Oscars: Kenneth Branagh, Will Smith, Ariana DeBose and More Stars Who Made History With 2022 Nominations

Denzel Washington Extends Record as Most-Nominated Black Actor

Denzel Washington remains the Oscars’ most most-nominated Black actor thanks to his performance in The Tragedy of Macbeth. The star of the Joel Coen-directed and -written Shakespearan adaptation earned Washington a best actor nomination, his 10th overall at the Academy Awards. This extends the record he already held as the most nominated Black actor ever. Eight of his previous nominations are for acting, including best actor and best supporting actor nominations for Cry Freedom, Glory, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Training Day, Flight, Fences and Roman J. Israel, Esq. He was also recognized for his role as a producer through Fences‘ best picture nomination.

Female-Written Films Dominate Adapted Screenplay Category for First Time Since 1992

Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter) and Siân Heder (CODA) all received adapted screenplay nominations for their respective films.

Those nods mark the most female-written films recognized in the category since 1992, where nominated films included The Prince of Tides (Becky Johnston and Pat Conroy), Europa Europa (Agnieszka Holland) and Fried Green Tomatoes (Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski). The last woman to win an Oscar for adapted screenplay was Diana Ossana for the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, which she wrote with Larry McMurty.

Over the years, there have been eight films written by women that have won Oscars for adapted screenplay including: The Big House (1930) written by Frances Marion, Little Women (1933) written by Sarah Y. Mason, Mrs. Miniver (1942) written by Claudine West, A Room with a View (1986) and Howard’s End (1992) both written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Sense and Sensibility (1995) written by Emma Thompson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and Brokeback Mountain by Ossana and McMurty.

Cate Blanchett Surpasses Record for Female Actor in Best Picture Nominees

Cate Blanchett has broken a record set by Gone with the Wind actress Olivia de Havilland. Thanks to her roles in Nightmare Alley and Don’t Look Up, the two-time Oscar winner has now become the actress with the most credited roles tied to a best picture nominee. Before the 2022 nominations, Blanchett had starred in seven best picture-nominated films: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Babel, The Aviator, all three installments of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Elizabeth. The record has been long-held by Havilland, who was in eight separate films nominated for best picture. She was previously tied in her seven roles with Bette Davis, Beulah Bondi, Deborah Kerr, Elizabeth Taylor, Elsa Lanchester, Gladys Cooper, Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep.

International Feature Helmer Up for Best Director for Fourth Year in a Row

For the fourth consecutive year, the director of a film nominated in the international feature film category has also received a nomination in the directing category. Ryusuke Hamaguchi earned his first  directing nomination for his film Drive My Car, which also earned a best picture nomination. The Japanese director’s film landed a record number of Oscar nominations for a Japanese title, after earning noms for best film, best director, best adapted screenplay (Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe) and best international feature film.

In previous years, other directors also competing in both the international feature film (the Academy recently rebranded the best foreign language film category to best international film) and directing categories included Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round), Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) and Alfonso Cuarón (Roma).

Will Smith Becomes Ninth Person to be Nominated for Producing and Acting for Same Film

Will Smith is a double Oscar nominee this year. In addition to earning a nomination for lead actor for King Richard, Smith also shares the film’s best picture nomination with producers Tim White and Trevor White. Smith both produced the film and starred as Serena and Venus Williams’ father Richard Williams. The nominations make Smith now the ninth person and second Black man to be nominated for both acting and producing the same film in the same year.

Previous nominees include Warren Beatty (nominated four times in both categories for Bonnie and Clyde, Heaven Can Wait, Reds and Bugsy), Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves), Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby), Denzel Washington (Fences), Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper and A Star is Born), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Frances McDormand (Nomadland), who became the first woman to win in both categories.

Nine First-Time Nominees in Acting Categories

In contention in this year’s Oscars race in the acting categories is a new class of nominees. In both the lead and supporting actor and actress categories, nine of those nominated are first-time nominees. In the supporting actor category, first-time nominees include Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (CODA), Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog). Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) and Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) are among the first-time nominees in the supporting actress category. Meanwhile Kristen Stewart received her first nomination for lead actress for Spencer.

Ariana DeBose Could Be First Openly Queer Woman of Color to Win Acting Prize

Ariana DeBose’s turn as Anita, a San Juan Hill seamstress and the older sister to West Side Story‘s female lead Maria, made her the first Afro-Latina actress to play the role. But her Oscars nomination has also made her among just a handful of known, openly LGBTQ actors to receive an acting nomination from the Academy. And if her nod for best supporting actress delivers a win, it could be another historical milestone. DeBose, who is Afro-Latina and identifies as queer, would become the first openly LGBTQ women of color — more specifically, the first LGBTQ Black and first LGBTQ Latina actress — to win an acting prize.

Kenneth Branagh Becomes First Person to be Nominated in Seven Different Categories

After securing nominations for best picture and best original screenplay for his film Belfast (he was also nominated for best director), Kenneth Branagh has become the first person to be nominated for seven different individual Oscar categories in total throughout his career. This year, he received noms in the best picture, director and original screenplay categories. Branagh’s previous nominations in five different categories include best actor and best director for Henry V (1989), best supporting actor for My Week With Marilyn (2011), best adapted screenplay for Hamlet (1996) and best live-action short Swan Song (1992). George Clooney and Warren Beatty previously held the record with six nominations in six different categories.

Steven Spielberg Breaks Own Record for Best Picture Nominations

After West Side Story was nominated for best picture, Steven Spielberg broke his own record as the person with the most best picture nominations with 11. The director’s previous nominations in the category were for E.T. The Extra- Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Munich (2005), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017). He won Oscars for best directing and best picture for Schindler’s List (1993).

Meanwhile after earning his eighth Oscar nomination for directing, Spielberg is now one of four filmmakers who have received eight or more best director nominations including Billy Wilder (8 nominations), Martin Scorsese (9 nominations) and William Wyler (11 directing nominations).

"No Time Die" Marks Sixth James Bond Franchise Song Nominated

Another James Bond song has joined the Oscars race. Billie Eilish and Finneas’ title song “No Time To Die” is the sixth song from the James Bond franchise to be nominated for original song. Being 18 at the time, Eilish is recognized as the youngest artist to write and record a 007 theme. The singer’s brother Finneas produced the song, with Stephen Lipson. “No Time to Die” features orchestral arrangements by No Time to Die composer Hans Zimmer and Matt Dunkley, as well as guitar from Johnny Marr. Previous nominated songs from the James Bond franchise included the title song from Live and Let Die (1973); “Nobody Does It Better” from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); the title song from For Your Eyes Only (1981); the title song from Skyfall (2012) and “Writing’s On The Wall” from Spectre (2015). Both the title song from Skyfall by Adele and “Writing’s On The Wall” by Sam Smith won Oscars.

Leonardo DiCaprio Ties Jack Nicholson for Male Actor in Best Picture Nominees Record

Leonardo DiCaprio is now just one best picture honor away from tying a male actor record set by Robert De Niro. With Don’t Look Up‘s best picture nomination at the 2022 ceremony, its leading man has gone from being in nine films that received the Oscar’s highest honor for a single title to being just two projects shy of tying current 11-film, record-holder De Niro.

Prior to this year, DiCaprio’s nine-nomination record — which included The Aviator, The Revenant, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Wolf of Wall Street, Django Unchained, Titanic, Gangs of New York, The Departed and Inception — was shared with Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, Tom Hanks and William Holden. With the Adam McKay black comedy, the Don’t Look Up star now has 10 best picture-nominated films under his belt, a record he shares with fellow Oscar-winner Jack Nicholson.

Hans Zimmer Could Set Composer Record for Longest Time Between Oscar Wins

Zimmer’s work has routinely been honored by the Academy, with the famed composer earning 11 score-related nominations since 1988’s Rain Man, including for The Prince of Eygpt, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk. With his 2022 best score nomination for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, he’s not only secured his twelfth nod but potentially just his second win ever. That win would also mark the longest wait for a follow-up win in Oscar’s history. His first for The Lion King came in 1994 and if he wins for the sci-fi epic, it will have been a 28-year gap between his visits to the winner’s circle.

Riz Ahmed Becomes Fifth Person to be Nominated in Acting and Short Film Categories

After being nominated for best live-action short film for The Long Goodbye, Riz Ahmed is now the fifth person to have nominations in both an acting category and a short film category (not necessarily in the same year). Previous nominees who also achieved this include Peter Sellers, Dyan Cannon, Kenneth Branagh and Christine Lahti, who won for best live-action short film in 1995. Last year, Ahmed was nominated for best actor for his role in Sound of Metal. This year, marks his first nomination in the live-action short film category.

Sound Mixer Andy Nelson Holds Record Nominations in Sound Categories

Sound mixer Andy Nelson now has a record 22 nominations in the combined sound categories after earning a nod for achievement in sound for West Side Story alongside Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney and Shawn Murphy. In his career thus far, Nelson has won two Academy Awards for Saving Private Ryan (1999) and Les Misérables (2013). His nominations for the 94th annual Academy Awards makes Nelson tied with composer-songwriter Randy Newman for the third highest number of nominations among living persons. John Williams is ranked first with 52 noms while Woody Allen is second with 24.