Oscar nominations 2025: Emilia Pérez, Wicked and The Brutalist lead race
2025-01-23
Category: entertainment

Netflix musical Emilia Pérez leads this year's Oscars nominations, with Wicked also among the top contenders.Emilia Pérez, about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, has 13 nominations in total - although one of its stars, Selena Gomez, missed out.Wicked received 10 nominations - including nods for British actress Cynthia Erivo and her co-star Ariana Grande.Three-and-a-half-hour epic The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody, also has 10 nominations, while Demi Moore has the first Oscar nomination of her career.
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Moore, 62, is nominated for best actress for playing a fading star who swaps her body for a younger and more beautiful version of herself in The Substance.She said an Oscar nomination was "an incredible honour and these last few months have been beyond my wildest dreams".Referring to the wildfires in Los Angeles, she continued: "This is a time of incredible contrasts and right now, my heart is with my friends, family, neighbours, and community here in LA."In the best actor category, two big names are in contention for portraying the early years of very different real-life figures - Sebastian Stan for playing Donald Trump in The Apprentice and Timothée Chalamet for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.That makes Chalamet, 29, the youngest person to get two best actor nominations since James Dean in the 1950s, according to Variety.But 2003 best actor winner Brody is favourite to scoop that prize again, for playing a Hungarian architect hired by a wealthy American after World War Two in The Brutalist.
The top nominees:
Emilia Pérez - 13 nominationsWicked - 10The Brutalist - 10A Complete Unknown - 8Conclave - 8
The Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by US comedian Conan O'Brien, will take place on 2 March.The nominations had been due to be announced last week, but were postponed twice because of the fires.Organisers have said the ceremony will "reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry".
Emilia Pérez makes history
Emilia Pérez, which follows the leader of a Mexican drugs cartel who decides to change gender and identity, hasn't set Netflix alight so far and has divided opinion among those who have watched it.But Oscar voters have given it a resounding seal of approval.It it the most-nominated non-English language film of all time. It's actually a French production, is set mostly in Mexico and is mostly acted in Spanish.Karla Sofía Gascón is nominated for best actress for the movie's lead role, making her the first trans person to be nominated in an acting category (although Elliot Page was nominated for Juno in 2008, before the actor transitioned).Zoe Saldaña, who plays Perez's lawyer, is up for best supporting actress (despite having more screen time than Gascón). The film's only notable omission is Selina Gomez, who was an outsider for a nod in the same category for playing Perez's wife.
Brits in contention
Erivo is the first black British woman to receive two Oscar nominations for acting, after also being nominated for Harriet in 2020.If she wins best actress this time, for playing Elphaba in Wicked, she'll become an EGOT - having completed the set of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.Ralph Fiennes is flying the flag in the best actor category with his first nomination for 28 years. He's recognised for playing a cardinal who oversees the selection of a new Pope in Conclave.Elsewhere, Felicity Jones is nominated for best supporting actress for The Brutalist - a decade after her first Oscar nomination - while Sir Elton John is in the best original song race.The country will also be rooting for two more screen legends - Wallace and Gromit (and their makers Aardman Animations), who are hoping for their fourth Oscar. They are shortlisted for best animated feature for their latest outing, Vengeance Most Fowl.Creator Nick Park told the BBC the nomination was a "surprise and real privilege", while co-director Merlin Crossingham said he "nearly spilt my tea" when hearing the news before adding that "we all had a huge cheer and celebration".
Wicked casts an Oscars spell
Wicked, based on the Broadway musical about the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz, has been a big box-office success and is now also a hit with Oscar voters.It has exceeded many expectations with its 10 nominations - two more than Barbie managed last year.After their widely-praised performances in both the film and on the press tour, Erivo and Grande will be reunited on the Oscars red carpet.Grande said she "cannot stop crying" after receiving the first Academy Award nomination of her career.However, the film's mastermind Jon M Chu missed out on a nomination for best director.
Other snubs
Pamela Anderson had scored Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for her vulnerable and powerful performance as an ageing Las Vegas performer in The Last Showgirl, but has missed out at the Oscars.Best actress is a competitive field, and other big names including Angelina Jolie (Maria) and Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) were also overlooked.British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste could also have been a contender for playing a constantly miserable woman in Mike Leigh's Hard Truths.Jamie Lee Curtis lost out on a spot in the best supporting actress category for her role alongside Anderson in The Last Showgirl, while Gladiator II's Denzel Washington couldn't notch up the 10th acting nomination of his career.In fact, 24 years after the original Gladiator won five Oscars, the sequel could only manage a single nomination, for best costume design.Former James Bond star Daniel Craig had a chance for his first Oscar nomination - but voters overlooked his performance in Queer, as a gay man who ventures into the jungle in search of a plant with telepathic qualities.And Irish-language rappers Kneecap were disappointed - their film, which received six Bafta nominations last week, was overlooked by the Oscars.
Read more about this year's nominated films:A Complete Unknown: Critics praise Chalamet's portrayal of Bob DylanAnora: Mikey Madison praised for breakout role as New York stripperThe Apprentice: Sebastian Stan says Trump 'should be grateful' for controversial filmConclave: Critics praise 'skin-prickling suspense'Dune: Part Two: 'Like no other blockbuster', say impressed criticsEmilia Pérez: Selena Gomez 'shines' in Oscar-tipped musicalThe Substance: Demi Moore is over being perfect in new 'risky and juicy' horror roleWicked: Ariana Grande channelled her loss into Wicked role