Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are up for best actress at the 2020 Oscars. While a number of honorees were nominated for the first time, others are frequent nominees, and three of this year’s contenders are in films that weren’t nominated for best picture.
Cynthia Erivo and Scarlett Johansson are among the first-time nominees for this year’s Oscars, and both women received double nods. Erivo’s noms are for best actress in a lead role and best original song, which she co-wrote with Joshuah Brian Campbell, for Harriet. The biopic highlights the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman and her liberation of hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad.
Johansson was recognized for her lead role in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, which chronicles a grueling coast-to-coast divorce between her character and best actor nominee Adam Driver, and her supporting role in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit, the story of a little boy whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler. That makes Johansson the first person in 13 years to get nods in these two categories in the same year, joining an 11-person club.
Greta Gerwig’s Little Women nabbed six noms across the Oscars’ 24 categories, including a best actress nod for Saoirse Ronan’s portrayal of Jo March in the latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel about four sisters learning about life and love in the 1800s. The mention made Ronan the second-youngest actress to be nominated four times by the age of 25 — twice for best actress in a lead role (Brooklyn and Lady Bird) and once for best supporting actress when she was 13 (Atonement) — trailing only Jennifer Lawrence by four months.
Taking on the role of Megyn Kelly in Bombshell, which chronicles the downfall of Fox News’ Roger Ailes, Charlize Theron earned her latest best actress nomination. It is Theron’s third best actress nod, and her first one in 14 years. She took home the golden statuette for her role in 2004’s Monster and was nominated again in 2006 for starring in North Country.
Renée Zellweger, who portrays Judy Garland in Judy, a story about the beloved actress and singer who toured London 30 years after starring in The Wizard of Oz, scored her first nom in 16 years (she won best supporting actress honors in 2004 for her role in Cold Mountain). She also received nods for her lead roles in Bridget Jones’ Diary and Chicago in the early 2000s.
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The 92nd Academy Awards will go hostless and is set to air on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
