“Elle Fanning, for Sentimental Value,” said hosts Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman, as they kicked off the nominations with the best supporting actress category.
Fanning’s appearance got things off to a spicy start from the earliest possible moment – she had received praise for her performance in the Norwegian family drama but few had predicted a nomination.
The opening category set the tone for a string of snubs and surprises, which started coming thick and fast. Here are eight of the big takeaways.Although Hamnet and One Battle After Another did well, both had a slightly softer showing than expected in the acting categories.
Paul Mescal missed out on a supporting actor nod for Hamnet – a surprising omission, although we’re confident it won’t have much impact on his co-star Jessie Buckley’s frontrunner status for best actress.
Meanwhile, four big actors from One Battle After Another were recognised, but its break-out star Chase Infiniti missed best actress despite being a red-hot contender.
It was an admittedly competitive category. But at 25 years old and with rave reviews for her performance in the film, we’re pretty sure we haven’t heard the last of her.
Other actors who had momentum but ended up missing included Jesse Plemons for Bugonia and Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams. But both of those movies made it into best picture – so the Academy clearly liked them overall.
F1, which stars Brad Pitt as a racing driver brought out of retirement, was the biggest surprise in the best picture category.
It wasn’t exactly an outsider – many awards pundits expected it to pick up several below-the-line nominations for its impressive technical achievements (we recommend watching the film in a cinema or with surround sound if you can).
But the fact that it had enough momentum to propel it into best picture was a real show of strength – especially without other major nominations in best director or the acting categories.
It shows the old guard of the Academy still appreciates traditional, well-made films that can simply be enjoyed with a bucket of popcorn.
