With Spencer being the talk of Tinseltown, Kristen Stewart has finally completed her Hollywood evolution. It’s been an impressive transformation for the actress over the past 10 years that we barely even remember her as that sappy girl from Twilight.  And now that she’s generating Oscar buzz for her masterful portrayal of Princess Diana in the movie, the 31-year-old actor has a couple of things to say about the award-giving body — and the film industry in general. In an interview with Variety‘s Awards Circuit podcast, Stewart had less-than-flattering things to say about the Academy Awards, taking note of the many, many snubs the awards body has been criticized for over the past decades. According to Cosmopolitan, when probed about her thoughts on Spencer — or her — potentially being acknowledged at the Oscars, she ever so rebelliously responded: “I don’t give a ****.” “The Oscars are such a funny thing. There are so many incredible movies and performances that barely get seen. It definitely says something about where we’re at as a cumulative presence, like, what we’re looking at [and] what we care about,” Kristen continued. Add Kristen Stewart to a growing list of celebs who don’t care much about the Oscars season. She’s in good company. It includes Samuel L. Jackson, who said, “[Winning an Oscar] is definitely not going to help my box-office record.”

Kristen’s earned her say

I guess she’s earned the right to voice out her opinions on the Oscars (and Big Hollywood in general). In recent years, save for a few films such as the Charlie’s Angels reboot and a Hulu Christmas special, she’s avoided major studio roles for smaller, more independent projects. And that’s where she began to really shine. In 2015, she won as Best Supporting Actor at the France-based Cesar Awards, for her role in the psychological thriller Clouds of Sils Maria. It was a movie that barely grossed $2 million in the United States, but presented Kristen Stewart as an actress worthy of more serious attention. The following year she won as Best Actress at the Oaxaca FilmFest for the movie Personal Shopper, directed by Olivier Assayas, who also brought us Clouds of Sils Maria. Now, she’s being lauded once again for Spencer, where she plays the late Princess Diana. Playing a member of the Royal Family is no easy feat, but is often rewarded generously when done to perfection. Just ask Emma Corrin, who played the People’s Princess in Season 4 of The Crown. It’s earned the 25-year-old actress awards and nominations here and there and has all but fueled the momentum of her budding career. And it looks like Kristen Stewart is expected to enjoy the same trajectory, with her performance in Spencer getting rave reviews and awards buzz. But as she’s emphasized in her recent interview, she just doesn’t care about the trophies the movie might earn, as long as audiences are able to resonate with her portrayal of Princess Diana in the movie.

Notorious Oscar snubs

Kristen Stewart has a point about the Oscars. The awards body really did so many deserving movies dirty over the years. And we don’t even have to dust off old archives to search for examples. We can just look at 2021 for some of the most egregious Oscar brush-offs in its history. USA Today reported earlier this year the most shocking Oscar snubs in 2021, most notably Regina King. Her feature film directorial debut, One Night in Miami…, received nominations for Best Director at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, but King didn’t make the list of nominees for this year’s Oscars. The movie did get nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Leslie Odom Jr.), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Song. The amazing Delroy Lindo, whom everyone thought was a shoo-in for Oscar nods this year, didn’t get a nomination for his role in Da 5 Bloods. It would have been the Good Fight actor’s first nomination, too.

Zendaya ought to have been nominated as well, according to USA Today. The 24-year-old Greatest Showman actress displayed her acting chops in Malcolm and Marie, but didn’t make it to the list of nominees. The website also cites Minari‘s Alan Kim, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore‘s Ellen Burstyn, and The Little Things‘ Jared Leto as surprising Oscar snubs. Even 87-year-old Sophia Loren, who after a decade-long film hiatus starred in The Life Ahead, didn’t get any love from the Academy. A few other notorious Academy Awards missteps over the years: Pulp Fiction, The Social Network, Raging Bull, Brokeback Mountain, and Citizen Kane. Yes, THE Citizen Kane.

Consider Kristen’s Message A PSA To Fans

The final message: don’t go too crazy over who gets or doesn’t get nominated for the Oscars. Stewart’s sentiments about the Oscars aren’t new; it’s an opinion that has been shared by many actors, directors, and fans over the years. Add in the equation the Oscars’ seemingly enduring issues with diversity, bias, and commercialization and you’ll get to the conclusion that Stewart and many others before her have arrived at: the Oscars, as a judge of quality film, is far from perfect. With thousands of movies getting produced yearly, the 10 or so movies that get boosted by the Academy Awards every year can’t possibly be the cream of the crop. There are many films out there — most of which are produced by independent studios — that don’t ever enter the Oscar’s radar. That doesn’t mean they are less deserving of recognition or praise. Years before Kristen Stewart made her comments, Peter Jackson, the director of the Lord of the Rings movies, said: “To get an Oscar would be an incredible moment in my career, there is no doubt about that. But the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films are not made for Oscars, they are made for the audience.” He would, of course, win three Oscars for Return of the King, but that’s beside the point. Ultimately, it’s not the award that matters, but how the movie resonates with people. No trophy in the film industry is more valuable than the appreciation of the audience.Spencer