“We just celebrated and freaked out. I was on the ground and just blown away — absolutely blown away,” Barbaro, who earned her first Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of folk legend Joan Baez in “A Complete Unknown,” told TheWrap over the phone. “Jenny Eagan, the [“Crime 101″] costume designer, was like, ‘I’ve never been in the room when someone found out they’re nominated before!’ And I was like, ‘Me either!'”

She said her “A Complete Unknown” family has been “blowing up each other on private text” since the film scored eight Oscar nominations Thursday. Director James Mangold told Barbaro during the morning frenzy that her Oscar nod was “well-deserved.”

Barbaro admitted it was “terrifying” stepping into Baez’s shoes — or feet in this case (as the singer was known to perform barefoot). The actress spent months learning how to sing and play the guitar to authentically portray Baez. “I’m all for a challenge, but I tried to not let it be a crippling amount of fear, but at times it was very, very daunting to try to fill her shoes.”

Barbaro was one of dozens of nominees who shared their gratitude for being considered on Thursday. Colman Domingo, nominated for his lead performance in “Sing Sing,” noted that the film was brought to life through “Work which truly hopes to shine bright loving light into dark places by using art. I am so thrilled for our company which also received nominations for adapted screenplay and original song. All of that work is so tender and hopeful just like our film. I couldn’t be prouder as an actor or producer.”

Demi Moore, who was nominated for Best Actress for “The Substance,” took the opportunity to send support to the L.A. community in the wake of the wildfires: “This is a time of incredible contrasts and right now, my heart is with my friends, family, neighbors, and community here in LA.  The fires have devastated so many lives but to see the way our community has united leaves me in awe of the resilience and compassion that defines us, and this moment is a reminder of how incredible we are when we stand together.”

Guy Pearce, nominated for his acclaimed performance as billionaire Harrison Van Buren in “The Brutalist,” said that he got the news while at the airport in Melbourne. Isabella Rossellini, nominated for her understated role as Sister Agnes in “Conclave,” honored her late parents Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini as well as the recently departed David Lynch.

This year’s Oscar race was led by Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” with 13 nominations. Read the full list of nominees here and check out more reactions below.

BEST PICTURE

Producers Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, “Conclave”
“We’re absolutely thrilled by today’s nominations and honoured that the Academy have recognised the extraordinary team that we were lucky enough to bring together, to deliver Edward Berger’s brilliant vision.”

Writer-director Brady Corbet and screenwriter Mona Fastvold, “The Brutalist”
“On behalf of our entire team, we are so incredibly touched. We did not make this film with any such a destination in mind but having received the news this morning, can only thank our endlessly dedicated crew made up of individuals from all over the world, especially our Hungarian team who we hoped to faithfully honor by the portrayals of Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’s characterizations of their roles.

“I’d like to use this opportunity to highlight the work of Viktória Petrányi and her extraordinary team at Proton Cinema in Budapest whom this film simply would not exist without.

“Mona and I are endlessly grateful to the Academy and A24 and Universal International for guiding us through this journey.”

Jacques Audiard, Writer, Director, “Emilia Pérez”
“My thoughts go first and foremost to our dear friends living in Los Angeles, at a time when their city has been suffering so much. Many thanks and a big hug to all of them. I am very happy, deeply moved and so touched by these nominations and the enormous love for ‘Emilia Pérez’ alongside these other incredible films.

This recognition is a celebration of the global world we live in – a French production that is an ode to the rich culture of Mexico that I love and respect so much, and the cast led by my dear Karla Sofía Gascón, who herself is celebrated with a historic nomination. I salute her talent and Zoe, Selena and Adriana, my beloved actresses, my long-time editor and friend Juliette, my entire technical team and my wonderful composers. I am eternally grateful.

I’d like to thank the CNC, the Ile de France region, the virtuous French system, without which I wouldn’t have been able to make this film. And a huge thank you to my dear American distributor, Netflix, for their love, hard work and boundless trust.

‘Emilia’ is a hymn sung by four strong, independent women, so thank you to the Academy for honoring us – Vive la Cinema!”

BEST ACTOR

Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
“Thank you to all my peers and colleagues at the Academy for this extraordinary honor. For almost four decades, I’ve experienced the peaks and valleys of being an artist. It’s given me perspective and a tremendous appreciation and respect for this moment.”

“Portraying Laszlo Toth, and representing the hardships and yearnings of so many, including the very struggles of my own family, has rekindled my own sense of being and belonging, and believing again.”

Sharing this profound experience with our talented and dedicated cast and crew on ‘The Brutalist’ has been a rare gift that I am endlessly grateful for. Thank you for honoring us all with this recognition, I am only here through the support of many; I am truly humbled and will cherish this momentous occasion forever.”

Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
“To be back again at the Oscar nominations table is truly meaningful to me, especially for the work that ‘Sing Sing’ represents. Work which truly hopes to shine bright loving light into dark places by using art. I am so thrilled for our company which also received nominations for adapted screenplay and original song. All of that work is so tender and hopeful just like our film. I couldn’t be prouder as an actor or producer.”

Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
“I’m thrilled to be nominated and to be celebrating the other nominations for ‘Conclave.’ Edward Berger brought an extraordinary cast and crew together – he is an inspirational director with rare insight and a unique vision which lies at the heart of this film.”

Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”
“I can’t believe I’m in Romania while receiving this news. It’s surreal. I’m stunned. I’m speechless. I’m humbled. I guess this is what they mean by the American Dream. I’m so grateful to everyone who made the impossible, possible. Thank you to the Academy for this brave recognition.”

BEST ACTRESS

Demi Moore, “The Substance”
“Being nominated for an Oscar is an incredible honor and these last few months have been beyond my wildest dreams. Truly there are no words to fully express my joy and overwhelming gratitude for this recognition. Not only for me but for what this film represents. I am deeply humbled. This is a time of incredible contrasts and right now, my heart is with my friends, family, neighbors, and community here in LA.  The fires have devastated so many lives but to see the way our community has united leaves me in awe of the resilience and compassion that defines us, and this moment is a reminder of how incredible we are when we stand together.” 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Yura Borisov, “Anora”
“As an actor, you never dare to dream that something like this could happen—especially for your first English-language role. To now find myself here, alongside such performances, is profoundly humbling and deeply surreal. Thank you to the Academy for this extraordinary honor.”

Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
“Wow, what amazing news to receive as I waited for my bags at Melbourne airport! I’m so humbled by this Oscar nomination and truly grateful to be sharing it with so many of our brilliant ‘Brutalist’ collaborators! All I’ve tried to do over this past 40 years is hone a craft and I thank all those who’ve helped me do so along the way. I’m eternally grateful for the lessons and equally grateful to the Academy for this recognition. Thank you, thank you!”

Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”
“This morning’s nomination is indescribably meaningful to me. This film has been an uphill battle every step of the way and faced inestimable resistance on every front. It feels absolutely miraculous to me that both Sebastian and I were recognized. Roy Cohn’s long, dark shadow was hanging over the Capitol Rotunda on Monday and his legacy of aggression, misinformation and untruth is now a Kingdom Come. This is a harrowing and courageous film that explores how we got to where we are today and was the role of a lifetime.

“Today’s nomination is, without overstatement, a realization of a lifelong dream. I remember spending the night on cold metal bleachers outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1993 with my father to watch the actors and actresses arrive at the 65th Academy Awards. I remember being unable to sleep because of how exciting it was to be close to that world. I have not lost that feeling of excitement; I feel it every time I go to set or drive onto a lot or begin rehearsals. I have devoted my life to the attempt to do genuine work that would be worthy of this honor. I am filled with amazement and flooded with emotion and with deep gratitude to my peers in the Academy.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
“When I was young, I was always identified as the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. As I’ve gotten older, this doesn’t happen as frequently; and, I miss it especially today. I wish my parents were alive to celebrate with me this great honor. And, also, today, with this joy, my mind can’t help lingering in the beyond to David Lynch. Our collaboration was key to my understanding of the art of acting. It is my past, all that I have in me, that I brought to my interpretation of Sister Agnes in the film ‘Conclave,’ working under the clear, sharp direction of Edward Berger his incredible cast and crew, especially the incomparable Ralph Fiennes. Thank you to the Academy. I am very honored.”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Peter Straughan, “Conclave”
“It is an enormous honour to receive this nomination from the Academy today. ‘Conclave’ was a labour of love from the beginning because of all the wonderful people involved – from author Robert Harris, to producer Tessa Ross, to director Edward Berger, to our amazing cast led by Ralph Fiennes. A huge thank you to all of our cast and crew. But I am mindful that the backdrop to these nominations is the on-going threat to communities posed by the wildfires and my thoughts are very much with the people of L.A. at this terrible time.”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Kelsey Mann, Director; Mark Nielsen, Producer, “Inside Out 2”
“Thank you to the Academy for this tremendous honor. Over the past few weeks we’ve had the opportunity to attend screenings and various talks and events for our film, and it’s been a real inspiration to hear from audiences about how ‘Inside Out 2’ has affected them. People have shared stories about their own struggles with anxiety, or how the film inspired their child to better accept themselves, or from teachers who show the film in classrooms to incite discussions about emotions. Honestly, it makes us tear up hearing these things. We’d hoped to make a film that would entertain people and have a meaningful impact on the world, and what we’ve been hearing makes us feel like maybe we came close to doing just that. And a nomination like this? It’s incredibly important as it underscores just how much the film did resonate. Thank you.“

Director Chris Sanders, “The Wild Robot”
“It’s been a challenging few weeks processing a wide range of emotions. Today’s recognition from the Academy means more that I could ever express – and not just to myself, but to our entire Wild Robot family.  This acknowledgement belongs to our cast and crew, whose ingenuity and artistry created the gentle miracle that made it to the screen. As impressed as I was to watch them break every rule about how we make these movies, I am even more humbled to see the way they have all supported each other and their communities in the wake of recent events.    The grace, kindness, and quiet strength that created ‘The Wild Robot’ was not a momentary thing. It’s just the way each and every one of them carries themselves as a matter of course. They will prevail again, I know it. On their behalf, I thank every member of the Academy from the bottom of my heart.”

Director Gints Zilbalodis, “Flow”
“When we started working on this film, we never could have imagined that it would lead to this. A Latvian film has never before been nominated and for a small independent film to be recognized in the Best Animated Feature category is unbelievable.

“For over five years, myself and a small group of young and passionate creators worked on telling this story about an anxious cat surviving in an unforgiving landscape — a cat who learns that friendship comes when you trust those around you.I want to emphasize that this film was made using completely free tools that anyone can access. I learned filmmaking by watching YouTube videos and experimenting on my own. I am so proud of this film and what it means for the next generation of animators.”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Lol Crawley, “The Brutalist”
“It is such an incredible honour to be recognised by my peers in the Academy, thank you for this nomination. Photographing this film for Brady was an extraordinary challenge but the most wonderful collaboration. This recognition means the world to me.”

Edward Lachman, “Maria”
“While I’m truly honored by this acknowledgement, my heart remains with Los Angeles and all of us being affected by the devastating fires. This recognition is shared with Pablo Larraín and Angelina Jolie, without whose work this would not have been possible.I hope this film expresses the deserved appreciation of what a great artist Maria Callas was.”

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton, “Nosferatu”
“This is without doubt a very special, extraordinary honour and we would like to sincerely thank the Academy. This accolade results from Robert Eggers’ inspiring leadership and strong artistic vision along with the unwavering support of Chris and Eleanor Columbus and Focus Features. Eggers’ high expectations for the makeup and hair department and the team’s willingness allowed us all to elevate our craft.

“It has been such an incredible journey. This film has been nothing but a gift and a passion shared by the most talented crew. We are all very proud to have been part of this special creative, collaborative film. It is truly a highlight of our careers.”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Volker Bertelmann, “Conclave”
“Thanks to the Academy for this huge honor. To be nominated for the film ‘Conclave’ that is so well crafted, with such an amazing cast and outstanding work in all the departments makes me very happy. The collaboration with Edward Berger is for me a big gift and allows me to search and discover a lot of possibilities. Congrats also to Ralph, Lisy, Peter, and Nick on their nominations and to Tessa, Juliette and Mike for making it all possible. I am very happy for you.”

Daniel Blumberg, “The Brutalist”
“Thank you very much to the Academy, I really appreciate the work being recognised like this, and I’m so proud of my friend Brady for making this film. Thank you to Peter Walsh and some of my favourite musicians, including the legendary John Tilbury, for their huge contributions to the score.”

Camille and Clement Ducol, “Emilia Perez”
“We are overwhelmed by these nominations. Music and community is our life and to be nominated in ​t​wo music categories by our film​ ​music community surpasses anything we could have possibly imagined. We wholeheartedly thank The Academy and congratulate​ our fellow ‘Emilia Perez’ nominees Jacques, Zoé, Karla Sofía, Paul, Juliette​, Cyril and their teams. We are so proud of your bold and incredible work being recognized. We also owe a big thanks to Selena, Edgar, Adriana, Julia, Pierre Marie, and Pascal.​ Congrats to all the nominees!”

John Powell, “Wicked”
“I actually thought [Oscar nominations] had been moved a week, so I was woken by my agent calling, then Jon Chu FaceTiming me. (Don’t worry, it was dark so he didn’t see me naked.) All this while two large poodles were fighting for room on the pull-out couch I’m currently sleeping on after being evacuated. So definitely a weird time to get this news. But I’m just glad to have been part of a film that can bring great joy to people – it makes me feel somewhat useful.”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Linda Muir, “Nosferatu”
“This is such a lovely reason to celebrate! ‘Nosferatu’ is a very special film for me, and receiving a nomination for Best Costume Design from Academy Costume Branch members is an honour shared with our entire costume team. Congratulations to all Costume Design nominees. Congratulations to Jarin, Craig, David, Tracy and Suzanne for their Nosferatu nominations. Robert Eggers is an extraordinary talent whose leadership created an atmosphere that brought forth the best in his collaborators. Thank you to Focus Features for their enduring support of Nosferatu and to our incredible cast, who endured all manner of discomfort and still delivered stellar performances.”

Paul Tazewell, “Wicked”
“This moment of joy is greatly cherished and shared with all of the amazingly talented and brilliant team of people that it took to bring this gift of love to the screen. Thank you to the Academy for your nomination and thank you to Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Universal for this wonderful opportunity to create an expression of beauty.”

BEST FILM EDITING

David Jansco, “The Brutalist”
“I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful to the Academy for this incredible recognition. This moment is truly a dream come true, and I owe it to the extraordinary cast and the dedicated crew who poured their hearts and talents into this project. A special thank you to our visionary director and true friend, Brady, whose guidance, creativity, and belief in this film made it all possible. To my family of nominees—Felicity, Judy, Mona, Adrien, Daniel, Lol, and Guy—your talent and artistry continue to inspire me every day. And to Ilka, whose unwavering support and collaboration have meant everything—thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“This recognition is a celebration of the collective passion and talent that brought this project to life, and I am overjoyed to share it with everyone who made it a reality!”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Judy Becker, “The Brutalist”
“I am so honored to be nominated by my peers in the Academy for my work on ‘The Brutalist.’ Designing this film was an amazing experience, and a true labor of love. This recognition means everything to me. And a massive congratulations and thanks to my director, Brady Corbet.”

Craig Lathrop, “Nosferatu“
“I’m so honoured to see our movie ‘Nosferatu’ recognized with so many nominations this morning! It is truly humbling. Robert Eggers’ vision and passion for this project, which never wavered over the years, inspired and challenged us all to do our best work. Our ongoing collaboration means so much to me, and we certainly wouldn’t be here without him. I’m sincerely grateful for this nomination!”

BEST SOUND

Simon Hayes, “Wicked”
“I am incredibly honoured that The Academy has recognised the soundtrack that touched the emotions of so many audience members. Thank you Jon Chu & Marc Platt for their incredible vision, Cynthia & Ariana and our cast for trusting us with your beautiful live vocals.”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Luke Millar, “Better Man”
“We are extremely honoured that ‘Better Man’ is nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 2025 Academy Awards. The film represents an insane amount of work and talent from the artists, production and support staff here at Wētā FX and we are humbled that these efforts have been recognised by our peers. It was truly such a fantastic project to be a part of and the work is something that I will always be incredibly proud of.”

Erik Winquist, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“We were thrilled to wake up to the good news this morning. It is an honour getting to represent the more than a thousand artists, developers, production, and support crew who worked their magic for over a year on ‘Kingdom.’ Collaborating with Wes Ball and 20th Century on this was a delight and it’s so satisfying to see our work recognised by the Academy. We’re looking forward to celebrating this past year of cinema on March 3rd.”

Daniel Macarin, “Alien: Romulus”
“We are incredibly proud to have our team’s work on the third act of’ ‘Alien: Romulus’ recognized by the Academy. We worked closely with director Fede Álvarez to build on the franchise’s history and bring audiences closer to the rings of a planet than ever before. We hope this nomination inspires the next generation of VFX artists and sci-fi space film fans.”

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Producer Mindy Kaling, “Anuja”
“I have been a producer for almost twenty years, but producing ‘Anuja’ has been a highlight of my career. I feel so lucky to be part of this joyous story of two girls with big dreams and ambitions, but who are overlooked – my favorite kind of heroines! I’m so grateful to Adam Graves and Suchitra Mattai for inviting me and Kaling International on this journey. I also don’t sleep so it was nice to actually be doing something fun at 5:30 this morning. I should get that checked out!” 

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Director Smriti Mundhra and Producer Maya Gynp, “I Am Ready, Warden”
“On behalf of our incredible partners at MTV Documentary Films and executive producer Sheila Nevins, we are so thankful to the Academy and deeply humbled by this recognition. In polarized times, acts of grace and forgiveness remind us of our shared humanity, and we are eternally grateful to John Henry Ramirez and Aaron Castro, for showing us that hope exists even in a place like Texas death row. Congratulations to our fellow nominees – we are honored to be in your company, and to share the power of short documentaries with the broader film community.”

The post Oscars 2025: Monica Barbaro’s Phone Blows Up, Demi Moore Reflects on the Fires and Other Nominee Reactions appeared first on TheWrap.

Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the film’s title character, lands herself in the Oscar history books as the first out trans actress to receive a nomination. Coralie Fargeat is this year’s only woman to break into the male-dominated Best Director category, for her body-horror shocker “The Substance.”

Here are notable highlights from this year’s Oscar nominations.

Landmark Day for LGBTQ+ Community

Karla Sofía Gascón solidifies her place in Oscar history as the first out transgender woman to land an acting nomination. The “Emilia Pérez” star, who received a Best Actress nod, isn’t the first trans actor to be recognized by the Academy. Elliot Page, who came out as trans in 2020, was nominated for an Oscar for their lead role in “Juno” back in 2008.

Colman Domingo and Cynthia Erivo, who are both queer, each earn their second acting Oscar nominations. For Domingo, “Sing Sing” marks back-to-back Best Actor nominations two years in a row following “Rustin.” For Erivo, “Wicked” is her second Best Actress nomination after she scored her first nod five years ago for playing Harriet Tubman in “Harriet.”

Crashing the Boys (Directing) Club

In a category that often overlooks women directors, Coralie Fargeat becomes just the ninth woman in the history of the Academy Awards to be nominated for Best Director. (Jane Campion was nominated twice, for “The Piano” and for “The Power of the Dog,” making Fargeat’s the 10th directing nom for a woman.)

Only three female directors have actually won: Campion in 2022 for “The Power of the Dog,” Chloé Zhao in 2021 for “Nomadland” and Kathryn Bigelow breaking the glass ceiling in 2010 for “Zero Dark Thirty.”

With Fargeat’s directing nomination, “The Substance” filmmaker — who also received an Original Screenplay nod — follows in the footsteps of “The Anatomy of a Fall” director Justine Triet’s nomination last year. Fargeat competes against male directors Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Pérez”), Sean Baker (“Anora”), Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”) and James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”).

In the Best Picture category, the nomination for “The Substance” makes this the sixth consecutive year that at least one nominee was directed by a woman.

Black Acting Nods Take a Dip

Despite it being a down year for Black acting nominations compared to 2024, when five actors (Colman Domingo, Sterling K. Brown, Danielle Brooks, Jeffrey Wright and Da’Vine Joy Randolph) were recognized, there is still plenty to celebrate.

In addition to Domingo’s second straight Best Actor nomination (this time for the prison-set feature “Sing Sing”), “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, who earned her first Oscar nomination in 2020 for “Harriet,” becomes the second Black actress ever to receive two Best Actress nods after Viola Davis. Zoe Saldaña, who has said she identifies as Black Latina, was also nominated.

Latinx Actors Gain Ground

Four Latinx actors are nominated this year in Oscars’ acting categories, an improvement from the two (Colman Domingo and America Ferrera) received last year. “Emilia Pérez” supporting actress Zoë Saldaña, who is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, earned her first career nod for her performance in the Spanish-language musical. (Her costar Karla Sofía Gascón was born in Madrid and moved to Mexico more than 15 years ago. She has said she considers herself “Mexican by adoption.”)

Last year, Domingo became the first Afro-Latino to be nominated for Best Actor, and he’s back this year (for “Sing Sing”). Monica Barbaro, who is partially of Mexican and Nicaraguan descent, is a first-time nominee for her supporting work in the Bob Dylan feature “A Complete Unknown.” Brazilian-born Fernanda Torres, who won the Golden Globe earlier this month, scores her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for “I’m Still Here.”

In another landmark, for the Asian community, Black Box Diaries director Shiori Ito became the first Japanese filmmaker ever nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category.

The 97th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, and will be broadcast live coast-to-coast at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on ABC.

The post Oscars Diversity Report 2025: Landmark Nominations for LGBTQ Community appeared first on TheWrap.

See the full list of Oscar nominations here.

Surprise: “I’m Still Here”
The Brazilian drama by director Walter Salles (“Central Station”) deservedly popped up in the Best Picture category, after already scoring noms for Best International Film and Best Actress (Fernanda Torres). Most experts were expecting its Best Picture slot to go to “Sing Sing,” “A Real Pain” or “September 5.”

Snub: Margaret Qualley
The bold and very game actress from “The Substance” could not quite ride that film’s coattails all the way to nomination morning, missing out on a Supporting Actress nod.

Surprise: Sebastian Stan
The actor had been in the awards conversation all season — in fact, he won the Golden Globe earlier this month for another lead performance, in “A Different Man.” His role as pre-president Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” was tarred as too controversial, yet it scored with the Academy, edging out SAG nominee Daniel Craig for “Queer.”

Snub: Daniel Craig
And speaking of Daniel Craig. Though nominated for both the Golden Globe and SAG Award, the former 007 was left out of the Academy’s Best Actor lineup for his vulnerable, heartbroken role as a gay man wandering through Mexico City in “Queer.”

Snub: “Wicked” for Best Adapted Screenplay
The juggernaut Broadway adaptation scored 10 nominations, but unexpectedly did not receive a nod for its screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, sometimes considered a necessity in order to win Best Picture.

Snub: Edward Berger
The director of “Conclave,” and an Oscar recipient two years ago for “All Quiet on the Western Front,” didn’t match his Golden Globe and Directors Guild nominations with a spot in the Best Director category. Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”) swapped spots with Berger from the DGA lineup.

Snub: Denzel Washington
The beloved legend and Academy favorite – he’s been nominated nine times for acting – didn’t make the cut this time for his devious, charming role in Ridley Scott’s sequel “Gladiator II.”

Snub: “Challengers”
The Italian director Luca Guadagnino impressed with two movies in 2024: both the aforementioned “Queer” and the hit tennis-circuit love-triangle “Challengers,” which some had expected to inch into the Best Score, Best Song or Best Film Editing categories.

Snub: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, Zendaya, Tilda Swinton, June Squibb
The Best Actress race was so packed in 2024 that any of these exceptional, brave, complex, humane performances could have easily made the final five in another year.

Snub: “Will and Harper”
The Academy’s Documentary branch continued its recent tradition of preferring very good international features about conflict zones and social issues, but snubbing films considered too mainstream, such as this road movie doc about Will Ferrell and his friendship with Harper Steele.

The post 10 Biggest Oscar Snubs and Surprises: From Sebastian Stan to ‘Challengers’ to ‘I’m Still Here’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Well, are you ready to settle for “Dunked,” the significantly less mellifluous mashup of this year’s two biggest hits among the Best Picture nominees, “Dune: Part Two” and “Wicked?”  

Or are you ready for a year in which a French-made, Spanish-language musical about a transgender Mexican drug lord is by far the dominant film? Let’s face it, “Emilia Pérez” might be Donald Trump’s nightmare, but it’s Oscar’s favorite — and its 13 nominations could make Oscar night uncomfortable in the White House even without Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong also receiving nominations for playing Trump and his sleazy mentor Roy Cohn, respectively, in “The Apprentice.”

“Emilia Pérez”is not just the most-nominated film of the year, it’s the most-nominated non-English language film in Oscar history, handily topping the previous record of 10 by “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Roma.”

The film, directed by Jacques Audiard and acquired by Netflix out of the Cannes Film Festival, has been a lightning rod for controversy since its Cannes debut, drawing complaints about its French writer-director’s use of offensive Mexican stereotypes and its treatment of the lead character’s gender transition. But it’s also acquired supporters including Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, and its haul of nominations is another sign that Oscar voters either don’t pay attention to the many controversies that rage on what used to be called Film Twitter, or don’t care about them.

While “Emilia” racked up the nominations in all the expected categories and then some, most of the other major contenders had some slight (or not-so-slight) moments of weakness: “Conclave” not being nominated for director or cinematography, “Wicked” missing out on screenplay, “A Complete Unknown” and “Dune” being bypassed for film editing …

The 10 nominations for Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half hour drama “The Brutalist,” meanwhile, were another sign of strength for that film, while “Anora” and “The Substance” did about what was expected of them.

Like last year, the Best Picture nominees include two giant hits and a lot of other movies that aren’t giant hits. But let’s face it, “Dune: Part Two” and “Wicked” don’t have quite the pizzazz (or the cool nickname) that “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” did last year. And that could be a problem for the Academy, which would love to capitalize on the ratings boost it got from the 2024 show but is already reeling from voting delays and event cancellations caused by the Los Angeles wildfires.

But Oscar voters aren’t supposed to be thinking about ratings or off-screen disasters when they cast their ballots for the films they think are the year’s best. Thursday’s nominations weren’t designed to do anything other than show us the favorites of however many of the almost 9,905 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences cast ballots this month.

As usual, those favorites are all over the map – and as usual, there were a couple of surprises, including the omission of two American indie films that were expected to be nominated for Best Picture, Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” and Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing.” Those films were apparently nudged out by RaMell Ross’ lyrical and challenging “Nickel Boys” and the biggest single surprise of the nominations, Walter Salles’ Brazilian drama “I’m Still Here.”

The success of “I’m Still Here,” which got an expected nod for Best International Feature Film and longshot ones for Best Actress (Fernanda Torres) and Best Picture, could be a sign of the increasingly international makeup of the Academy membership – but it could also simply mean that when voters saw the movie, which Sony Pictures Classics worked vigorously in the homestretch, they recognized how good it was.

The nomination for Torres, in particular, made it easier to accept the sad fact that Marianne Jean-Baptiste wasn’t nominated for “Hard Truths” and Angelina Jolie was bypassed for “Maria”; the Best Actress category simply had far more worthy contenders than it had nomination slots, so you can’t really use the word snub to describe what happened to those eminently worthy actresses.  

The nominations leave us with a race that has a frontrunner but is still wide open. That may change over the next few weeks, particularly in early February when Friday the 7th will bring the Critics Choice Awards (which has predicted the Best Picture Oscar nine times in the last 15 years) and Saturday the 8th will bring both the Directors Guild Awards (also 9-for-15) and the all-important Producers Guild Awards (12-for-15, and the best of all the Oscar tea leaves).

Until then, the Academy will get to figure out how to draw viewers to a show that’s missing the “Barbie”/“Oppenheimer” magic. It’s not that there aren’t hit films in the running this year: “Dune” and “Wicked” have both topped $700 million, while “The Substance,” “Conclave” and “Anora” have earned back four or five times as much as their budgets in worldwide grosses.  

But “Wicked” is really the only Best Picture nominee that has made an impact on pop culture to the extent that people might tune in to the Oscars to see how it does. And if the Academy and the producers want to leverage box office success into Oscar ratings, that puts a heavy burden on the shoulders of the only real sensation of any kind in this year’s lineup.

Such a heavy burden, in fact, that it’s out of the question to think that one of the reasons the Academy decided to “move away” from the performances of the nominated songs. Is it crazy to think that that’ll make room for some key “Wicked”  cast members to get up on that stage and performing something other than nominated songs, of which their musical has none? (Cynthia and Ariana doing “Over the Rainbow,” anyone?) Maybe it is crazy, but this is a year for conspiracy theories.

Or maybe the Academy should just lean into the slate they’ve been given by their voters, and play up just how singular a batch of movies this is. Even when it made a big splash in Cannes, there was no reason to expect that a crime drama/musical/love story/transgender character study like “Emilia Pérez” could end up as the year’s most-nominated film, much less shatter the record for international nominations set by “Crouching Tiger” and “Roma.”

Its fellow Cannes title “The Substance,” meanwhile, is a weird, graphic, gooey body-horror flick that cost less than $20 million and has grossed almost $80 million worldwide and won Demi Moore the first acting award of her career at the Golden Globes. That’s a miracle of sorts.

Then there’s “The Brutalist,” a three-and-a-half-hour epic, expansive and indulgent and gorgeously mounted and made for less than $10 million when it looks several times that expensive; there’s another remarkable feat.

And even “Wicked,” the giant musical riff on “The Wizard of Oz,” managed to slip a pretty p0inted critique of intolerance and the demonization of others in between all those pretty colors and perky tunes.

Out of those weird little miracles, Oscar voters fashioned an interesting, quirky slate of nominations. And if it’s no “Barbenheimer,” it could make for a provocative night in Donald Trump’s America.

The post Oscar Nominations: Love for ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘The Apprentice’ Could Make Oscar Night Donald Trump’s Nightmare appeared first on TheWrap.

Best Picture

• With 13 nominations, “Emilia Perez” is the most nominated non-English-language film of all time, beating the record of 10 nominations held by “Roma” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
• “Emilia Pérez” and “I’m Still Here” are also the 18th and 19th films predominantly not in the English language to be nominated for Best Picture. Both are nominated for Best International Feature – the first time ever that two nominees from that category have also been nominated for Best Picture.
• At 3:35, “The Brutalist” is the sixth-longest Best Picture nominee, a few minutes longer than two recent Martin Scorsese movies, “The Irishman” (3:29) and “Killers of the Flower Moon” (3:26). “Cleopatra,” from 1963, is the all-time longest Best Picture nominee at 4:11.

Acting categories

• Seven acting nominees are from musicals or music-related films: two from “Wicked,” two from “Emilia Perez” and three from “A Complete Unknown.”
• Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”) is the second Black actress to be nominated twice for Best Actress in a Leading Role, after Viola Davis. Erivo was previously nominated for 2019’s “Harriet.”
• Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”) is the second performer nominated for playing Bob Dylan, after Cate Blanchett for 2007’s “I’m Not There.”
• If Chalamet wins, he’ll be the second Oscar winner who portrayed an Oscar winner, after the aforementioned Blanchett. Bob Dylan won Best Song for 2000’s “Wonder Boys,” while Blanchett won for her role in “The Aviator” as four-time winner Katharine Hepburn.
• Yura Borisov is the first Russian acting nominee since Mikhail Baryshnikov for 1977’s “The Turning Point.” Baryshnikov was born in a part of the then-Soviet Union which is now Latvia; he defected from the USSR to the United States in 1974.
• Nominees Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”) and Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here”) are the daughters of previous acting nominees. Rossellini’s mother Ingrid Bergman won three Oscars and Torres’ mother Fernanda Montenegro was nominated in 1999 for “Central Station.”
• A record six nominees are for performances entirely or partly in a language other than English: Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña (Spanish), Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones (Hungarian), Yura Borisov (Russian) and Fernanda Torres (Portuguese).
• Sebastian Stan (“The Apprentice”) is the first Romanian-born actor ever nominated in the Leading Actor category.
• Stan is also the only actor in Oscar history to score a nomination for portraying the current U.S. president. In addition to Stan’s performance as Donald Trump, actors have been nominated for playing John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon and George W. Bush.

Best Director

• Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”) is the ninth woman nominated for directing and her nom marks the 10th time a woman has made the cut; director Jane Campion was nominated twice. Fargeat is the second French woman, following Justine Triet (“Anatomy of a Fall),” nominated here.
• Fargeat and Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Perez”) represent the first time two French directors have been nominated in the same year since 1975, when François Truffaut (“Day for Night”) and French-Polish Roman Polanski (“Chinatown”) were nominated.
• Sean Baker (“Anora”) is the sixth director to be nominated for four Oscars in the same year. Baker is also up for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Past four-pete club members include Orson Welles (“Citizen Kane”), Warren Beatty (“Heaven Can Wait” and “Reds”), the Coen Brothers (“No Country for Old Men”), Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”).
  

Best Original and Adapted Screenplays

• Nine of the ten nominees were written or co-written by their directors – every nominee except for “Conclave,” written by Peter Straughan.
• Actor Clarence Maclin, though not nominated for his performance in “Sing Sing,” was nominated for his contribution to the film’s screenplay.

Best Cinematography

• The nomination for “Dune: Part Two” marks the first time that a sequel to an Oscar winner in this category has been nominated. The first “Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar” movies earned the statuette here, only to have their sequels get snubbed from the nominees lineup.

Best Animated Feature

• Latvia’s “Flow” is the second film to be nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best International Film, after 2021’s “Flee.”

The post 2025 Oscar Milestones: ‘Emilia Pérez’ Breaks All-Time Record, Musicals Score Big appeared first on TheWrap.

Gascón scored her first career nomination Thursday morning in the Best Actress category for her lead role in Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language operatic musical, “Emilia Pérez,” cementing her place in the Oscar history books.

The landmark Oscar nomination is groundbreaking for the transgender community as it marks the first time an out trans actor has broken through in a major acting category with the Academy.

Gascón isn’t the first trans actor to be recognized by the Academy, however. Elliot Page, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for their leading role in “Juno,” came out as trans through an Instagram post in December 2020, 12 years after being nominated.

The Academy has also previously nominated trans filmmakers and musicians. Composer Angela Morley was the first openly transgender Oscar nominee in 1975 for co-writing the score for “The Little Prince,” later earning a nomination in 1977 for scoring “The Slipper and the Rose — The Story of Cinderella. “

In 2016, singer-songwriter Anohni was the first trans musician to be nominated for an original song Oscar when she received a nod for penning the lyrics to “Manta Ray” for the documentary, “Racing Extinction.” Yance Ford became the first transgender filmmaker and producer in 2018 to be nominated for a documentary Oscar with “Strong Island.” 

In “Emilia Pérez,” which earned 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, Gascón portrays Mexican cartel leader Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, who undergoes gender-affirming surgery in order to transition to a woman with the help of a lawyer (played by Saldaña).

Depicting Emilia’s journey before and after her transition was a cathartic experience for Gascón, who was cognizant of her own life paralleling aspects of her character’s arc.

“This is something that has changed me a lot,” the Madrid-born actress told TheWrap through an interpreter. “It led to a lot of internal learning for myself. I left a lot of my own personal darkness in Manitas and Emilia, and I got a lot of light in return from these characters.”

Gascón has collected a slew of accolades since last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the female cast (including co-star Adriana Paz) won the best actress prize. Gascón became the first trans woman to be honored with the prestigious award. She was also nominated at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

“My character in the film is this ray of hope. And personally, I do feel like I am carrying this message,” Gascón said. “I have a social responsibility that goes beyond the creative achievement of the film. This is the type of movie that will make history, not just the cinema but something that will be studied in books, that will be studied in universities.”

In an increasingly fraught landscape for the trans community, Gascón spoke of the platform she has been given to give voice to the voiceless. “People are committing acts of hate, violence, even murder against people for being different and for the simple reason of existing,” she said. “I know I’ve gotten this responsibility for a reason.”

The 97th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, and will be broadcast live coast-to-coast at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on ABC.

The post Karla Sofía Gascón Becomes First Trans Woman Nominated for Acting at the Oscars appeared first on TheWrap.

Shortly after the nomination announcement, Rossellini released a video in which she paid tribute to her parents, Ingrid Bergman and Robert Rossellini, as well as her former creative and romantic partner, Lynch, who died one week ago.

“I’m purposely sitting next to this poster,” Rossellini says in the video. “My father’s film ‘Europe ’51’ with my mom, Ingrid Bergman. I think of them so much, especially today, having become an Oscar nominee for the film ‘Conclave.’ I wish they were here to know this news, but maybe they know, because they might be up there knowing.”

She added, “And up there, I’m sure, is also David Lynch. My collaboration with him was so pivotal to my understanding of the art of acting.”

The nomination places Rossellini in the Academy history books. She is the daughter of three-time Oscar-winning actress Ingrid Bergman. Her father, the Italian neorealist filmmaking legend Roberto Rossellini (“Rome, Open City,” “Journey to Italy”) was also nominated once, in 1950 for his screenplay for “Paisan.”

Swedish acting legend Bergman is often cited as one of the greatest screen icons of all time, famed for her roles in “Casablanca,” “The Bells of St. Marys” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Notorious.” She was a seven-time nominee who won three Oscars: two for Best Actress (“Gaslight” and “Anastasia”) and one for Best Supporting Actress (“Murder on the Orient Express”).

Rossellini’s nomination this year, in fact, comes on the 50th anniversary of her mother’s win for “Orient Express,” an all-star mystery film in which Bergman played a timid missionary suspected of murder.

The romance of Bergman and Roberto Rossellini was an international scandal when the couple married in 1950 because Bergman had just divorced her first husband Petter Aron Lindström. She was denounced for adultery, including on the floor of the United States Senate. Isabella and her twin sister Ingrid were born in Rome in 1952. Bergman and Rossellini divorced five years later.

Now 72, Rossellini has lived longer than both her father, who died at 71 in 1977, and her mother, who died on her 67th birthday in 1982.

Other mother-daughter Oscar nominees for acting include Liza Minnelli and her mother Judy Garland; Laura Dern and her mother Diane Ladd; Kate Hudson and her mother Goldie Hawn; and Jamie Lee Curtis and her mother Janet Leigh.

A former model who moved into acting in the 1980s, Rossellini has mostly concentrated on work in the independent film realm (including seven films with avant-garde Canadian director Guy Maddin), with occasional big studio fare such as “Death Becomes Her.”

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Her other credits include “Fearless” (as Jeff Bridges’ wife), “Two Lovers” (as Joaquin Phoenix’s mother), “Wild at Heart,” “Immortal Beloved” and “Big Night.” On TV, she appeared in “Julia,” “30 Rock” (as Alec Baldwin’s ex-wife) and “Green Porno,” a series of short films she directed about the mating habits of animals and insects. In 1997, she received an Emmy nomination for guest actress in a drama series for “Chicago Hope.”

As it turns out, Rossellini isn’t alone this year in the mother-daughter history-making. Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here”) was nominated 26 years after her mother, Fernanda Montenegro (1998’s “Central Station”). Montengero even has a small role in “I’m Still Here” as the elderly version of Torres’ character in a late scene.

The post Isabella Rossellini Pays Tribute to Her Parents and David Lynch After Oscar Nomination for ‘Conclave’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

More major milestones: “Conclave” supporting actress Isabella Rossellini earned her first nomination, 46 years after her mother Ingrid Bergman’s final nom. Demi Moore also earned her first nomination, for her lead performance in Coralie Fargeat’s body-horror film “The Substance.” Fargeat became the ninth woman to ever be nominated for directing, following her fellow Frenchwoman Justine Triet (“Anatomy of a Fall”) last year. Fargeat also scored a nod for original screenplay.

“Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón entered the history books with her Best Actress nomination, marking the first time the Academy has recognized an openly trans actor. Her co-star Zoe Saldaña also scored a supporting nod.

The lead actress category was the most fiercely competitive. As expected, Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”) and Mikey Madison (“Anora”) made the cut, while Fernanda Torres, from “I’m Still Here,” beat out Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”) for the fifth spot, which was also a possible place for Angelina Jolie (“Maria”) or Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”) to sneak in.

For a more in-depth take on the nominations, check out Steve Pond’s analysis.

Postponed from Jan. 17 due to the Los Angeles wildfires, the nominations announcement came on Thursday morning, delivered with pep (and accurate pronunciation) by Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang, live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The 2025 Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2. Conan O’Brien will host. There will be no performances of nominated songs.

Below, the complete list of nominees for the 97th Academy Awards.

Best Picture
“Anora,” Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, producers
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown,” Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman, producers
“Conclave,” Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, producers
“Dune: Part II,” Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, producers
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
“Wicked,” Marc Platt, producer

Directing 
Sean Baker, “Anora”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”  
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Actor in a Leading Role 
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked” 
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”

Actor in a Supporting Role 
Yura Borisov, “Anora” 
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” 
Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown” 
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist” 
Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”

Actress in a Supporting Role 
Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist” 
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave” 
Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“A Complete Unknown,” James Mangold and Jay Cocks
“Conclave,” Peter Straughan 
“Emilia Pérez,” Jacques Audiard
“Nickel Boys,” RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
“Sing Sing,” Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“Anora,” Sean Baker
“The Brutalist,” Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold 
“A Real Pain,” Jesse Eisenberg 
“September 5,” Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum
“The Substance,” Coralie Fargeat

International Feature Film
Brazil, “I’m Still Here” 
Denmark, “The Girl With the Needle”
France, “Emilia Pérez” 
Germany, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” 
Latvia, “Flow”

Costume Design 
“A Complete Unknown,” Arianne Phillips
“Conclave,” Lisy Christl 
“Gladiator II,” Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
“Nosferatu,” Linda Muir
“Wicked,” Paul Tazewell

Makeup and Hairstyling 
“A Different Man,” Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado 
“Emilia Pérez,” Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and
Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
“Nosferatu,” David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes Munton
“The Substance,” Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and
Marilyne Scarselli 
“Wicked,” Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth

Production Design 
“The Brutalist,” Production Design: Judy Becker, Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
“Conclave,” Production Design: Suzie Davies, Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
“Dune: Part II,” Production Design: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
“Nosferatu,” Production Design: Craig Lathrop, Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
“Wicked,” Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Lee Sandale

Music (Original Score) 
“The Brutalist,” Daniel Blumberg 
“Conclave,” Volker Bertelmann 
“Emilia Pérez,” Clément Ducol and Camille
“Wicked,” John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
“The Wild Robot,” Kris Bowers

Music (Original Song)
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez” 
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing”
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”

Animated Feature Film
“Flow”
“Inside Out 2”
“Memoir of a Snail”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
“The Wild Robot”

Animated Short Film 
“Beautiful Men”
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Wander to Wonder”
“Yuck!”

Documentary Feature Film 
“Black Box Diaries”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane” 

Documentary Short Film 
“Death by Numbers”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”

Live-Action Short Film
“A Lien”
“Anuja”
“I’m Not a Robot”
“The Last Ranger”
“The Man Who Would Not Remain Silent”

Cinematography 
“The Brutalist,” Lol Crawley
“Dune: Part II,” Greig Fraser
“Emilia Pérez,” Paul Guilhaume
“Maria,” Ed Lachman
“Nosferatu,” Jarin Blaschke

Film Editing
“Anora,” Sean Baker
“The Brutalist,” David Jancso
“Conclave,” Nick Emerson
“Emilia Pérez,” Juliette Welfling
“Wicked,” Myron Kerstein

Sound
“A Complete Unknown”
“Dune: Part II”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”

Visual Effects
“Alien: Romulus”
“A Better Man”
“Dune: Part II”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Wicked” 

The post Oscars 2025: ‘Emilia Pérez’ Leads With 13 Nominations (Complete List) appeared first on TheWrap.

In a letter to the membership, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said that the presentation would “move away  from live performances” and instead celebrate the nominated songwriters through “personal reflections.”

That decision would do away with performances that could include Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez performing the “Emilia Perez” songs “El Mal” and “Mi Camino,” respectively, as well as performances of new songs from Elton John, Maren Morris, H.E.R. and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

The move comes a year after an Oscar show whose most talked-about moment was Ryan Gosling’s performance of the nominated song “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie.”

The email does promise “powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future.” It also says that this year’s show will be “a celebration of connection and collaboration – honoring the unifying spirit and creative synergy of moviemaking.” It promises a return to what it calls “Fab 5” moments, apparently the acting presentations in which five past winners each celebrate one of the nominees.

And it will pay special attention to Los Angeles, “showcasing its beauty and resilience.”

Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday morning, with the show taking place on Sunday, March 2.

Read the email in full below:

Dear Academy members,

Our deepest thanks to all of you for your compassion and support over the last few weeks. Our thoughts remain with those who were impacted by the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires. If you would like to join the Academy in supporting the ongoing relief efforts, please click here for a list of aid resources.

After continued consultation with ABC, our board, and other key stakeholders in the Los Angeles and film communities, planning continues for the 97th Oscars ceremony on Sunday, March 2. This year’s Oscars will celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.

As a reminder, our 97th Oscars Nominations will be announced tomorrow, January 23, at 5:30am PT via global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook), ABC’s Good Morning America, and ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. American Sign Language (ASL) services will be available on YouTube.

As a precursor to tomorrow’s announcement, we wanted to share a little bit about this year’s show. Hosted by the incredible Conan O’Brien, our 97th Oscars will be a celebration of connection and collaboration – honoring the unifying spirit and creative synergy of moviemaking. We will highlight the transformative power of the teamwork that brings cinematic visions to life.

As part of this, we are thrilled to bring back our “Fab 5” moments, where individual film artists recognize nominees. Also, this year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.

And we will honor Los Angeles as the city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience, as well as its role as a beacon for filmmakers and creative visionaries for over a century. We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.

There is so much more in store, including powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future. We hope you will tune in tomorrow morning to watch the Nominations Announcement, and we greatly appreciate your ongoing commitment to the Academy and our film community. We are stronger together.

Bill Kramer and Janet Yang

The post 2025 Oscars Will Skip Performances of Nominated Songs appeared first on TheWrap.

Starting at 5:30 a.m. PST, the “Wicked” actor and the “Bottoms” actress will reveal the nominees for all 23 categories via livestream and on social media. The nods were originally supposed to be read on Jan. 17, but were postponed due to the Los Angeles wildfires.

Final voting will take place Feb. 11-18. Conan O’Brien will then host (for the first time) on March 2, with Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan producing.

In addition to postponing the initial nominations announcement, the 2025 Oscar Nominees Luncheon has been canceled altogether, per the AMPAS.

Yang is best known for his work on “Saturday Night Live” as well as his “Las Culturistas” podcast with Matt Rogers, while Sennott has starred in “Shiva Baby,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “I Used to Be Funny” and “Saturday Night.” The pair’s upcoming gig as Oscar nominee announcers was first revealed on “Good Morning America” early Tuesday.

The 97th Academy Awards air live March 2 on ABC and Hulu.

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