Whether you’ve seen one film or them all, everyone with even the tiniest interest has their own Oscar predictions. There’s simply no avoiding it. Every year, we watch and think someone is snubbed or someone is well-deserving. Or someone’s had a little too much to drink.
Regardless, Oscar night is as unifying as it is divisive.
One topic that’s always available for debate or agreement is the acting nominations. Whatever your thoughts are, there are always conversations to be had on who is nominated and why. This year, everyone is talking about it for a slightly special reason.
Who are the first-time nominees?
One of the biggest conversations this year is about the sheer number of first-time nominees in the acting categories. Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor tallied 16 first-time nominees, out of a total of 20 nominations.
The Best Actor category, despite featuring some famous faces, has not a single nominee with a prior nomination.
Austin Butler has been nominated for his marmite depiction of Elvis in Elvis.
Bill Nighy, known for a variety of films including Christmas favourite Love Actually, has been nominated for his role in The Living. Some say it’s well overdue for the 73-year-old, which is raising the question: will he win for the sake of legacy?
Brendan Fraser is nominated for his performance in The Whale, a role which has rocketed him back into the public eye. The public adoration and support for Fraser as an actor have many eyeing him for the Gold.
Ireland wins for quantity, however, with Colin Farrell (Banshees of Inisherin) and Paul Mescal (Aftersun) both being nominated. Farrell is another familiar face with many great films under his belt whereas Mescal, at just 27, is relatively new to the scene.
I was jumping up and down, screaming at the top of my voice, exactly the same way that I did when I got the phone call from my agent that the Daniels wanted me to play Waymond
Ke Huy Quan, NY Times
Everything Everywhere All at Once earned 11 nominations in total. Not only is Best Picture on the cards, but its four leading actors have been nominated in their respective categories. Michelle Yeoh (Best Actress), Ke Huy Quan (Best Supporting Actor), Stephanie Hsu (Best Supporting Actress), and Jamie Lee Curtis (Best Supporting Actress) are all first-time nominees.
The other first-time acting nominations belong to Ana de Armas (Blonde), Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway), Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin), Hong Chau (The Whale), and Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin).
The variety of new talent being recognised this year is undeniable. Plus, it’s always nice to see some reputable big names finally get the limelight they deserve. The Oscars this year will be one to watch; hopefully for reasons different than last.
UK viewers can tune in to various Sky channels at midnight to catch the action live.
Featured Image Credit: Variety
Journalism and English Studies student with an interest in film & tv, music, and politics.
Live on Air3 Thursday 1-2.30
Twitter: @AlexPaterson01
You must log in to post a comment.