The 2025 Oscar nominations have been announced! Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang announced this year’s nominees live at 5:30 a.m. PT from the Film Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The announcement of the 2025 Academy Awards nominees was originally set for Friday, Jan. 17, but was delayed twice amid the Los Angeles wildfires. The Hollywood Reporter reports that the Academy has donated $1 million to the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s wildfire relief efforts, including $250,000 that it would’ve spent on the Oscar nominees luncheon on Feb. 10, which has been canceled.
There were several notable snubs and surprises. Denzel Washington, once seen as a lock for his villainous performance in “Gladiator II,” was overlooked, as was Margaret Qualley, who earned raves for playing Demi Moore’s younger doppelgänger in “The Substance.” Edward Berger, who gave “Conclave” its propulsive energy, and Jon M. Chu, who designed “Wicked’s” electrifying musical sequences, were shut out of the best director race, while “A Real Pain” failed to capture a best picture nomination despite earning some of the year’s best reviews.
“Emilia Pérez,” a musical about a drug kingpin who undergoes gender affirming surgery, topped the 2025 Oscar nominations with 13 nods. It was followed closely behind by “The Brutalist,” a historical epic that examines the immigrant experience, and “Wicked,” the hit screen version of a long-running Broadway sensation, which both nabbed 10 nominations. “Conclave,” a thriller about the election of a new pope, and “A Complete Unknown,” a look at Bob Dylan’s early, freewheelin’ years, each had eight nominations. All five of those films are up for best picture, the ceremony’s top prize, alongside indies like “Anora,” “Nickel Boys,” and “I’m Still Here,” as well “The Substance” and “Dune: Part Two”.
Timothée Chalamet was nominated for best actor for his chameleonic performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.” He will face off against “The Brutalist” star Adrien Brody, who became the youngest best actor winner in history at 29 for 2003’s “The Pianist.” Other best actor nominees include Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”) and Sebastian Stan (“The Apprentice”). Stan’s recognition came after “The Apprentice,” a Donald Trump biopic in which he plays the real estate mogul, struggled to get distribution.
Moore captured a best actress nomination for “The Substance,” a subversive horror film that examines the movie industry’s sexism and ageism. Her fellow best actress contender, “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón, made history as the first openly transgender actor nominated for an Oscar. Mikey Madison (“Anora”), Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here”) and Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”) rounded out the list of best actress nominees.
Zoe Saldaña, best known for headlining blockbusters like “Avatar,” got to show her singing-and-dancing side as an idealistic lawyer in “Emilia Pérez.” She was rewarded with a best supporting actress nomination. Her competition includes Ariana Grande (“Wicked”), Felicity Jones (“The Brutalist”), Monica Barbaro (“A Complete Unknown”) and Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”).
Kieran Culkin was nominated for best supporting actor for his work as a young man whose wisecracks mask his emotional turmoil in “A Real Pain.” He is widely considered to be the frontrunner after earning several critics prizes and a Golden Globe. Culkin will vie for the prize against Edward Norton (“A Complete Unknown”), Yura Borisov (“Anora”), Jeremy Strong (“The Apprentice”) and Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”).
The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, March 2, from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, starting at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET, continuing with the earlier start time the show debuted last year, on ABC and Hulu. See the full list of nominations at oscars.org.
