On Thursday, January 23, 2025, Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott unveiled the list of nominees set to be recognized at the 97th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, later this year. Among the ceremony’s most coveted awards is Best Actress in a Leading Role. Throughout the years, Best Actress in a Leading Role has routinely been one of the most hotly contested races for gold as it compares and contrasts performances from icons such as Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet and many others. This year, things will be no different. In a year in which Ryan Destiny brought Claressa Shields’ story to the big screen in The Fire Inside and Karla Sofía Gascón headlined Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, there was intense debate about who should and shouldn’t be nominated. At the end of the day, here’s who the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences felt should be nominated for the sought after prize.
- Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
- Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)
- Mikey Madison (Anora)
- Demi Moore (The Substance)
- Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)
The race has just begun. More than a month stands between then nominees and the big night, so be sure to expect coordinated campaigns pushing each talented actress toward the awards stage. Then, on Sunday, March 2nd, a winner will be announced at The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California when Conan O’Brien hosts the 97th Academy Awards.
