Ariana Grande to Demi Moore: Actors who just scored their first-ever Oscar nomination

Not that the Oscars need an extra fleet of reasons to be among the most special nights for the American and international film fraternity, but for 13 big screen names, this year’s ceremony already holds added significance. Yesterday, January 23, the Academy released it’s very exclusive l of nominations for the 97th Academy Awards. The ls carried both the usual and surprise suspects but for some really big names in the biz, the announcements marked their first-ever nod from the Academy. Demi Moore in The Substance to Ariana Grande in Wicked: First-time Oscar nominees(Photos: X) Demi MooreIn an acting career that has spanned over 4 decades, Demi Moore failed to snag a nod, let alone a win for the Academy. But it really is never too late as the actor now stands nominated for The Substance, under the top-tier category of Best Actress. Ariana GrandeWicked was polarising, though maybe not as much as the whimsical press tour led Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as they seemingly cosplayed their on-screen roles. Nonetheless, Ariana was flawless in Wicked and thus now stands finally nominated for a potential Oscar win under the Best Supporting Actress category. Zoe SaldanaZoe Saldana may have been a part of era-defining films like The Terminal (2004) and Avatar (2009), but musical thriller Emilia Perez is what has finally earned her, her first ever Oscar nomination under the category of Best Supporting Actress. Sebastian StanWe don’t need a reason to crush over Sebastian Stan day and night but beyond the eye candy that he is, Seb finally seems to have got his due via an Academy nod as he now stands nominated under the Best Actor category for drama The Apprentice. Kieran CulkinKieran Culkin, most popularly known for portraying Roman Roy in the super-hit series Succession, has finally opened book in the Academy’s scheme of things. The actor stands nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in comedy drama A Real Pain. Jeremy StrongSuccession represent! The second Succession alum on this l, Jeremy Strong, best known for essaying Kendall Roy in the drama series, stands nominated for Best Supporting Actor in The Apprentice. Mikey MadisonThe newest it-girl on the block, Mikey Madison has just bagged her first ever Oscar nomination for her work in comedy romance, Anora in which she played the role of Ani, our very own modern-day Cinderella. Fernanda TorresNobody’s going to be surprised if Fernanda Torres actually ends up dominating the Best Actress category with a win. After all, her work in I’m Still Here was very easily, one of the strongest performances delivered in 2024. Also in this very aspiring l of names are Monica Barbaro for The Complete Unknown (Best Supporting Actress), Karla Sofia Gascon for Emila Perez (Best Actress), Guy Pearce for The Brutal (Best Supporting Actor), Isabella Rossellini for Conclave (Best Supporting Actress) and Yura Borisov for Anora (Best Supporting Actor). Which of these names are you rooting for?