Golden Globes nominations 2013: Arkin and Waltz, but no De Niro

By Deborah Vankin

Dec. 13, 2012 12 AM PT

Three of Thursday’s five Golden Globe nominees for best supporting actor in a motion picture didn’t exactly come out of the blue – let’s just say that Alan Arkin, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tommy Lee Jones are having a very good week. All three actors received SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations; Thursday morning they were all recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. with Golden Globe noms.

Arkin, recognized for his role as a Hollywood movie producer in Ben Affleck’s politically charged “Argo,” is no stranger to the awards circuit. The 78-year-old has been nominated five times for Golden Globes over the years, and he won best actor way back in 1967 for “The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming.” But it’s been over two decades since he’s received any nods from the HFPA.

Speaking from his home and cozy in his bathrobe, Arkin seemed unfazed by being back in the awards mix. “I have a very good life. If I win, fine; if not, fine,” he said. “The nomination is the place I feel honored -- the rest is nonsense. It’s a horse race and I don’t like to turn people into horses.”

PHOTOS: Golden Globe 2013 Nominations

Arkin was more jazzed about this year’s crop of movies, several of which – including “Argo” -- resonated with him. “I saw ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild,’ which I thought was wonderful. And ‘Life of Pi’ Knocked me out,” he said.

“Flight!” his wife, Suzanne, yelled in the background.

“Oh, yeah, we liked that,” said Arkin.

Hoffman, another veteran of the awards circuit, was nominated for his charged performance as the charismatic leader of a New Agey movement in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master.” He’s been nominated for a Golden Globe four times before, and won Best Actor in 2006 for “Capote.” And Jones, nominated three times in the past -- with a win as best supporting actor for 1993’s “The Fugitive” -- was honored for his role as the acerbic Congressman Thaddeus Stevens in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”

Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz squeaked into awards season just in time with their roles in Quentin Tarantino’s soon-to-be-released “Django Unchained,” about two men hunting bounty in the pre-Civil War South. Both received nods from the HFPA. Waltz stars in the movie opposite Jamie Foxx, who plays an emancipated slave; DiCaprio, who doesn’t appear in the film until about an hour in, plays a cruel plantation owner.

Awards might be old hat for DiCaprio; however, he has eight Golden Globe nominations under his belt, including one win for best actor in 2004’s “The Aviator.”

“I’m truly honored to be nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. today,” he said in a statement. “‘Django Unchained’ was a remarkable experience and I consider myself lucky to work with Quentin and the entire cast on the film. I’m particularly proud to be named alongside my fellow Django nominees.”

Two high-wattage actors who were overlooked by the star-loving HFPA: Russell Crowe for his role in the film adaptation of “Les Miserables” and Matthew McConaughey, who received a Critics Choice nomination this week for his role in “Magic Mike.”

Perhaps even more glaringly absent from Thursday’s list of nominees was Robert De Niro, who has received wide acclaim for his role as a Philadelphia Eagles fanatic with OCD and anger management issues in David O. Russell’s quirky, heartstring-tugging comedy,“Silver Linings Playbook.” De Niro has received SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for the role, and is widely considered a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination.

Looking back at the 2011 Golden Globes ceremony, however, De Niro’s absence may not be a total surprise. He received a Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 from the HFPA, and famously took a stab at the group during his acceptance speech.

“I’m sorry more members of the foreign press aren’t with us tonight,” he said. “But many were deported right before the show along with most of the waiters. And Javier Bardem.”

He also declined to participate this year in the HFPA news conference after a voter screening of “Silver Linings Playbook”– something that’s generally de rigueur for actors hoping to curry favor with voters. Might his absence among this year’s noms be a settling of scores?

ALSO:

Golden Globe nominations: The complete list

Why was ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ snubbed?

FULL COVERAGE: Golden Globe nominations

Twitter.com/@debvankin