Oscar Rewind: 8 Black Actresses & The Roles That Deserved an Oscar

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Taraji P. Henson as Shug in Hustle & Flow

Lost to: Wasn’t even nominated…smh

Truth be told, Henson isn’t as underrated as she thinks she is. She’s been recognized for her work and applauded more than most black actresses of this time, and even garnered an Academy Award nomination for her work as Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, I really loved the Howard University grad as Shug in the movie about a pimp and his dream–to be a rapper (yikes!). Pregnant with…well, somebody’s baby, Shug was very friendly, an all around sweet woman and at times, heartbreaking. The fact that she cared so much for DJay, her pimp, and also the fact that she was pretty much stuck in a less than ideal situation with her baby (and her pimp) just made her so much more beguiling. No nomination for this work, but if the Academy needed a sixth nominee in 2006, she should have been an easy pick.

Whose performance would you add to the list?

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