Oscar the Grouch\u2026<\/p>\n
Although most actors work their whole lives to win an Oscar, not every celebrity is a fan of the biggest night in film.<\/p>\n
Since the Academy Awards began in 1929, several stars have spoken out against the annual awards show and the pomp and circumstance that come with it.<\/p>\n
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon pose with their Oscars after winning Best Original Screenplay for \u201cGood Will Hunting\u201d at the 70th Academy Awards in 1998. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Glenda Jackson, who won Best Actress for 1970\u2019s \u201cWomen in Love\u201d and again for 1973\u2019s \u201cA Touch of Class,\u201d once said that the Oscars were about a \u201cwhole shebang of nonsense\u201d during a chat with Entertainment Weekly<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n George C. Scott, who won Best Actor for his iconic role as General George S. Patton in 1970\u2019s \u201cPatton,\u201d famously called the Oscars ceremony<\/a> a \u201ctwo-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons\u201d and \u201coffensive, barbarous, and innately corrupt.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that the Academy Awards are just around the corner, here are some of the biggest celebrities who have slammed the Oscars over the years.<\/p>\n Matt Damon<\/p>\n Matt Damon attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 10, 2024. WireImage for Vanity Fair<\/p>\n Despite winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with Ben Affleck for \u201cGood Will Hunting\u201d in 1998, Matt Damon has made it clear that he doesn\u2019t enjoy the campaigning that comes with awards season.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I don\u2019t like is this idea of campaigning,\u201d Damon explained during Netflix\u2019s \u201cSkip Intro\u201d<\/a> podcast ahead of the 98th Academy Awards. <\/p>\n \u201cIt seems completely backwards to me and odd,\u201d he continued. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s good for movies, just having it all out there, and gets the culture thinking and talking about movies. I hope that\u2019s the case\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Besides scoring an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, Damon earned acting nominations for \u201cGood Will Hunting\u201d in 1998, \u201cInvictus\u201d in 2010 and \u201cThe Martian\u201d in 2016. He also garnered a Best Picture nod in 2017 for \u201cManchester by the Sea,\u201d which he was a producer on.<\/p>\n Seth Rogen<\/p>\n Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller, at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Feb. 26, 2017. Penske Media via Getty Images<\/p>\n Although Seth Rogen has never been nominated for an Oscar, he was happy to share his thoughts about the Academy Awards back in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t get why movie people care so much if other people care what awards we give ourselves,\u201d the \u201cStudio\u201d star told Insider<\/a> at the time regarding the ceremony\u2019s dwindling TV ratings. \u201cTo me, maybe people just don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care who wins the automobile awards,\u201d he continued. \u201cNo other industry expects everyone to care about what awards they shower upon themselves. Maybe people just don\u2019t care. Maybe they did for a while, and they stopped caring. And why should they?\u201d<\/p>\n Scarlett Johansson<\/p>\n Scarlett Johansson at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Feb. 8, 2020. Matt Baron\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Hollywood darling Scarlett Johansson called the Oscars out in 2025<\/a> over the fact that \u201cAvengers: Endgame\u201d wasn\u2019t nominated for Best Picture a few years earlier.<\/p>\n The superhero ensemble, which starred Johansson, Chris Evans, Chadwick Boseman, Robert Downey Jr. and many more, was released in 2019 and only received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 92nd Academy Awards the following year.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did this film not get nominated for an Oscar?\u201d she asked during\u00a0an interview with Vanity Fair.<\/a> <\/p>\n Scarlett Johansson during the 76th Academy Awards in 2004. REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an impossible movie that should not have worked, that really works as a film,\u201d Johansson added. \u201cAnd also, it\u2019s one of the most successful films of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite never scoring an Oscar nomination for her role as Natasha Romanoff in any of the Marvel films, Johansson did garner nominations for Best Actress for \u201cMarriage Story\u201d and Best Supporting Actress for \u201cJojo Rabbit\u201d during the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020.<\/p>\n Ethan Hawke<\/p>\n Ethan Hawke arrives at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014. Reuters<\/p>\n \u201cBlue Moon\u201d star Ethan Hawke didn\u2019t hold back when discussing his disdain for the Oscars in 2013, although he later changed his tune regarding the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want to turn everything in this country into a competition,\u201d he complained before calling the Academy Awards process \u201casinine\u201d during an interview with Gotham<\/a> magazine.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at how many forgettable, stupid movies have won Oscars and how many mediocre performers have Oscars above their fireplace,\u201d he continued. \u201cMaking a priority of chasing these fake carrots and money and dubious accolades, I think it\u2019s really destructive.\u201d<\/p>\n Ethan Hawke and his wife, Uma Thurman, during the 74th Academy Awards in 2002. REUTERS<\/p>\n However, the \u201cBoyhood\u201d star backtracked on his remarks during a later interview with The Hollywood Reporter.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think the Oscars do a very good job in representing much of the great work in a given year,\u201d he clarified. \u201cInevitably, though, many great films and performances are not recognized and can be overlooked due to the mass marketing and PR machines that march through the awards season.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t mean to take anything away from the genuine and deserved excitement that every nominee should feel,\u201d Hawke, who has five Oscar nominations under his belt, added at the time.<\/p>\n Oscar Isaac<\/p>\n Oscar Isaac and Salma Hayek during the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020. ABC via Getty Images<\/p>\n Oscar Isaac couldn\u2019t keep his opinion to himself after the Academy Awards announced the brand new and \u201cpretty stupid\u201d Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film category in 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really understand it. I haven\u2019t read the rules. It seems pretty dumb, but I guess that\u2019s above my pay grade,\u201d the \u201cFrankenstein\u201d star told\u00a0USA Today<\/a> regarding the then-new addition. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really understand what it means. Who accepts the award? What\u2019s the criteria for it? Is it based off box office? I don\u2019t really get it.\u201d<\/p>\n Isaac went on to suggest that the Academy Awards are \u201cmeaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason why people get awards and why they don\u2019t is already a slippery slope,\u201d he noted. \u201cAnother category seems a little meaningless, but maybe not any more than the rest of it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Joaquin Phoenix<\/p>\n Joaquin Phoenix after winning the Oscar for Best Actor for \u201cJoker\u201d at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020. John Angelillo\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n No celebrity slammed the Oscars more than Joaquin Phoenix, who came out swinging while reflecting on the grueling awards campaign he had to take part in for 2005\u2019s Johnny Cash biopic \u201cWalk the Line.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was one of the most uncomfortable periods of my life,\u201d Phoenix, who received a Best Actor nomination for his role as Cash, told Interview<\/a> in 2012. \u201cI never want to have that experience again.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cGladiator\u201d star then compared the Oscar to a \u201ccarrot\u201d and dubbed the Academy Awards \u201cbulls\u2013t.\u201d<\/p>\n Joaquin Phoenix accepting the Oscar for Best Actor during the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020. EPA<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just saying that I think it\u2019s bulls\u2013t. I think it\u2019s total, utter bulls\u2013t, and I don\u2019t want to be a part of it,\u201d he charged. \u201cI don\u2019t believe in it. It\u2019s a carrot, but it\u2019s the worst-tasting carrot I\u2019ve ever tasted in my whole life. I don\u2019t want this carrot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s totally subjective,\u201d Phoenix added. \u201cPitting people against each other\u2026It\u2019s the stupidest thing in the whole world.\u201d<\/p>\n Phoenix was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for \u201cGladiator\u201d in 2000, followed by Best Actor nods for \u201cWalk the Line\u201d in 2006 and \u201cThe Master\u201d in 2013. He then won the coveted Academy Award for Best Actor for \u201cJoker\u201d in 2020.<\/p>\n Anthony Hopkins<\/p>\n Anthony Hopkins attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 27, 2022. Getty Images for Vanity Fair<\/p>\n