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’.
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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 honored’ by his nomination for best-supporting actor, but added, “There is no Ken without Barbie.”
“And there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film,” Gosling said in a statement.
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“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 the best actress nod for her role in the romantic drama set in Seoul, South Korea, and New York.
Joining her, ‘Ferrari’ actress 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.