In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ben Affleck revisited the "massive embarrassment" of being snubbed for a Best Director nomination at the 2013 Oscars for his film Argo. Despite the film receiving seven nominations, including Best Picture, Affleck was not nominated for either directing or acting.
Affleck, who starred in, directed, and produced Argo, recalled the widespread expectation that he would be nominated for Best Director. "It was the year, the horrible thing of everyone telling you, 'You're gonna get nominated, you're gonna get nominated for director,'" Affleck told Kimmel. He humorously recounted waking up the morning of the nominations to a barrage of messages highlighting his omission. "I woke up and people [were like], 'You didn't get nominated,'" he said.
Kimmel chimed in, calling it "maybe the worst award-show situation ever". He emphasized the unique nature of the snub, given that Argo was not only nominated for Best Picture but ultimately won, despite Affleck's absence from the Best Director category. "Argo, not only was it nominated for the Oscar for best picture, you won best picture. You starred in it and directed it, and you were not nominated in either category … it's as if the movie directed itself," Kimmel remarked. Affleck jokingly agreed, saying, "That's sort of what it felt like".
Despite the initial sting, Affleck found a silver lining. He recounted having to attend the Critics Choice Awards on the day of the Oscar nominations. "The day of the snub, which all of a sudden it's a negative event and a horrible thing, I had to go to the Critics Choice Awards," Affleck said. He described facing a red carpet line of reporters eager to discuss the snub. However, he ultimately won the Critics Choice Award for Best Director that night. "This negative event turns into a positive," Affleck acknowledged.
Argo, a political thriller released in 2012, tells the story of the rescue of six U.S. embassy workers trapped in Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis. The film was widely acclaimed, earning nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing, in addition to Best Picture. Ultimately, it won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. The Best Director nominees that year were Michael Haneke for Amour, Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Ang Lee for Life of Pi, Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, and David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook, with Ang Lee taking home the award.
Affleck's "snub" was one of the most talked-about of that year's Oscar nominations. Despite the initial disappointment, Affleck has maintained a sense of humor about the situation. Other directors like Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained) and Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) were also notably absent from the Best Director nominations that year.
