The Oscars Stage Is Set for an Explosive Night
CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Cynthia Littleton
Nobody loves handicapping the Academy Awards more than our journalists at Variety. And the Oscar nominations always bring on a wave of cheers and sighs in our newsroom at each surprise (and this week, there were a few). The latest crop of nominated movies — led by Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which earned 13 nods — make up as excellent a field as we’ve seen in years. Still, there’s room for disappointment over the absence of America’s new favorite leading lady.
“Barbie” was the highest-grossing movie of 2023, and widely beloved by critics and fans alike. The Warner Bros. release landed eight nominations, including best picture, but its lead actress Margot Robbie and its director Greta Gerwig were inexplicably left out of their key categories. (Robbie was nominated as a producer, and Gerwig was nominated for adapted screenplay with her partner, Noah Baumbach.)
There have already been dozens of think pieces about Oscar voters’ short-sightedness. Then again, the Oscars have never been about populism.
Ramin Setoodeh
“Barbie’s” box office success is its own reward, and certainly the supporting actress nomination for America Ferrera is something to cheer. Gerwig, who was nominated for best director for 2017’s “Lady Bird,” has built a career for herself, at 40, as one of Hollywood’s most powerful directors; Robbie has established herself as a powerhouse producer. And with or without Oscars, there’s no taking that away from them.
Elsewhere in the field, 81-year-old Martin Scorsese landed his 10th directing nomination for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” pulling him out of a tie with Steven Spielberg to become the most nominated living director. Scorsese graces our cover this week to celebrate this momentous occasion along with his stars Lily Gladstone (a frontrunner in the best actress category) and Leonardo Dicaprio (whose efforts this season have largely focused on promoting his co-star). In a revealing interview with Matt Donnelly, the trio discuss the making of a modern American epic — and now, an Oscar darling.