Smash hit Barbie came away with a glittering trove of Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning but fans claimed one thing – or maybe a pair of things – were missing.
Star Margot Robbie together with director Greta Gerwig were both snubbed by the Academy in two areas.
Gerwig was left out of the Best Director category, while star Robbie was absent from the Best Actress category.
Critics took to social media to voice their displeasure and accuse organizers of a host of wrongs even though Barbie claimed eight Oscar nominations overall and despite the fact America Ferrera was nominated for best supporting actress for the same film.
“Greta Gerwig made a film that was critically acclaimed, culturally impactful, hilarious, unique, visually exceptional, perfectly cast and acted, left people laughing, crying and thinking AND made a billion dollars at the box office,” one person wrote. “But no Best Director nom?!”
Others were quick to follow, noting the success of a film that grossed $1.44 billion and achieved several milestones, including becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 and the 14th highest-grossing film of all time:
The Wrap points out others took issue with the fact the Best Directing category only named one woman as a nominee — despite the fact three of this year’s Best Picture nominees were directed by women — a trend that seems to happen nearly every year if a woman is chosen at all.
“Greta Gerwig made feminist ideals completely digestible for the MASSES so of course she wouldn’t be nominated by the Academy—which has given the award to three women in its entire 96 years—for best director,” one user wrote.
The Wrap report notes many were particularly angry at the fact Ryan Gosling, who starred as Ken in the film, did get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Though fans conceded that the performance itself is worthy of the accolade, they pointed to Gosling as a perfect illustration of Barbie’s theme, claiming to portray how hard it is to succeed in the public domain as a woman.
Overall Oppenheimer earned a leading 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. and Best Supporting Actress for Emily Blunt.
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