Film

'Oppenheimer' leads Oscar nominations, Gerwig, Robbie, DiCaprio snubbed

Film about the World War Two race to build the first atomic bomb landed a leading 13 nominations

Reuters January 24, 2024

CALIFORNIA:

Director Greta Gerwig and actress Margot Robbie, the women who helped make Barbie the runaway box office success of 2023, failed to land directing and lead actress Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

Their omissions sparked a sharp reaction from Barbie actor Ryan Gosling, who earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination and lauded Gerwig and Robbie's "talent, grit and genius." Leonardo DiCaprio, the lead actor in director Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, was also passed over by Hollywood's film academy in that category.

Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon did snag two of the 10 best picture nominations, though they face formidable competition from the awards season frontrunner, Oppenheimer, which led Tuesday's Academy Awards nominations with 13 nods. Gerwig landed a nomination for best adapted screenplay for Barbie, along with her husband, Noah Baumbach. The movie, which earned over $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office in 2023, snagged eight nominations in total, and Robbie is credited as a producer for the best picture nod.

Gosling, who played Ken opposite Robbie's Barbie, said he was "extremely honoured" by his nomination for best supporting actor, but added, "There is no Ken without Barbie." Gosling said in a statement, "And there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film."

"No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius," he added. "To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement." Also not making the Oscar nomination cut was Past Lives star Greta Lee, who was vying for a best actress nod for her role in the romantic drama set in Seoul, South Korea, and New York. Joining her, Ferrari actor Penelope Cruz did not receive a nomination for her supporting role in the high-speed racing drama despite good reviews for her performance.

Bradley Cooper was left off the best director list for Maestro, though he was nominated for best actor for starring in the film as composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Cooper also was snubbed in the directing category for 2018 best picture nominee A Star is Born.

Among the overlooked films, The Color Purple, the musical adaptation of the 1982 book and the 1985 film, was almost completely shut out of the 2024 Oscars race, receiving only one nomination. Danielle Brooks received the movie’s sole Oscars nod for best supporting actress, while American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino was snubbed for the best actress nomination.

The newest The Color Purple, which was inspired by the Broadway musical of the same name, may repeat the history of no Oscar wins like the movie it was based on - both led by industry giants Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. While the original movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, including best picture, it did not win in any category.

Oppenheimer, the epic film about the World War Two race to build the first atomic bomb, landed a leading 13 Oscar nominations on Tuesday and cemented its role as frontrunner for the prestigious best picture trophy. The three-hour drama directed by Christopher Nolan outpaced gothic comedy Poor Things, another best picture contender that scored 11 nominations for the film industry's highest honors.

Both movies will compete with feminist doll adventure Barbie, Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, and Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, about the 1920s murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, among others. Nolan, a best director nominee, said it was "a real thrill" to see Oppenheimer pile up so many nominations. "I think it's a great year for movies, and it's a real honor to be included," he said in an interview. One of Hollywood's most acclaimed filmmakers, Nolan has never had a film win best picture at the Academy Awards.

Oppenheimer is considered the favourite for the top prize this year, based on early awards season wins and polling of experts by the Gold Derby website. Barbie, last year's highest-grossing movie, received eight nominations, including supporting actress for America Ferrera - who gave a memorable monologue about the challenges of womanhood - and supporting actor for Ryan Gosling.

Oppenheimer secured a lead actor nomination for Cillian Murphy, who played scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and for supporting cast Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. With Barbie and Oppenheimer in the mix, the Oscars telecast on March 10 will showcase two big-screen blockbusters. The films collected nearly $2.4 billion combined in a summer box office battle dubbed Barbenheimer.

Ten of the 20 acting contenders were first-time nominees. Among them were Native American Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, and Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction, the story of a Black writer fed up with book publishers pushing stereotypes. Wright said he did not watch the nominations live. "I did not want to have to break a screen," he joked. "So, I just let it all happen."

Emma Stone nabbed a best actress nod for her role in Poor Things as Bella, a woman who goes on a journey of self-discovery after being raised from the dead. "I am forever thankful for the opportunity to play Bella and see the world through her eyes," said Stone, another previous Oscar winner, who was also nominated for best picture as a Poor Things producer.

Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes will be chosen by the roughly 11,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The organisation added more women and people of colour to its ranks after the #OscarsSoWhite uproars of 2015 and 2016, and it increased membership from outside the United States. This year, votes came in from a record 93 countries. Late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel will for the fourth time host the Oscars ceremony, which will be broadcast live on Walt Disney's new tab ABC.

The following is a full list of nominees.

BEST PICTURE

“American Fiction”
“Anatomy of a Fall”
“Barbie”
“The Holdovers”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro“
“Past Lives”
“Poor Things”
“The Zone of Interest”
"Oppenheimer"

BEST ACTOR

Bradley Cooper,“Maestro”
Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”

BEST ACTRESS

Lily Gladstone,“Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sandra Huller, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”
Emma Stone,“Poor Things”
Annette Bening, “Nyad”

BEST DIRECTOR

Jonathan Glazer,“The Zone of Interest”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things”
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
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Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Justine Triet, “Anatomy of a Fall”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sterling K. Brown, “American Fiction”
Robert De Niro,“Killers of the Flower Moon”
Robert Downey Jr.,“Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”
Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
Jodie Foster, “Nyad”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
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America Ferrera, "Barbie"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“American Fiction”
“Barbie”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor Things”
"Zone of Interest"

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Anatomy of a Fall”
“The Holdovers”
“May December”
“Past Lives”
“Maestro”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

"The Boy and the Heron"
"Elemental"
"Nimona"
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
"Robot Dreams"

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“Letter to a Pig”
“Ninety-Five Senses”
"Our Uniform"
"Pachyderme"
“War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

“Io Capitano,” Italy
“Perfect Days,” Japan
“Society of the Snow,” Spain
“The Teachers’ Lounge,” Germany
“The Zone of Interest,” United Kingdom

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“Bobi Wine: The People’s President”
"The Eternal Memory"
"Four Daughters"
"To Kill a Tiger"
“20 Days in Mariupol”

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

“The ABCs of Book Banning”
“The Last Repair Shop”
“Nai Nai & Wai Po”
“The Barber of Little Rock”
"Island in Between"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

"American Fiction"
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Oppenheimer"
"Poor Things"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“It Never Went Away,” “American Symphony,"
“I’m Just Ken,” “Barbie,"
“What Was I Made For?,” “Barbie,"
“The Fire Inside," “Flamin’ Hot,"
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People," “Killers of the Flower Moon”

BEST SOUND

“The Creator”
“Maestro”
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
“Oppenheimer”
“The Zone of Interest”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“Barbie”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Napoleon”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor Things”

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

“The After”
"Invincible"
"Knight of Fortune"
“Red, White and Blue”
“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“El Conde”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor Things”

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

“Golda”
“Society of the Snow"
“Maestro”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor Things”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“Barbie”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Napoleon”
“Oppenheimer”
“Poor Things”