Evan Ross Katz is In The Know’s pop culture contributor. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram for more.
On January 8th, as Tracee Ellis Ross and a tongue-twisted Leslie Jordan read out the Academy Award nominees, several names were characteristically omitted. Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson for Passing, Jennifer Hudson for Respect, Mike Faist for West Side Story and Jamie Dornan for Belfast were among the names populating the annual “who got snubbed” lists. But perhaps none of the unnamed stars caused social media tailspinning more than the omission of Lady Gaga for Best Actress for her performance in the discussed-to-oblivion film House of Gucci. Some called the Academy “pathetic,” while others vowed they would not watch the ceremony in protest. Even Hollywood weighed in. “There was not a moment when Gaga wasn’t THAT WOMAN,” actress Holland Taylor tweeted in protest.
“I was sad Lady Gaga didn’t get nominated because I thought she was a blowout,” said nominated director Jane Campion.
Gaga became a subject of Oscar prognostication the moment she signed on to the film in November 2019. Director Ridley Scott had been in talks to direct the film for 13 years (despite the Gucci family’s chagrin), but with Gaga attached in her first film role after her Academy Award-nominated turn in A Star Is Born, the film was finally able to fast-track into production.
Due to COVID delays and Scott’s production schedule for his other film, The Last Duel, filming finally commenced in February 2020. Also commencing: Social media’s incessant watchful eye on Gaga and her costumes. At first, Gaga was in control of the output. But quickly, paparazzi (or an untrustworthy crew member?) began leaking photos. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world: It gave the film early buzz. Plus, it’s not as though the plot of the movie was something worth keeping under wraps.
Then, last fall, the film was finally released, and aesthetic salivating gave way to critical review.
“Gaga is certainly up to the task of embodying such a menacing oddball, but Scott’s film lets her character drift off just as she’s getting truly weird,” wrote Richard Lawson in his Vanity Fair review. It was called “coldly calculating,” accused of “taking itself too seriously,” labeled “trashtastic” and declared “probably the funniest comedy and dopiest tragedy of the year.” This to say the critical consensus was all over the place. But one thing most critics could get behind was Gaga’s performance. “If the film is remembered for anything, it’s for being Exhibit A as what a great actor [Lady Gaga] is,” David Fear wrote for Rolling Stone.
Subsequently came the Gaga press tour, where she spoke on a range of topics, both related to and unrelated to the film, including her side hustles as an insurrection investigator and a biographer; the time she thought she killed someone (she hadn’t); her belief that Patrizia Reggini sent a large swarms of flies to follow her around the set; her studying of a house cat, a fox and a panther to prepare for the role; and who could forget her mentioning pretending to be drunk on set from the prop wine, and the ensuing reactions from Kirsten Dunst and Jennifer Hudson?
So when award season began, the nominations felt inevitable given the momentum. She landed Best Actress nominations for the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, Hollywood Critics Association and the British Academy Film Awards. New York Film Critics Circle even awarded her as the Best Actress in December. All this, but no Academy Award nomination. What happened? According to Entertainment Weekly a number of possibilities may have played a factor: Kristen Stewart’s SAG snub could have made voters inclined to bump Gaga in favor of her or, as seems the most plausible, early support might not have been as widespread as it seemed.
So what’s a Gaga to do? Outside of a post on social media congratulating her friend and collaborator Frederic Aspiras (the second Asian American to be nominated for hair and makeup) on his nomination, as well as all the other nominees, she could show up at the ceremony à la Cher in 1986, in what was later deemed a “revenge dress.”
(Credit: Getty)
Why the comparison? There’s a number of parallels between Gaga and Cher beyond the obvious (they’re both pop superstars). They were both nominated for their debut film performances (Gaga for Star Is Born; Cher for Silkwood) and they were both omitted from the nomination list for their second film performance, despite the overwhelming perception of inevitably (Cher for Mask). Cher ended up winning her third time out (for Moonstruck). Gaga’s next film role has not been confirmed. She was to star opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train but Sandra Bullock replaced her.
But about that revenge dress. “There were a lot of people who said, ‘That’s not fashion!’ And I said, ‘Of course it’s not fashion. It’s a crazy getup for attention,” designer Bob Mackie told Vanity Fair earlier this month about the showgirl-inspired dress (complete with a towering feathered headdress) that he created for Cher for the 1986 ceremony. She may not have won a statuette, but she won the night. She also etched another moment in fashion history that’s still referenced to this day. “People talk about it still,” Mackie says.
Gaga making head-turning red carpet appearances isn’t just expected; it’s often de-facto. Meat dress. Large egg. Inflatable. But when it comes to red carpets around her film work, she tends to be more subdued, opting for more old Hollywood glam than “rah-rah, b****.” Still, there’s great possibility in pulling out some archival Mugler or custom BCALLA and stealing the entire show the same way she was able to keep attention (distract?) on her red carpet looks for a film that ultimately lost momentum along its journey. The purple sheer Gucci for the red carpet premiere was undeniably a full-tilt serve, but this “revenge dress” would be competing with a red carpet full of nominees. In other words, the stun gun would need to be set to 100. Though if anyone’s capable, it’s this Italian girl from New York.
“In my dreams it would be a Mugler tribute,” says stylist Ian Bradley. “I’m thinking a gold version of this iconic look,” he says, referencing Yasmin Le Bon in Thierry Mugler’s Fall/Winter 1997–98 “La Chimère” collection. “Or this alien look for Fall/Winter 1995.”
So while many might be disappointed to see Lady Gaga’s name left off the ballot, it doesn’t mean she can’t win the night, and set the course for her inevitable Best Actress win. Cher set the standard; may Gaga carry the torch.
If you enjoyed this article, check out the 87 questions Evan Ross Katz had after watching the And Just Like That… season finale here.
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