Earlier today (Jan. 23), the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were revealed by Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid during a livestream from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Among the bunch was the Cord Jefferson-directed comedy-drama American Fiction, which starred Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Issa Rae, and Sterling K. Brown as part of an ensemble cast. The film received an impressive five nods overall, including Best Picture alongside other 2023 blockbusters like Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Wright and Brown were also nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.
Elsewhere on the list was Danielle Brooks, who scored a Best Supporting Actress nod for her critically acclaimed role as Sofia in The Color Purple. The acknowledgement puts her up against Oppenheimer‘s Emily Blunt, Barbie‘s America Ferrera, Nyad‘s Jodie Foster, and The Holdovers‘ Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Brooks’ The Color Purple co-star, Colman Domingo, is also a 2024 Oscar nominee — but not for his Albert “Mister” Johnson character in the Blitz Bazawule-directed musical. The Primetime Emmy Award winner received the accolade as the centerpiece of Rustin, named after civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, which was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama‘s Higher Ground production company. Wright, Randolph, Glynn Turman, Chris Rock, and CCH Pounder starred in the well-received period piece.
Notably, Killers of the Flower Moon‘s Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American woman to be given an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. In the Martin Scorsese-shot vehicle, she played alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as Mollie Burkhart, a woman who survived the highly publicized Osage murders that happened in the early 20th century.
The 96th Academy Awards will take place in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on March 10. Jimmy Kimmel was tapped as the show’s host, making it the late night frontman’s fourth time to do so.