2025 Golden Globe nominations are full of snubs and surprises, like Denis Villeneuve being denied a Best Director nomination for Dune: Part Two and epic gonzo body horror The substance marking several important names. Most of this year's Golden Globe nominations were expected based on the buzz and campaign, like Mikey Madison's nomination for Best Actress for anora or Colman Domingo's nomination for Best Actor for Sing Sing. No one was surprised by all the nominations for Conclave or Challengers or A real pain – they are widely accepted as one of the best films of 2024.
A Best Director nod for The BrutalistBrady Corbet was expected; a Best Screenplay nod for Emilia PérezJacques Audiard, from France, was expected; and anyone could have predicted Best Animated Feature nods for Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot. But there were still plenty of surprises in this year's Golden Globe nominations. There were some shocking reviews – Saoirse Ronan wasn't nominated for any of the awards contenders she starred in this year – and there were some nominations no one saw coming, like Pamela Anderson's first Golden Globe nomination.
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Denis Villeneuve snubbed as best director
Of anoraby Sean Baker for ConclaveEdward Berger, some truly excellent filmmakers were honored with Best Director nominations at this year's Golden Globes. But there is one filmmaker who has been overlooked, despite being responsible for one of the year's greatest cinematic experiences: Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve. THE Dune the sequel received nominations for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Original Score for Hans Zimmer, but Villeneuve was not nominated for Best Director.
If anyone deserves a Best Director nomination, it's the guy who turned Frank Herbert's sci-fi weirdness into a bonafide blockbuster. For the first Dune film, Villeneuve was nominated for Best Director at the Golden Globes, but not the Oscars. Now that he's been snubbed by the Globes, perhaps it's a sign that this time it will be reversed and he will instead receive a well-deserved Oscar nomination.
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The substance’s multiple nominations are a surprise
It's rare for a horror film of any kind to receive any award recognition – snobbish awards circles tend to look down on horror films – and it's even rarer for a horror film as wacky and over-the-top as The substance is noticed by awards voters. But The substanceone of the most savage body horror films ever made, it received five major nominations at the Golden Globes. Due to its unabashedly dark humor, it is being classified as a “Musical or Comedy”.
The substance was nominated for Best Film – Musical or Comedy, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Coralie Fargeat, Best Actress for Demi Moore and Best Supporting Actress for Margaret Qualley. These nominations are a good sign for the film's Oscar prospects. It shows that awards voters are taking this seriously across all major categories.
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Clarence Maclin snubbed for best supporting actor
One of the biggest criticisms at the 2025 Golden Globes is that Clarence Maclin was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Sing Sing. Maclin is much closer to his character than most of the other actors in the running because he played a younger version of himself in the film. During his sentence at Sing Sing Correctional Center, Maclin participated in the Rehabilitation through the Arts program, which the film dramatizes.
Maclin delivers an exceptionally honest and personal performance in Sing Sing. It was nominated at most other major award shows, film festivals, and critics organizations, and won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Performance. Then, he was expected to win the Best Supporting Actor award at the Golden Globes, but unfortunately he was snubbed.
7
Heretic being nominated as a comedy is a surprise
Hugh Grant was nominated for a Golden Globe for his disturbing performance as Mr. Reed in the psychological thriller Heretic. This is quite surprising in itself; he gives an excellent performance, but awards shows don't usually recognize horror films. But the most surprising thing is the category. Grant was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
It may be overkill to call Heretic a drama, but certainly not a musical or comedy. The substance is another horror film included in the “Musical or Comedy” categories, but this one has much more of a sense of humor than Heretic. It doesn't seem false to describe The substance as a comedy – it's a very, very dark comedy – while the only funny thing about Heretic it's the novelty of watching a romantic comedy star play a horror villain.
6
Saoirse Ronan snubbed for best actress
One of the biggest surprises of this year's Golden Globe nominations is that Saoirse Ronan wasn't nominated for Best Actress – despite giving voters two films to choose from. This year, Ronan gave fantastic performances as a recovering addict in Overcoming and a mother surviving World War II in Blitz. Both films were the subject of a major award show and both received positive reviews from critics.
Before awards season, there was even discussion about the possibility of her receiving two nominations in the same year, like Kate Winslet did. But now the nominations are in and Ronan doesn't even have one. Ronan is often the favorite among awards voters. She has four Oscar nominations, five BAFTA nominations, and four previous Golden Globe nominations (and one win).
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Hans Zimmer's nomination for best original score comes as a surprise after his Oscar ineligibility
Hans Zimmer's music Dune: Part Two was nominated for Best Original Score at this year's Golden Globes. This wouldn't normally come as a surprise, as Zimmer is one of today's most renowned film composers and his Dune: Part Two the soundtrack is epic, cinematic and full of memorable orchestrations. However, this appointment came following the disappointing announcement that Zimmer's name Dune: Part Two score is not eligible for the Oscar.
Zimmer is not eligible for an Oscar nomination because his Dune: Part Two score reuses a lot of material from the first film. Dune: Part Two is the second half of the story that began in the first, so Zimmer would inevitably bring back some familiar themes and motifs. Apparently the Golden Globes don't share this annoying rule and Zimmer got the nomination he deserves.
4
Jon M. Chu snubbed for best director
Before being released, Evil was criticized for using excessive green screens in its production and for extending the Broadway musical into two parts. But since it was actually released and people were able to see it, it has received nothing but praise. The story was acclaimed for adding extra depth that was not in the Broadway version and the visuals were hailed as a stunning cinematic spectacle to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
This is all thanks to director Jon M. Chu, but he was snubbed for Best Director. Evil received four Golden Globe nominations: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress for Cynthia Erivo, Best Supporting Actress for Ariana Grande and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. But its nominations don't include Best Director, and that's absolutely deserved.
3
Pamela Anderson's first Golden Globe nomination is a surprise
Pamela Anderson received her first Golden Globe nomination for her performance in The Last Showgirl. This is surprising because Anderson has never received awards before. She usually does popular films like Barbed wire and horror movie 3that awards prizes to voters who wouldn't give it a second look. Anderson never seemed like the kind of performer who would receive Best Actress nominations, but that all changed when she took on a role in an independent drama from Gia Coppola.
It's a classic awards show story for an iconic sex symbol to return with a brilliant dramatic performance and win the kind of critical praise he never received in his heyday. But Anderson's Golden Globe nomination is still a surprise. This year, Anderson's return in The Last Showgirl was overshadowed by Demi Moore's similar return in The substance.
2
Danielle Deadwyler snubbed for best supporting actress
Some really great performances were nominated for Best Supporting Actress at this year's Golden Globes, like Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña in Emilia PérezAriana Grande in EvilFelicity Jones in The Brutalistand Isabella Rossellini in Conclave. But one of 2024's best performers was snubbed. Danielle Deadwyler was denied a nomination for her powerful performance as Berniece in The piano lessonMalcolm Washington's adaptation of August Wilson's play.
Deadwyler seemed like the right choice for this category. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Performance and a Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Performance. She even won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. It seemed obvious that Deadwyler would be nominated for a Golden Globe, but she was snubbed.
1
Sebastian Stan's double nominations come as a surprise
Although he's best known for his Marvel role as the Winter Soldier, Sebastian Stan just received two Golden Globe nominations. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his performance as young Donald Trump in The Apprentice. But he was also nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his performance as struggling actor Edward Lemuel, who takes on the pseudonym “Guy Moratz,” in A different man.
The Apprentice and A different man both received positive reviews, but The Apprentice was harmed by its proximity to the polarization of the presidential election and A different man It didn't make much noise at the box office. Stan could have comfortably waited for a nomination in Golden Globe this year. But two nominations in the same ceremony are a big surprise.