Not long ago were the nominations of the annual Academy Awards announced. While 'Oppenheimer' led the list of nods, the disappointment of 'Barbie' star Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig's individual omissions made the headlines more. As per an Oscars expert, this historic moment will not be forgotten anytime in the coming years.
Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movies host and author of '50 Oscar Nights,' states that, "It's definitely not a good look that the Academy members left out Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie for directing and starring in a movie that's largely about how impressive women are often marginalized."
'Barbie,' which became the highest-grossing film of 2023, has bagged a total of eight nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor - Ryan Gosling, Best Supporting Actress - America Ferrera, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song - 'I'm Just Ken,' Best Original Song - 'What Was I Made For?'
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However, to everyone's shock, Robbie was not recognized in the Best Actress category, and Gerwig was left out among the category of Best Director. This stirred up the internet, and fans and co-stars were outraged.
"Even though they both received nominations for their work on 'Barbie' in other categories, these two high-profile omissions will be remembered — and they will sting — for a long time," Karger tells PEOPLE.
Karger also believes that the comedy film's nature affected overall nominations. He adds, "I do think that the Academy membership has a bit of a bias, unconscious or otherwise, against true comedies and towards heavier dramas," adding, "Greta and Margot surely made it on to thousands of ballots, but since those ballots are weighted towards voters’ No. 1 and No. 2 favourites, we can assume they simply didn’t earn enough of those top-tier votes."
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After the nominations were announced, co-stars of Robbie expressed their disappointment over this snub. Ryan Gosling stated, "Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees." America Ferrera also revealed that she was "incredibly disappointed" her fellow female colleagues didn't receive nominations. Simu Liu also tweeted, "Being involved in a small way gave me a window into just how hard Greta and Margot had to fight to get Barbie made, and how flawlessly they executed. Together they started a movement, touched the world and reinvigorated the cinema. They deserve everything. They ARE everything."
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will be aired live on Sunday, March 10 at 7 PM ET.
