Ben Affleck And 'Argo' Win Golden Globe: Will This Boost Oscar Odds?

“Argo" director Ben Affleck’s win for both Best Director and the film's Best Picture trophy marked one of the biggest surprises of Sunday’s Golden Globes Awards. The win likely provided some welcome affirmation for the actor-turned-filmmaker, whose name was glaringly absent from the Academy Awards nominations, announced Thursday morning.

Affleck, who beat out the likes of Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino for the Best Director honor at the Globes, was clearly caught off-guard when his name was called for the award.

“I don't care what the award is, when they put your name next to the names she just read off, it's an incredible thing in your life,” he said while accepting the honor.

Affleck also took to Twitter to share his excitement and thank his co-producers, Grant Heslov and George Clooney.

"To hear your name included among directors I've long admired is incredible," he wrote. "To win? Wow, thank you HFPA. #GoldenGlobes," he said.

"Thank you Tony, George, Grant, Chris & the rest of the #Argo cast and crew. We won a #GoldenGlobes! Amazing!"

Affleck joined the social networking site in June to share his experiences while working in the Congo but has rarely tweeted since.

So does the actor’s big win mean that “Argo” is poised to win Best Picture?

Affleck’s Oscar snub came as a shock because he was not only considered a shoe-in for the nomination, but the most likely to take home the Best Director award.

The Academy’s failure to recognize Affleck has been widely discussed by various entertainment outlets and film fans. Many have argued that Affleck not only deserved a nod for the political thriller but for his consistent improvement from film to film.

He made his feature directorial debut in 2008, with the riveting drama “Gone Baby Gone” and released the hit heist thriller “The Town” in 2010.

The Academy’s highly publicized oversight could mean that Oscar voters are going to compensate by presenting Affleck with the coveted honor.

Tariq Kahn of FOX news points out that “Argo” has a chance at defeating the highly lauded “Lincoln” for the award. Kahn also points out that the upcoming Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild and Producers Guild awards could be game changers. Whichever film comes out on top during the ceremonies could ultimately score the big award of Oscar night.

But as Forbes’s Dorothy Pomerantz points out, Academy voters (who primarily consist of older white males) are likely to select “Lincoln” for the award.

It’s also possible that both films will score a similar amount of votes for Best Picture and cancel each other out—leading to a possible “Zero Dark Thirty” upset.

“Argo” marks a major step in the Boston native’s career. The highly ambitious project has proven to be a critical and box office success—taking in $167 million worldwide.

On Thursday, Affleck was honored with the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director.

"I would like to thank the academy," the 40-year-old joked in his acceptance speech, which he gave to a standing ovation. "I'm kidding. This is the one that counts,” he continued.

Affleck commented further on the Academy’s highly contested snub in an interview with Access Hollywood following the Globes.

“I have a lot of respect for the Academy, naturally I was a little disappointed, but I don’t want to overlook the fact that [‘Argo’] got seven nominations, including Best Picture,” he said. ”

[Oscar nominations day] was actually one of the happiest days of my life.”

In a recent interview with MTV, Affleck revealed that he is set to write, direct and star in the prohibition-era drama, “Live By Night.”

But don’t expect the former “Sexiest Man Alive” to give up acting for other directors.

The “Good Will Hunting” scribe will soon be seen in Terrence Malick’s “To the Wonder,” opposite Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem. The film hits theaters on April 12.

In September, he’ll star in Brad Furman’s crime thriller, “Runner Runner.”

The 2013 Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on Feb. 24.