further, stating that Scott not having an Oscar is proof that the Academy can’t do their “job” of recognizing talent. “Would you tell somebody how can this man not have an Academy Award?” Washington said. “Do your job. I mean, seriously, though.”
Scott, 87, ever the humble one, has not been shy in acknowledging his feelings on the matter. The topic came up in a conversation with The New Yorker, where Scott’s response was blunt: “You know, I haven’t gotten an Oscar yet. And if I ever get one, I’ll say, ‘About feckin’ time!’”