When the 2025 acting Oscar nominations were announced, nominees heard the news in a New York hotel room, at a London costume fitting, at home in Brooklyn and in a car with family. Their first responses ranged from disbelief and tears to gratitude for co-stars and collaborators. Several also spoke about the Los Angeles wildfires, which gave the announcement a painful context.
The Academy announced nominees for the 97th Oscars on January 23, 2025. The ceremony followed on March 2, honoring films released in 2024. The reactions below capture selected acting nominees’ responses that day; they are examples from news reports and statements, not a record of every nominee’s reaction. The Academy’s official record lists the nominees and winners.
Where nominees were when the news arrived
Mikey Madison watched with her mother
Madison learned of her Best Actress nomination for Anora in a New York hotel room while FaceTiming her mother. The Associated Press reported that they both screamed. Madison told AP, “I always dreamed of something like this, but it never felt like it would ever be a reality for me.” She said she loved filmmaking and movies, and that Anora had “reinvigorated my love for cinema and acting and filmmaking.” AP reported her comments on January 23.
Monica Barbaro got the news at a London fitting
Barbaro was at a costume fitting in London for another project when her phone began buzzing with messages and calls. The A Complete Unknown supporting-actress nominee told TheWrap, “We just celebrated and freaked out. I was on the ground and just blown away — absolutely blown away.” She and colleagues from the film exchanged texts. TheWrap also reported that Barbaro had spent months learning to sing and play guitar for her portrayal of Joan Baez. TheWrap’s January 23 account described the fitting and her reaction.
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Jeremy Strong weighed the recognition against the role
Strong, nominated for supporting actor for The Apprentice, told AP that he was happy about the recognition but had “complicated feelings about the character” Roy Cohn. He called it “the role of a lifetime” and spoke about the film’s limited release, hoping the nomination might help bring it back to theaters. His comments linked the honor to his concerns about Cohn’s legacy and contemporary politics; they were interview remarks, not an official campaign statement. AP reported Strong’s remarks.
Yura Borisov celebrated with his family
AP reported that supporting-actor nominee Borisov was in a car with his wife and daughters when he heard the news, describing the family’s response as “screaming and crying.” He also spoke about Anora as a story of connection across cultures and mentalities. In a separate moment reported by ABC, Borisov smiled alongside his family and said, “We are happy!” The two reports capture distinct parts of his response. AP’s report and ABC’s coverage each documented the family celebration.
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Gratitude extended to co-stars and collaborators
Zoe Saldaña thanked Karla Sofía Gascón
In a statement quoted by AP, Emilia Pérez supporting-actress nominee Saldaña said, “I don’t think I can properly express the deep levels of gratitude and joy I feel for the recognition Emilia Pérez has been given …” She thanked co-star Karla Sofía Gascón. Saldaña also described the moment as bittersweet while Los Angeles was processing losses from the fires. ABC reported similar remarks and her thanks to Gascón. AP’s account and ABC’s report covered her response.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande celebrated the Wicked team
Best Actress nominee Erivo said in a statement reported by ABC, “Moments like this don’t come along very often, and when they do, it is sacrilege to let them pass by without a moment of gratitude.” She thanked the Academy, co-star Ariana Grande and director Jon M. Chu.
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Grande, nominated for supporting actress, posted: “picking my head up in between sobs to say thank you so much to @theacademy for this unfathomable recognition. i cannot stop crying, to no one’s surprise.” ABC relayed her post and reported that she also credited Chu and celebrated her co-star. The wording and capitalization here follow the post as quoted by ABC. ABC’s January 23 coverage reported both reactions.
Celebration took place amid the Los Angeles wildfires
For some nominees, the announcement’s excitement came alongside concern for a community facing loss. Madison and Saldaña addressed the fires in AP’s report. In a statement quoted by ABC and TheWrap, Demi Moore, nominated for Best Actress for The Substance, said, “Being nominated for an Oscar is an incredible honor and these last few months have been beyond my wildest dreams.” TheWrap also quoted her reflecting on the community response: “To see the way our community has united leaves me in awe of the resilience and compassion that defines us.” These remarks acknowledged a difficult moment; the nomination did not lessen or resolve the disaster. ABC’s report and TheWrap’s coverage quoted Moore’s statements.
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The acting nominees and the films they represented
The four acting categories brought together performers from films with different levels of recognition across the ballot. The Academy’s official nominee record lists these acting contenders:
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best Actor | Adrien Brody (The Brutalist); Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown); Colman Domingo (Sing Sing); Ralph Fiennes (Conclave); Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) |
| Supporting Actor | Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain); Yura Borisov (Anora); Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown); Guy Pearce (The Brutalist); Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) |
| Best Actress | Cynthia Erivo (Wicked); Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez); Demi Moore (The Substance); Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here); Mikey Madison (Anora) |
| Supporting Actress | Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez); Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown); Ariana Grande (Wicked); Felicity Jones (The Brutalist); Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) |
The Academy recorded Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldaña as the eventual winners. ABC reported that Emilia Pérez led the overall film nominations with 13; The Brutalist and Wicked received 10 each, while A Complete Unknown and Conclave received eight apiece. Those totals count nominations across categories, not audience response. ABC’s coverage reported the film totals.
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Together, the selected reactions show several different ways nominees met the same announcement: with family, with colleagues, with gratitude for collaborators, or with mixed feelings about the work and the moment around it. These are January 23 responses, separate from what nominees said or did at the March ceremony.
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