The 2025 Academy Awards ceremony is Sunday, and this year there are many first-time nominees up for trophies. Here’s a look at some of the stars who are nominated for their first-ever Oscar at the 97th annual awards show.
Thirteen of the performers nominated in the acting categories at this year’s ceremony are up for their first-ever Oscars.
Sebastian Stan is nominated for his first Oscar for playing Donald Trump in The Apprentice. He’s the only first-time nominee in the actor in a leading role category. Meanwhile, the actor in a supporting role category has four first-time nominees: Yura Borisov in Anora, Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain, Guy Pearce in The Brutalist and Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice.
Similarly, the actress in a leading role category also has four first-time nominees. Karla Sofía Gascón is up for her performance in Emilia Pérez, Mikey Madison is up for her role as Anora, Demi Moore is nominated for The Substance and Fernanda Torres has received recognition for her work in I’m Still Here.
The actress in a supporting role category is also filled with four first-time nominees. Monica Barbaro is nominated for her performance in A Complete Unknown, Ariana Grande is up for Wicked, Isabella Rossellini was nominated for Conclave and Zoe Saldaña received a nomination for Emilia Pérez.
Additionally, all of the directors competing for best director — Sean Baker, Brady Corbet, James Mangold, Jacques Audiard and Coralie Fargeat — are first-time nominees in the category. Fargeat, who directed The Substance, is the 10th woman to be nominated for achievement in directing. If she were to win best director, she would become the fourth woman ever awarded the honor.
The 2025 Oscars will air live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. It will also stream live on Hulu for the first time ever. A special edition of 20/20, Countdown to the Oscars with Robin Roberts, premieres Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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