10 Black, Minority And Ethnic Actors Who Should Have Made The Oscar Cut This Year

8) Idris Elba For Beasts of No Nation

Cary Fukunaga’s incredible Beasts of No Nation hasn’t made the cut in a single category at this year’s Oscars, a minor travesty considering how strong it is in so many areas, from cinematography, to editing, to directing. But the category it came closest to, the one it most stood a chance of appearing in, was Best Supporting Actor, represented by none other than Idris Elba. In the end though, he didn’t make it in.

The problem with this year’s Best Supporting Actor race is that there were some incredibly strong contenders, a good deal of whom were snubbed (sorry, Michael Shannon and Paul Dano). The final five are all mighty talents, but the argument could be made that Tom Hardy isn’t exactly at his peak in The Revenant, playing the role as he does rather hammily. Beasts of No Nation, on the other hand, is home to the superior villain: Idris Elba’s frightening Commandant, a man so unsettling you might be inclined to watch his scenes through your fingers.