Oscars 2025: Ariana Grande, Demi Moore and More First-Time Nominees

Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez in A Compete Unknown

While her Best Supporting Actress nomination is Monica’s first Oscars nod, the 34-year-old wasn’t quite a complete unknown before starring alongside Timothée Chalamet in the Bob Dylan biopic. Other places from which you might have recognized her include the rom-com At Midnight, season one of FUBAR—starring Arnold Schwarzenegger—or her appearances in Chicago Justice, Chicago P.D., UnREAL and Stumptown.

Or, most likely, you saw her strap in as Navy pilot Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace in Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, Glen Powell and Miles Teller. In fact, when she earned her nomination, her former castmates were among the first to congratulate her.

“Our group chat just blew up,” the actress—who recently sparked dating rumors with Andrew Garfield—revealed to People. “That was really exciting. They're just super supportive and thrilled.”

Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked

Ariana—who began her career as a child on Broadway—has been dancing through life in the spotlight since her days as a Nickelodeon star on Victorious and Sam & Cat. But while her career then took a turn for the pop stardom, with a whopping 18 Grammy nominations and two wins under her belt.

But she never forgot her first love: musical theater. Which is why, when she heard Wicked was being adapted for the big screen, she knew she had to be involved—so she put in the work.

Of wanting to audition for the movie, she told W Magazine, “I remember asking my team to check in every now and then and say, ‘Hey, is this happening? Because if it is, she will pull the plug on just about anything and begin training and vocal lessons.’ Train my voice to sing the operatic bits, and get into acting lessons to make sure that all my tools are available to me when I need them to transition back over into being an actress, so that I could earn it. Because what was most important to me was that I earned it.”

Fernanda Torres as Eunice Paiva in I’m Still Here

The 59-year-old made history with her Oscars nomination, becoming only the second Brazilian actress to be nominated for Best Actress. In fact, Fernanda is following in the footsteps of her own mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who was nominated in the category in 1998 for her role in Walter Salles' Central Station. 

Already this award season, Fernanda made history as the first Brazilian, Latin-American and Portuguese speaking actor to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Onstage at the ceremony, Fernanda dedicated her award to her mother.

“She was here 25 years ago,” she said. “And this is proof that art can endure through life, even in difficult moments like this amazing story.”

Mikey Madison as Ani in Anora

While the Los Angeles-born actress began her career with small projects here and there, her big break came in the shape of Max Fox on the TV series Better Things in 2016. From there, she had roles in the films Monster, Nostalgia, Scream and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Manson family member Susan “Sadie” Atkins.

In Anora, Mikey plays the titular sex worker who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch—a role Sean Baker wrote with her in mind after seeing Scream.

“He had just seen me in a horror film,” she told W Magazine. “He went opening weekend and called me the next day. I was familiar with his work—The Florida Project and Tangerine, which I love, love, love. We set a meeting, had coffee. He pitched me this idea for, at the time, a Russian mafia film. He asked me if I wanted to do it. I said yes."

Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn in The Apprentice

The eldest boy is finally getting his moment in the Academy Awards spotlight. While Jeremy has been a Hollywood powerhouse in recent years—and a model in method acting—it was his portrayal of the real-life attorney Roy Cohn which landed him his nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Following his nomination, the Succession alum spoke to how the nod fulfilled a lifelong dream.

“I remember spending the night on cold metal bleachers outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1993 with my father to watch

the actors and actresses arrive at the 65th Academy Awards,” he shared in a statement. “I remember being unable to sleep because of how exciting it was to be close to that world. I have not lost that feeling of excitement; I feel it every time I go to set or drive onto a lot or begin rehearsals.”

Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in The Apprentice

It was a role no one wanted to talk about—or at least, it’s how Sebastian felt after he was notably left out of certain award-season rituals, such as Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series.

Yet when it came time for the Academy Award nominations, the 42-year-old—whose onscreen credits include Marvel, Pam & Tommy, Gossip Girl and I, Tonya—found himself among the Best Actor nominees.

Of his journey in portraying the president, Sebastian told The New York Times, “What I’ve always seen in his journey, and certainly what we were exploring in the film, was the solidifying of a person into stone, the loss of humanity.”

Zoe Saldaña as Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Pérez

Zoe has entered this award season circuit in a big way. While the 46-year-old has been a pivotal piece of major, award-winning franchises—think Avatar and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy—it wasn’t until Emilia Pérez that Zoe got her flowers, and in a big way.

Ahead of the Oscars, Zoe has already won a BAFTA, Critic’s Choice Award, a Golden Globe and SAG Award, making her a competitive figure in the best Supporting Actress category.

Despite the controversy surrounding the film, and its stars, while accepting her Critic’s Choice Award, Zoe noted, “I will listen to you all tonight and I will accept this with pride...To think that Emilia Pérez has been the little movie that could and has resonated with so many people, has been an experience with having."

Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren in The Brutalist

One could argue the 57-year-old has been taken for granted over the years as a facet of Hollywood. With countless roles in a number of blockbuster hits over the years—such as Memento, The Hurt Locker and Iron Man—it wasn’t until The Brutalist that the Australian actor got his first major film nominations.

Also nominated at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, Guy’s hat has been thrown in the ring at the Oscars in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work as envious antagonist to Adrien Brody’s László Toth.

“He’s someone who can recognize greatness,” Guy told GQ of his character, “but doesn't actually have it and is determined to do everything he can to feel like he’s swimming amongst greatness, whether that's just possessing things or dominating people or charming a room or disarming people you know, but it's all a little unhinged.”

Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance

It isn’t often that horror films are recognized on the award cycle, yet Demi has bucked that trend. The 62-year-old has earned a whopping five nominations across the major associations this season, and she’ll head into the Oscars and her Best Actress nomination with a Critic’s Choice Award, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award already under her belt.

It is a degree of recognition that is coming well into Demi’s career, which began with a role on General Hospital in 1980. For the Ghost star, it’s also perfectly timed validation.

“As I was at a low point,” she said while accepting her Golden Globe, “I had this magical, bold, courageous, out of the box, absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called The Substance, and the universe told me, ‘You’re not done.’”

Kieran Culkin as Benji Kaplan in A Real Pain

The 42-year-old’s career in Hollywood is one that has already spanned decades ahead of his award-winning turn in A Real Pain. Since he made his onscreen acting debut alongside his brother Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone (1990), Kieran has had a slew of television and film roles, most prominently his role as Roman Roy on the beloved series Succession.

In that time, he’s received countless nominations, too—but before A Real Pain, never an Academy Award. His moving performance in the film represents a man embodying life’s highest highs and lowest lows, and it’s already won him a BAFTA, a Critic’s Choice Award, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.

Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes in Conclave

The Italian megastar is another whose place on this list might come as a surprise simply because she’s been such an onscreen mainstay. Yet despite the 72-year-old’s illustrious career—which has included roles in films such as Bue Velvet, Death Becomes Her as well as TV’s Crime of the Century—it’s her pivotal role in the dramatic political-thriller Conclave that has earned her her first Oscars nomination as Best Supporting Actress.

It’s a full circle moment for Isabella, whose mother Ingrid Berman won three Oscars during her career. As the renowned model told the New York Times of her nomination, “I was surprised to cry, but I was so moved—I think for the legacy, because I think my mom would have been so happy."

Yura Borisov as Igor in Anora

Though Anora marks the 32-year-old’s first major international performance—for which he’s also earned a Golde Globe and BAFTA nomination—Yura was well known in his home country of Russia.

After his acting debut in 2011’s Elena, Yura received a won a Golden Eagle Award for his work in the 2020 Mikhail Kalashnikov biopic AK-47.

On his role as the often silent but ever-present Igor in Anora—for which he’s nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category—Yura tried to craft a nuanced performance. "For me, [I was] trying to show that someone could be [a] brute, but at the same time, very kind inside," he told NPR. "We're all fragile and sensitive deep inside. And [that's] OK."

Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Pérez in Emilia Pérez

Karla’s nomination was an historic one—marking the first time an openly transgender actor or actress was nominated for an Oscar. But what seemed to be a promising award season for the 52-year-old soon devolved after a string of controversies, including a series of old tweets which involved racist and Islamophobic themes.

Following the backlash, Karla apologized for the hurt her past comments may have caused.

“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” she shared in a statement with NBC News via a Netflix spokesperson. “As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”