Oscar contenders share reactions on being nominated

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)

"Wow! I'm honoured to be nominated by my fellow actors alongside such inspiring performances, and am grateful to the Academy for their support and encouragement. I'm equally thrilled for our visionary writer-director Darius Marder and the brilliant Paul Raci, as well as our editor Mikkel, sound designer Nicolas, and co-writer Abe Marder. These nominations represent the time, generosity and talents of so many — all of our incredible cast, crew, producers, and in particular I'd like to thank my mentors in the drumming, addiction recovery, and D/deaf communities. "Sound of Metal is about how a health crisis can cut you off from your life and loved ones, and force you to grow in unexpected ways. In a challenging year for so many, I hope this story can inspire us to forge new and deeper connections with ourselves and others."

Anthony Hopkins (The Father)

"I love The Father very much and am so proud to be part of it. Thank you to the Academy for acknowledging the movie. Thank you to Florian, Christopher, Olivia and the entire creative team. Thank you to Sony Pictures Classics. And a big congratulations to all of my peers who have been nominated too. When I read the script and met Florian and Christopher, I knew I had to be part of this film. I am grateful they gave me the opportunity to play the role and am happy and proud that the movie has been so well recognized by the Academy. What a wonderful day."

Gary Oldman (Mank)

"After such a stressed pandemic year, there is a kind of comfort and reassurance in knowing that we soldier on in many ways with important traditions. In our industry there is nothing more traditional than the Academy Awards, which hopefully sends a sign of hope that we will get out of this. The Oscars are such a sign that normalcy still exists. In my case today marks my third Academy Award Nomination. Not to trivialize the current state of the world, it is a source of great pride and an honour to be recognized alongside these other tremendous, wonderful artistes."

Steven Yeun (Minari)

"Thank you to the Academy for this honour to be nominated alongside such incredible artists. I am also grateful to see the talent of Lee Isaac Chung, Youn Yuh Jung, Emile Mosseri, and Christina Oh be recognized as well. If I've learned anything from this past year and from the experience of this film, it is that this life is shared. I am blessed to have shared in this with our brilliant cast and crew and I am only here because of them."

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)

"Absolutely thrilled!! Congratulations to the whole @MaRaineyFilm team! Deserved!"

Andra Day (The United States v. Billie Holiday)

"The reality is, this is a celebration. It's an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as her. I think she's just incredible, and she has been nothing but wonderfully supportive. And I love and support her so we're just sharing the moment together."

Vanessa Kirby (Pieces Of A Woman)

It is the greatest honour to be recognised by the Academy. And for a film I care so much about, and is so deeply in my heart. Thank you to Kornel and Kata for so bravely telling your story and for trusting me to be your Martha, to Kevin Turin and Ashley and Sam Levinson for believing in me, the cast and crew who I share this with, and to my family at Netflix for supporting and championing our story. I am so honoured that this story has been shared; it is one of so many women, and of their babies. This belongs to them."

Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)

"I'm absolutely elated this morning, and I am so honoured to be in such esteemed company across all categories. Thank you to the Academy for embracing this story which means so much to me. It's all thanks to my dear friend -- the fearless, hilarious, bold writer and director Emerald Fennell and the incredible cast and crew she assembled. We all signed on because we believed wholeheartedly in her vision, and I'm so grateful to her for inviting me to be a part of it."

Frances McDormand (Nomadland)

"Thank you to the Academy and to all our peers in the filmmaking community for acknowledging Nomadland. We thank all the people who shared their stories with us along the way, who inspired us by showing the power of compassion in listening to one another. We are grateful for everyone who worked on the film, our colleagues at Searchlight Pictures and our friend, the late Michael Wolf Snyder, for the artistry and magic he brought to the soundscape of our film.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial Of The Chicago 7)

"I'm incredibly humbled and grateful to the Academy for both nominations! First, to the team of Trial of the Chicago 7 -- acting is a team sport, and I would not be in this position if it were not for the brilliance of Aaron Sorkin and the incredibly talented actors and crew that he surrounded us with and who lifted us up every day."

Daniel Kaluuya (Judas And The Black Messiah)

"Today, I am humbled to be nominated for portraying a man whose principles I deeply respect and for guiding me to walk in his footsteps. With the blessing of Chairman Fred Hampton's family, and the unwavering support from Ryan Coogler, Shaka King and Charles King, and the cast led by LaKeith Stanfield and Dominique Fishback, I became a vessel for Chairman Fred's spirit at a time when we need his rally cry for equality and justice more than ever. I commend my fellow nominees for their impressive work. To be seen and celebrated by my peers in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is beautifully humbling and I am deeply grateful. Thank you."

Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night In Miami)

"Sam Ashworth and I got to watch an early screening of Regina King's beautiful movie One Night in Miami... and we just felt so lucky, you know. We felt like we had the wind knocked out of us too. So, we had the audience experience, and we just tried to imagine what we would want to hear coming back into the present, coming back into the room after having been on that journey. And we just tried to write that song... This feels in many ways like a starting place. I'm just so grateful to Regina and to the other filmmakers who gave me these early opportunities to learn, because now I feel like I can build from here."

Paul Raci (Sound Of Metal)

"Thank you to the Academy for this honour. During my 40-something-year acting career, I have always been about the work. I've continued to work in small theatre houses, like Deaf West Theatre, doing what I was trained to do from my Chicago Theatre years, but to be validated in this way is gratifying on a level that I can only describe as heavenly. I'm so grateful to Darius Marder for directing and writing a script and a character seemingly for me without even knowing me that changed my life, and to Amazon for the love and support they have provided me. My heart is full, and as always, I look forward to the work and am grateful for the stillness."

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

"Thank you to the Academy for this honour! I really can't believe this -- to hear my name in the company of these remarkable women and their breath-taking performances is a dream come true! I am so grateful to Sacha Baron Cohen and my Borat family and congratulations to them for their Adapted Screenplay nomination."

Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy)

"Congratulations to all my fellow nominees. I'm beyond thrilled and deeply grateful for Netflix's brilliant support of their artists. I owe so much to Ron Howard, Amy Adams , Owen Asztalos and my genius hair and makeup team. This wouldn't have happened without them. I dedicate this honour to all the grandmothers in the world who fight to give their children a better life.

Amanda Seyfried (Mank)

"Working with David Fincher on Mank has been the highlight of my career, and being recognized by the Academy for an experience that brought me this much joy and fulfilment feels surreal. I won't be able to thank David enough for trusting me with this role and for the honour of reintroducing the world to the Marion Davies that I've come to know. To get to study this brilliant, humble woman and help restore her legacy has been a true privilege. Congratulations to David, Gary, and the whole cast and crew of Mank today -- your brilliance has not gone unnoticed and I am humbled to share this recognition with you."

Yuh-jung Youn (Minari)

"Never in my dreams did I ever think a Korean actress would be nominated for an Oscar, and I can't believe it's me! I am incredibly humbled by the honour. Thank you so much AMPAS, A24, Plan B, my Minari family and our entire cast and crew. We made this film with love, and I thank you for loving us back. And thank you, Isaac. This is all because of you!"

Best Director

Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)

"I had hopes, but no expectations, because I never have that. It was a great relief. But Best Director was a total surprise, which elevated the day into a sense of ecstasy. Of course, I made this film alongside the experience of a huge tragedy in my life. I lost my daughter. So all these praises, the awards and nominations that have come to this movie, I feel that they are honouring her movie. That makes this whole movie on a different level, the likeness of which I've never experienced before."

David Fincher (Mank)

"This is truly an honour. From the entire Mank team, we could not be more grateful to the Academy for this recognition."

Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)

"Thank you to the Academy for this honour. I couldn't imagine this happening as we struggled on the journey to make this film, and now I understand why Oscar moments are filled with endless thank you's. I feel incredibly grateful to the entire family of cast and crew behind Minari who persevered to make this film. I am especially thankful to my mom, dad, and sister, who filled that small trailer home in Arkansas where we started, and my wife and daughter who mean more to me than anything. I'm blessed that the Minari my grandmother planted by the water continues to grow."

Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)

"I'm so thrilled for our nominations! Thank you to the Academy. I'm grateful to have gone on this journey with our talented team of filmmakers and to have met so many wonderful people who generously shared their stories with us. Thank you so much to my academy peers for recognizing this film that is very close to my heart."

Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)

"I'm barely able to speak in coherent sentences after this unbelievable news. I am so incredibly grateful to every single wonderful person who worked on Promising Young Woman, the greatest most hardworking and talented cast and crew in the world. For their work to be honoured by the Academy means so much, and I am especially thrilled for Carey, whose extraordinary genius made this film what it is, and for Fred whose dedication made the impossible possible, for their individual nominations. To be part of this historic year for the Academy, alongside so many exceptionally gifted filmmakers means more than I can possibly describe, and I'm particularly proud to be nominated beside the amazing Chloe Zhao. There have been so many exceptional female filmmakers this year, making such beautiful, inspiring, challenging, varied work, that I am truly honoured and grateful to be among their number. Thank you to the Academy, Focus Features, FilmNation, LuckyChap, my whole immensely patient and wonderful team. I will stop crying eventually, but not yet."

Best Picture

Producer David Parfitt (The Father)

"On behalf of Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton, Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Yorgos Lamprinos, Peter Francis, David Parfitt, Philippe Carcassonne & Jean-Louis Livi, we would like to thank the Academy for this great honour. We are all proud to be associated with a film that has so much to say about familial love and the human condition. We would also like to thank Christophe Spadone and Les Films Du Cru, Film4, Sony Pictures Classics, Embankment and Lionsgate for all their support of this British/French co-production -- they really did make this film possible."

Christina Oh (Minari)

"Wow, what an incredible honour. Thank you so much to the members of the Academy, and a huge outpouring of gratitude to my Plan B fam and A24 team. So much love and congratulations to Isaac, Steven, YJ, and Emile! We made something beautiful together."

Producers Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, and Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)

"Thank you to the Academy and to all our peers in the filmmaking community for acknowledging Nomadland. We thank all the people who shared their stories with us along the way, who inspired us by showing the power of compassion in listening to one another. We are grateful for everyone who worked on the film, our colleagues at Searchlight Pictures and our friend, the late Michael Wolf Snyder, for the artistry and magic he brought to the soundscape of our film."

Producers Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, and Josey McNamara (Promising Young Woman)

"What a morning! It's been a long and exhilarating journey and we are blown away by the recognition of Promising Young Woman. We couldn't be more excited to make history in the directing category and are thrilled that Carey Mulligan and Fred Thoraval's work has also been recognized. It was an honour to bring Emerald's completely original and uncompromising vision to life. Thank you Academy!"

Producers Marc Platt, Stuart Besser, Matt Jackson, and Tyler Thompson (The Trial Of The Chicago 7)

"Thank you so much to the Academy for recognizing The Trial Of The Chicago 7. We are indebted to our brilliant writer and director, Aaron Sorkin, the outstanding craftspeople and the incredible ensemble of actors. We are so proud of the film that is a stark and inspirational reminder that the fight for freedom is never finished and that democracy will always be worth raising our voices for."