If you’re a cinephile, then chances are you’ve heard of one of the most electric films of 2024, Challengers. The movie stars Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor and, while all three gave stellar performances, I personally give O’Connor, in particular major props. Unfortunately, the cast and crew’s stellar work wasn’t highlighted amongst the 2025 Oscar nominees, as the film was snubbed. 34-year-old O’Connor isn’t down about that, though, as he explained the sweet reason he’s not hung up on the upcoming awards show.
Josh O’Connor spoke to IndieWire while at the Sundance Film Festival and shared his feelings about the movie not garnering any Oscar nominations. Via a video on Instagram, the Mothering Sunday alum explained that he’s particularly enamored with the work his peers did on other movies. He also shared a lovely take on his own films:
I actually think all the nominations are so good this year. There’s so many good films. But I do think that every year. I’m always amazed at what artists create. I don’t mind. It’s cool that, particularly this year, there are two movies I really love with La Chimera and Challengers and I’m just so glad people got to see them.
What a wonderful and grounded perspective the God’s Own Country actor has. He seems to truly love acting and is thrilled to be surrounded by other talented creatives. As for his own work, both of the aforementioned films are distinctive and have been well received in certain circles. The La Chimera star then went on to drop a brief, but sweet, take on why he’s not so concerned with individual awards:
I’m proud of both of them so I wasn’t overly concerned about that.
It’s cool to hear that Josh O’Connor is mainly about the work and simply appreciates the fact that his and his colleagues’ art is appreciated. Also, he’s not wrong in saying that there are always great performances and movies chosen each year.
Of course, Challengers‘ shut-out was only part of the notable 2025 Oscar snubs. To the point of honoring other actors, though, there were some notable milestones. One of those was Colman Domingo’s distinction of being the first actor to receive back-to-back nominations since Denzel Washington in 2017-2018. Still, with so many great films and performers — both recognized and not — the discourse will surely continue until the show takes place on March 2.
Meanwhile, Josh O’Connor is just over a decade into his career, and it seems like he’s gaining more acclaim with each role. The Emmy-winning The Crown actor is now receiving buzz for his latest film, Rebuilding, and he’s also set to star in the highly highly anticipated Knives Out 3. I know that for fans like myself, it’ll be exciting to see how far O’Connor goes as an actor from here.
It’s honestly disappointing that neither Challengers nor Josh O’Connor were able to score Academy Awards nominations. Regardless, I truly appreciate just how affable the star is about the whole situation. To check out his work, grab a Hulu subscription and watch La Chimera, and pick up an Amazon Prime subscription to stream Challengers.