Michelle Yeoh and Margot Robbie in Barbie.Photo:Gregg DeGuire/Getty; Warner Bros.
Gregg DeGuire/Getty; Warner Bros.
Michelle Yeohis weighing in onBarbie’s eightAcademy Awardnominations — andGreta GerwigandMargot Robbie’s surprising snubs in the Best Director and Best Actress categories.
Yeoh, whowon Best Actress at the 2023 Oscarsfor her performance inEverything Everywhere All at Once, joined theTodayshow Wednesday todiscuss her new Netflix seriesThe Brothers Sunand reflect on hergroundbreaking awards seasonlast year.
“The only take is like, it’s so competitive out there and there is no guarantee because you’re not the only voter, you know? It’s widespread,” she added. “Thank God the movie got nominated for Best Picture. But you do think, ‘How do you get nominated for Best Picture but not Best Director and not Best Actress?’ "
Though Gerwig, 40, and Robbie, 33, wereleft out of the five nomineesin the Best Director and Best Actress categories when the Oscar nominations were unveiled Tuesday, the filmmaker andBarbiestar did receive nominations in the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture categories, respectively.
“It happens and I’m sorry it happened to them because it’s obviously one of the most successful and beloved movies,” Yeoh, 60, shared during herTodayshow appearance. “Look at the box office.”
“I hope they don’t have to wait that long,” she added, when Kotb pointed out that Yeoh’s own Oscar win came more than three decades into her acting career.
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Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie on June 30, 2023.Hanna Lassen/Getty Images
Hanna Lassen/Getty Images
Gerwig and Robbie’s exclusion from individual directing and acting categories at the upcoming 96th Oscars ceremony has notably drawn criticism from cast membersAmerica FerreraandRyan Gosling, who were nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, on Tuesday.
Ferrera, 39, toldVarietythat she “was incredibly disappointed that they weren’t nominated,” and shared in a statement to PEOPLE that Gerwig and Robbie “made history and raised the bar withBarbie.”
Gosling, 43, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE Tuesday, “To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categorieswould be an understatement.”
“Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history,” he added. “Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.”
Michelle Yeoh on March 12, 2023.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty
Ferrera even followed up on Gosling’s statement late Tuesday night when she shared it on her Instagram Story and added, “Oh Ryan. Just so well said,” in a caption to the post.
However, there were many nominations Tuesday that showcased a notably diverse class of nominees. Among the history-making nods this year areKillers of the Flower MoonBest Actress hopefulLily Gladstone, who is the thefirst Native American actress to be nominated for an Oscar. Many other stars are also marking their first-ever Oscar acting nods, including Ferrera,Emily Blunt,Jeffrey Wright,Sterling K. BrownandCillian Murphy.
Nine women are up for awards in the Best Picture category, with one —Anatomy of a Fall’sJustine Triet— in contention for Best Director.
Triet, 45, is the eighth woman to benominated in the category(only three have won:Jane Campionin 2021,Chloé Zhaoin 2020 andKathryn Bigelowin 2009). And one-third of nominees across all categories this year are women — higher than the last three years.
source: people.com
