The Revenant, a harrowing survival thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a 19th century fur trapper, topped the Oscars nominations list Thursday with 12 nods, including for best picture, actor and director.
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Actor John Krasinski (L) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs (R) announce the nominees for Best Actor during the Academy Awards Nominations Announcement at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California on January 14, 2016.
Also nominated for best supporting actor were Mark Rylance, best known for his stage work, for “Bridge of Spies” and Christian Bale (“The Big Short”).
Instead, Lenny Abrahamson for “Room” was the unexpected addition along with Adam McKay, known best for his broader Will Ferrell comedies, for “The Big Short”. Damon was joined by Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”) in that coveted category.
“Carol”, the film about a lesbian relationship in 1950s NY, picked up acting nods for stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara but didn’t receive nominations for picture or directing.
The 46-year-old actress is up against first-time nominees Brie Larson [Room] and Charlotte Rampling [45 Years], as well as Saoirse Ronan [Brooklyn] and Jennifer Lawrence [Joy]. The BET Awards, established by the Black Entertainment Television network, annually celebrates African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year.
After first breaking through in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, he achieved new heights of stardom thanks to his performance in Titanic, which became the highest-grossing movie of all-time and swept up at the Oscars (although there wasn’t even a nomination for Leo).
But the most disappointing outcome is that, for the second consecutive year, all 20 of the acting nominees are white. Lead “Creed” actor Michael B. Jordan was left out.
Chris Rock, the African-American comedian, film and TV producer, was slated to host this year’s Academy Awards ceremony February 28. “Straight Outta Compton”, which is about the roots of black hip-hop group NWA, nominated only for its original screenplay. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises. And Ridley Scott’s hit sci-fi epic “The Martian” landed seven nominations, including best picture and best actor for Matt Damon, but, surprisingly, no best director nod for Scott.
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The Academy also managed to omit “Carol” from this year’s best picture race, marking the first time since 2008 that a movie backed by Harvey Weinstein isn’t competing in the top Oscars category.
