Fox SearchlightNever mind the powerball winning numbers—these stars woke up to the best news of their careers.
As the 2016 Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning, A-list actors and Hollywood newcomers alike basked in the glory of joining the industry's elite group of acclaimed performers, some for the very first time.
Golden Globe winner Brie Larson and SAG Award nominee Rachel McAdams were nominated for their first Oscars in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories respectively, while two-time Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence collected her fourth nomination at just 25 years old.
As highly expected, The Revenant's leading star and Golden Globe winner Leonardo DiCaprio collected his sixth nomination, officially commencing the office pool for whether or not he will finally win his first golden statue this year after decades in the industry.
Larson, 26, was one of the first to react to the celebratory news, calling in to Today from Australia where she is currently shooting Kong: Skull Island.
"I am feeling incredible...I can't even believe it. I am just sitting here in complete and utter shock over all of this." she said."I feel like I'm in a very bizarre Alice in Wonderland dream right now."
"Just the nomination alone is so incredible...it's so cool," she added. "I feel like I get to join this cool club of people that I love."
She echoed the sentiment in her official statement to E! News.
"I'm unbelievably honored and excited to be recognized by the Academy, and even more thrilled to share this honor with Lenny Abrahamson, Emma Donoghue and the entire Room family of filmmakers, cast, and crew," she said. "I'm so lucky and humbled to be a part of this beautiful story, in a once-in-a-lifetime role. Congratulations to my fellow nominees. Truly, I am very grateful this morning."
The Danish Girl's Vikander later called into the show, freshly awake from learning the news.
"I just woke up and I was trying to look at the live thing and as soon as it came up for the Best Supporting Actress category, my wi-fi just went off and then I got a call and I was really nervous to pick it up," she admitted.
Once her wi-fi settled, Vikander was able to issue an official statement gratitude.
"I am deeply grateful to The Academy for this honour," she said. "To be recognized alongside these actresses and their inspiring performances is humbling. To be a part of bringing The Danish Girl to life was such a gift and to receive this nomination is a thrill."
Brooklyn's Ronan revealed the special person who broke the happy news to her.
"I was asleep...My mom ran into me, tears streaming down her face so I knew it was either good news or bad news and it was the best news ever," she said during a phone call on the show. "We're delighted."
More than thirty years since his first Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay for Rocky, Sylvester Stallone's reprisal of the acclaimed role has earned him his third nomination at 69 years old and he couldn't be more honored.
"I am incredibly humbled by this honor. I was not expecting it...especially at this time in my life," the actor said in a statement. "I am certainly grateful to the artists and collaborators who helped make it possible.
Nominee for Best Director Alejandro González Iñárritu couldn't wait to break out the bubbly.
"I am in London and just heard the good news! We gave it our all on this film and this appreciation from the Academy means a lot to me and my colleagues who made it possible," he said in a statement. "Champagne and Mezcal will run tonight!"
One step closer to becoming an EGOT winner, Lady Gaga celebrated her first Academy Award nomination in recognition of sexual assault victims worldwide.
"This nomination lends a voice to so many victims and their families around the world. Thank you to The Academy for recognizing the movement of people who have come together around The Hunting Ground and 'Til It Happens To You' in the name of sexual assault," the Golden Globe winner said in a statement. "Diane Warren and I are simply honored to represent the voices of so many survivors."
Warren echoed her writing partner's response when she shared her excitement for her eighth Academy Award nomination.
"I am so excited about this nomination for my song ‘Til It Happens To You.' It means a lot to Lady Gaga and me that the song has been recognized by the Academy and has also resonated so deeply with survivors of sexual assault, giving a voice to this movement as well as comfort and empowerment to those who have experienced any difficult situation in their lives," she said in a statement.
DiCaprio was nothing short of appreciative when he responded to the news of his nomination.
"I am so grateful to the Academy for their recognition of this film. Making The Revenant was one of the most rewarding and collaborative experiences of my life," he said in a statement. "None of this would have been possible without Alejandro's talent, vision and determination. Our dedicated crew also deserves to share in this moment. Together, they have created a truly unique cinematic experience. Congratulations to all of my fellow nominees this season. Thank you to the Academy."
Joy's Lawrence was beaming with gratitude for the honor and proud of the work the entire team had produced.
"I am beyond grateful and humbled by this nomination. I feel incredibly honored to be recognized among the other amazing women in this category. Joy is an incredibly inspiring story about an ordinary woman who does extraordinary things," she said in a statement. "For me, working with David O. Russell has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I share this nomination with him as well as our incredible supporting cast. I could not be more proud to be a part of this film and thankful to the producers and Fox for their unyielding support."
Best Supporting Actor nominee Mark Rylance rallied behind the work of supporting actors everywhere while celebrating his first official Oscar recognition.
"It is a delight to be celebrated as a supporting actor in Steven's beautiful film, Bridge of Spies. I cannot separate my work in the film from the work of my friend Tom Hanks. Every thought, every look, every expression you are celebrating in my portrayal of Rudolph Abel, I found them all in the thoughtful generous presence of Tom Hanks beside me, or behind the camera, yet still with me 100%, every take, every moment. Of course you would witness none of it without Steven, nor are any of the choices of what you witness mine. The performance belongs equally to him and all his wonderful crew, who I am
proud to call friends, as I admire them enormously," he said in a statement. "May I say, I am particularly proud to be nominated as a supporting actor, as I find the level of supporting acting in films these days utterly convincing and very often extremely moving, even the smallest parts."
The Hateful Eight's Jennifer Jason Leigh responded to the news of her first Academy Award nomination after decades in the industry with joy.
"This is incredible news to wake up to," she said in a statement. "I am thrilled. I didn't think the experience of working with Quentin and this cast could get any more rewarding....to get this recognition for this role is such a joy."
While not nominated for her performance in Mad Max: Fury Road, Charlize Theron took to Twitter to celebrate the film's ten nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
"Beyond proud of George and the entire Mad Max Fury Road cast and crew! It's heartwarming to see all of the love streaming in" she wrote.
The Big Short's Steve Carell also showered his fellow co-star and crew members with praise for their five nominations.
"Congratulations Adam, Christian, Hank, Charles, Brad, Dede, Jeremy! #BigShort. 5 Oscar noms! Very proud," he tweeted.
Spotlight's Mark Ruffalo headed straight to Twitter to acknowledge his third career nomination.
"Thank you very much for the nomination. What an honor. What a category. Congratulations to @SpotlightMovie for its 6 noms!!!" he wrote.
With over 50 years in film, Charlotte Rampling, 69, was "deeply moved" by her first Oscar nomination.
"I am deeply moved and thrilled by this nomination. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing 45 Years. Having the wonderful experience of working with the great Tom Courtenay and Andrew Haigh was a truly rewarding experience and I am simply delighted to have everyone's hard work and true collaboration honored by our friends and peers in the Academy," she said in a statement.
The Big Short's director Adam McKay had his sights set on slumber since learning the news of his nomination.
"So happy for everyone who worked on this movie. This was truly an ensemble project from cast to crew to producers. Thank you to the members of the Academy and to all the audiences that have supported The Big Short," he said in a statement, "Now I'm going to take a nap."
For her second nomination, Rooney Mara hailed some of the "finest artists" she's ever worked with.
"To be acknowledged this morning along with Cate, Phyllis, Ed, Carter and Sandy is an incredible honor. Todd made a beautiful and quiet love story with Carol," she said. "I am proud to have been a part of it and feel privileged to have worked with some of our finest artists and one of our greatest directors."
For the man behind the music of Carol, Carter Burwell has reached a milestone in his thirty year career.
"It's an honor to share the original score nomination with this group of composers I so admire," he said in a statement. "After more than thirty years of film scoring, this is my first Academy Award nomination, and I'm extremely grateful. I'm also happy the Academy chose to recognize 'Carol' in so many categories. It's a beautiful film made by a lot of creative people, and I want to particularly thank the director Todd Haynes, who brought this wonderful project to me."
Josh Singer, the co-writer of Spotlight, honored the real-life inspiration of the film and made a plea to the church for transparency.
"I'm thrilled and grateful to the Academy for recognizing the script for Spotlight. I'm also delighted that Tom McCarthy, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Tom McArdle and the movie have been recognized as well," he said in a statement. "Of course, none of this would have been possible without the incredible work done by the real Spotlight Team and the courage of survivors like Phil Saviano, Joe Crowley, Patrick McSorley and Jim Scanlan. Our gratitude to them is endless. We hope our movie increases awareness of the need for investigative journalism on the local level. We also hope that the church will take note and take stronger action to deal with the ongoing issue of clergy sex abuse."
According to the team responsible for creating Bridge of Spies, Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger couldn't help but use a cliche, but true turn of phrase.
"A cliché is the truth many times over, so to say we're just so honored to have been nominated is the plain truth. On behalf of all our colleagues who worked on Bridge of Spies, we are all very proud to have been nominated for Best Picture. To be included in such a spectacularly creative and diverse field of movies this year, makes this a nomination we'll never forget."
The men behind The Martian, including director Ridley Scott and producers Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, were more than pleased with the news.
"We are genuinely honored, delighted and grateful for the very generous recognition our film received today from the Academy. THE MARTIAN was a demanding shoot and a true collaboration between every single person associated with it," they said in a statement. "So to see so many of our team members receive nominations this morning is particularly gratifying. A deeply heartfelt thank you to all the members of the Academy."
Second-time Oscar nominee Eddie Redmayne celebrated his recognition by hat-tipping the character he got to play.
"I'm incredibly grateful to the Academy for this nomination—particularly in a year with so many brilliant films and performances. This nomination is a testament to the vision of our fearless director Tom Hooper, and the support of my fellow cast members, especially the incandescent Alicia Vikander," he said in a statement. "Being recognised for The Danish Girl is particularly special to me; if sharing Lili and Gerda's journey and their love story can in any small way be a part of positive social change—then I will be even more grateful.
Still, it may be first-time Oscar nominee Sam Smith who put it perfectly upon learning the news of his accolade for Spectre's "Writings on the Wall."'
"I am sitting in a coffee shop with my mum and just found out I have an Oscar Nomination," he said. "Feeling very overwhelmed and just can't believe it. Better pick out a gown. Thank you to The Academy for this incredible honor and recognition."
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
(Originally published on Jan. 14, 2016 at 6: 23 a.m. PT)