"The Social Network" poster featuring Jesse Eisenberg, who has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s claim that he was unduly ousted from the social network’s early executive team formed the basis for “The Social Network,” the controversial yet acclaimed film about the birth of the company. Perhaps with a touch of unintended irony, when nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced Tuesday morning, the actor who played Saverin was snubbed on the Best Supporting Actor nomination that so many pundits had thought would be a lock.
“The Social Network” netted eight nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday morning. Among them was the coveted Best Picture category–but actor Andrew Garfield, expected to be a shoo-in nomination and even a favorite to win Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Saverin, was snubbed. Garfield’s co-star Jesse Eisenberg was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for playing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg; director David Fincher was nominated for Best Director; and the screenplay by Aaron Sorkin was nominated for Best Screenplay Adaptation. The film was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score for its music by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and collaborator Atticus Ross.
In the Best Picture category, “The Social Network” will go up against “Black Swan,” “The Fighter,” “Inception,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The King’s Speech,” “127 Hours,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” and “Winter’s Bone.” Though not a heavy favorite to win, it does have a good shot.
But Eisenberg will have a tougher uphill battle in the Best Actor category. He’ll go up against some heavy hitters, like Javier Bardem in “Biutiful” and Jeff Bridges in “True Grit,” as well as acclaimed performances from Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech” and fellow young actor James Franco in “127 Hours.”
Despite being one of the most talked-about and well-received movies of the year, “The Social Network” did not lead the pack in the number of nominations. “The King’s Speech,” a drama starring Colin Firth, was in first place with 12 total nominations, and Ethan and Joel Coen’s remake of classic western “True Grit” followed with 10. “The Social Network” was tied for third place alongside the Christopher Nolan-directed “Inception.”
Earlier this month, “The Social Network” won a Golden Globe award for best drama.
The Oscars ceremony will be held on Feb. 27.