The anticipation for the 96th Academy Awards is building, and this year's nominations have stirred both excitement and surprise. Among the most talked-about aspects of the nominations are the unexpected omissions from the star-studded list.
Greta Gerwig, the director behind 2023's highest-grossing movie, Barbie, was notably absent from the Best Director category. Equally surprising, the film's lead, Margot Robbie, did not secure a nomination in the Best Actress category.
Despite Barbie reigning as the top-grossing film of the year at the box office, Greta Gerwig, 40, was overlooked in the Best Director category. However, there is a silver lining as she and her husband, Noah Baumbach, were nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for their work on Barbie.
The film Barbie received a nod for Best Picture, which automatically earns co-producer Margot Robbie, 33, a spot among the Academy Award nominees. This recognition comes despite her absence from the Best Actress category.
The Best Director nominees for the 96th Academy Awards include Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall), Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), and Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest).
In the highly competitive Best Actress category, the nominees are Annette Bening (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), and Emma Stone (Poor Things).
Margot Robbie has been recognized and honored for her performance in Barbie throughout the awards season, earning nominations at the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards.
Greta Gerwig's previous work, Lady Bird in 2017, garnered her a Best Director nomination, but she did not receive a similar nod for her 2019 film, Little Women. However, she did earn writing nominations for both of those projects.
For Barbie, Gerwig secured directing nominations from the Directors Guild of America, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards earlier this year. It's worth noting that only three women have won the Best Director category in the history of the Academy Awards: Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 for The Hurt Locker, Chloé Zhao in 2021 for Nomadland, and Jane Campion in 2022 for The Power of the Dog.
Reflecting on her unique directing style, Gerwig, who has an acting background, shared, "I think there's an advantage to being an actor who's directing. I know how vulnerable and how scary it feels." She recalled conversations with Margot Robbie about the insecurities actors may face before a project begins, emphasizing the need to make them feel safe.
Despite her past successes, Gerwig admitted that she still approaches each new project as a beginner. As she embarks on the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia adaptations for Netflix, she revealed, "You feel like a beginner to whatever project you're on... I don't think it's coming."
In any case, fans were outraged that while Robbie and Gerwig didn't receive a Best Actress and Best Director nod respectively, Ryan Gosling received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his role as Ken in the hit movie.
One person wrote: "So Ryan Gosling’s nominated for playing ken but Margot Robbie isn’t nominated for playing barbie… in barbie #Oscars."
Another penned: "No nomination for Margot Robbie or Greta Gerwig for the #Oscars but Ryan Gosling gets one. Literally the whole point of the Barbie film."
A third argued: Ryan Gosling, while deserving, got an Oscar nomination for Barbie while Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie didn’t? Completely proving the point of the movie in 20 fucking 24 you cannot make this up #Oscars2024 #Oscars
This fan commented: "The fact that Ryan Gosling has been nominated for an Oscar for Barbie and Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig hasn’t is just so on the nose it hurts."
The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will broadcast live on Sunday, March 10, from the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, beginning at 7PM ET. As the countdown to the Oscars continues, movie enthusiasts and industry insiders eagerly await the grand celebration of cinematic excellence.
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