Scarlett Johansson’s voice performance in ‘Her’ ruled ineligible for the Golden Globes

At what point is an award-worthy acting performance not actually worthy of an award? According to the Golden Globes, that line is crossed when a performer is not physically present in a movie -- and that’s precisely the situation that actress Scarlett Johansson now finds herself in.

Johansson is getting a tonne of awards season buzz for her performance in “Her,” the “slight future” sci-fi drama from director Spike Jonze. But despite all that positive hype, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the folks behind the Golden Globes) recently ruled that the actress is ineligible for a Best Supporting Actress nomination. The reason? Johansson’s role in “Her” only features her voice.

In the film, the 29-year-old actress plays “Samantha,” a personalized Operating System (OS) that becomes the ever-present digital companion and eventual lover of lonely writer Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix). She’s a hyper-intelligent computer (think a smoky-voiced version of Siri on steroids) who forms an unlikely bond with Phoenix’s character. Johansson was recently named Best Actress by the Rome Film Festival for “Her” and is now emerging as an awards season favourite, despite the Globes snub.

Fortunately, the “Don Jon” actress has not been disqualified from competing at the other major awards shows. A Best Supporting Actress nomination at either the Oscars or the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards would set a major precedent. If ScarJo were to score an Oscar nom for "Her," it would be the highest honour ever accorded to a voice-only role. It would likely open the door for other “heard but not seen” performances, like voiceover work in animated features and motion capture performances.

Many would argue that actor and mo-cap performer Andy Serkis paved the way for this situation. The actor has won raves for his motion capture/vocal performances as computer generated characters like Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the titular primate in "King Kong," and as Caesar in "The Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Serkis himself was never seen on screen in any of those roles, but nonetheless impressed audiences and critics alike with his performance. Fans campaigned multiple times to have that work recognized by the Oscars, but nothing materialized from those efforts.

What do you think? Does an actor need to be fully and physically present in a film to qualify for a major award? Or would you like to see talented performers like Johansson and Serkis finally get their due?

"Her" hits theatres on Dec. 18.