With one day to Oscar, let’s salute 2019’s class of first time nominees in the four acting categories. So many great actors never get nominated, and many just get that one nomination. So it must be so exciting for these lucky 5: Antonio Banderas, Cynthia Erivo, Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Pryce and Florence Pugh...
Erivo and Johansson are not only first time nominees but they are double nominees, leapfrogging immediately to becoming multiple nominees. Jonhasson’s nominations both came for acting while Erivo gets the distinction of joining a club alongside recently Lady Gaga and Mary J Blige of being double nominees out of the gate for acting and songwriting.
Looking at the last decade of nominees there’s usually between 7 and 9 first timers every year. But not this year, five is the lowest number since 2012 when Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook, Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables, Emmanuelle Riva in Amour and Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild were nominated. One of last year’s first timers makes a quick return; Adam Driver.
Unless there’s a shocking surprise this year we will not witness a first timer win. Though usually several win on their first nomination. Just last year we had 3 out of 4; Olivia Colman, Regina King and Rami Malek. Two first timers the year before that in Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney. Though in 2016 only one first timer won, Mahershala Ali. Only two years later he became the veteran winner among the first timers.
Who do you see returning the soonest to the ceremony from this batch?