After months of predictions, theories, and thoughtful speculation, experts and fans who'd deliberated about the 2022 Academy Awards since last fall finally got the answers they'd been waiting for. The complete list of Oscar nominations was announced this morning, and with it came a number of exciting firsts.
Here are some of the most notable:
1. Kristen Stewart was one of several actors who received their first nod from the Academy today. She joined Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Olivia Colman, and Jessica Chastain, all of whom are returning nominees or past winners, in the category for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
2. Beyoncé also secured her first Oscar nomination, alongside DIXSON, for their work on "Be Alive." The song debuted in King Richard, Will Smith's film about the rise of Venus and Serena Williams, which is among the 10 films contending for Best Picture.
3. The category for Best Song welcomed multiple Academy Award newcomers, including Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell for the latest 007 theme, "No Time to Die."
4. Van Morrison was nominated in the same category for "Down to Joy" from Belfast, which itself earned a nomination for Best Picture.
5. Aunjanue Ellis received her first Oscar nomination for King Richard. She's in the running for Best Supporting Actress.
6. Also up for Best Supporting Actress is Ariana DeBose, who earned her first nomination for West Side Story.
7. That particular category is composed almost entirely of debut nominees — outside of Judi Dench for Belfast — including Kirsten Dunst, which those of us who watched The Power of the Dog weren't surprised to see.
8. Jessie Buckley also secured her first Oscar nomination. She's up for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Lost Daughter.
9. The category for Best Supporting Actor also featured a group of actors making their Oscar debuts. They were Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog...
10. Troy Kotsur for CODA...
11. And Ciarán Hinds for Belfast.
12. Jesse Plemons was recognized in the Best Supporting Actor category as well for his performance in The Power of the Dog. Like Kirsten, this is Jesse's first Oscar nod.
13. Kirsten and Jesse are long-term partners, as are Penelope and Javier Bardem (his portrayal of Desi Arnaz, opposite Nicole Kidman in Being the Ricardos, also earned him a nomination for Best Actor today). The quartet of Oscar nods marks the first year where all four acting categories are represented by two celebrity couples.
14. Jane Campion's Best Director nomination for The Power of the Dog made history, as she's now the first woman who's been nominated twice in that category. Her first nomination came in 1994 for The Piano.
