Barack Obama, Florence Pugh and More Stars React to 2020 Oscars Nominations

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have revealed the nominations for the 2020 Oscars. To see some of the nominees' reactions, check out the gallery.

By Elyse Dupre Jan 13, 2020 2:57 PMTags

It's almost time for the 2020 Oscars!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the nominations for this year's award show on Monday. John Cho and Issa Rae announced a few of the contenders.

Joker led the nominations with a total of 11 nods; however, Once Upon a Time...in HollywoodThe Irishman and 1917 followed closely behind with 10 nominations apiece.

Needless to say, many of the nominees were thrilled about the recognition.

"To receive two Oscar nominations for a film paying tribute to Harriet Tubman, a person whose heart and spirit are the embodiment of courage, makes this morning's news beyond anything I could have ever imagined," Cynthia Erivo, who received a nomination in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for her role in Harriet, said via a statement. "This is more than a dream come true. When I got the opportunity to play this incredible woman, I felt truly honored that Kasi and our producers saw fit to have me play the part; being asked to co-write and perform the song in the film was the icing on an already wonderful cake. I continue to feel overwhelmed with gratitude today to the Academy for recognizing my performance and our song 'Stand Up'."

Of course, fans will have to wait until the big night to see who takes home the trophy. The 92nd annual Academy Awards take place Sunday, Feb. 9.

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To see more of the nominees' reactions, check out the gallery.

Charlize Theron

"Making Bombshell is one of the great highlights of my career," the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role nominee said via a statement. "I wish that the story in this film never needed to be told, but I am so proud of the entire team on this film for telling it with such grace, sensitivity, and humanity. Thank you to my fellow producers, our incredible director Jay Roach and our brilliant screenwriter Charles Randolph, and a multi-talented group of actors and artists who gave 100% of themselves and their craft in making this film. I feel really lucky and blessed to do what I do and work with the people I get to work with, and I am ever thankful to the Academy."

Greta Gerwig

"I am brimming with happiness—thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you (that's six!) to the Academy," the Best Adapted Screenplay nominee said via a statement. "This film of Little Women has been over thirty years in the making, from the very first time Louisa May Alcott and Jo March reached across time and space and made me believe I could be a writer and creator. Every single person who worked on this film poured their heart and soul into it, and we are all so grateful to the Academy for recognizing the collective effort. I am so personally proud of each person who worked on the film, and I am bursting with joy for all of them. I have to say a few names loudly, because I am just so deeply thrilled for them — my filmmaking partner/wizard/genius Saoirse Ronan, you are my inspiration and my honesty and my co-captain, always, my baby girl superstar Florence Pugh, the Marmee of our dreams Laura Dern (woot! Marriage Story!), our gorgeously talented and ridiculously intelligent Emma Watson, the bright shining soul and life force Eliza Scanlen, our Queen Meryl, the quiet strength and world-class craft of Jayne Houdyshell, and the fifth March sister and all around prince Timothee Chalamet. The men who, as Louisa says, possess "chivalry worth having," Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts, James Norton, Bob Odenkirk, and Louis Garrel. The costumes of Jacqueline Durran, the sets of Jess Gonchor, and the music of Alexandre Desplat—they gave me such incredible gifts and each frame of the movie is filled with their skill and work and care. Amy Pascal, I have no words big enough but you know what is in my heart. Everyone at Sony and Columbia Pictures especially to Tom Rothman, my favorite sparring partner and tireless champion. Writing and directing this film was an honor and sharing it with audiences has been the most sincerely heart-warming journey. I hope our Little Women does for another generation of girls and women what it did for me: lights a fire to write your book, make your movie, sing your verse. From all of us Little Women and Men, thank you to the Academy."

Antonio Banderas

"I would like to thank The Academy for my nomination for Best Actor for my work in Pain and Glory," the actor said. "It is an honor to share the nomination with my fellow actors, they did an amazing job. The bar is very high and I'm very thankful to be in the run for the Oscars. I would like to congratulate Pedro Almodovar and the Pain and Glory team for the International Feature Film nomination for the amazing work they did.  I would also like to thank Sony Pictures Classic for their support and effort to get here."

Adam Driver

"I'm honored and incredibly grateful to represent the people who made Marriage Story, and to be included among a list of actors I greatly admire!" the Best Actor in a Leading Role nominee said via a statement. "Thank you very much to Noah and to the cast and crew and, of course, to the Academy for this opportunity."

Leonardo DiCaprio

"I'd like to thank the Academy for recognizing my work along with the incredible performances of my fellow nominees. I've been incredibly fortunate, with this film, to have partnered with brilliant collaborators in Quentin Tarintino, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie," the Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood star and Best Actor in a Leading Role  nominee stated. "This film is an homage to the city of Los Angeles, and I had the opportunity to portray an actor facing his own obsolescence, at a time when our culture was going through massive change. This film in many ways is a tribute to all those who were a part of this industry. Cinema is, and continues to be a powerful form of free artistic expression. This film along with so many others this year, were truly original and impactful. I hope as we progress, we continue to see even more of them. I feel honored to be a part of it all. Thank you again."

Bradley Cooper

"I'm so incredibly thrilled for Todd Phillips, Scott Silver, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Lawrence Sher, Mark Bridges, Jeff Groth, Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing their talent and contribution. Todd Phillips is a visionary and I couldn't be happier for him. I'm truly honored to be a part of Joker," the producer said.

Cynthia Erivo

"To receive two Oscar nominations for a film paying tribute to Harriet Tubman, a person whose heart and spirit are the embodiment of courage, makes this morning's news beyond anything I could have ever imagined," the Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee said in a statement. "This is more than a dream come true. When I got the opportunity to play this incredible woman, I felt truly honored that Kasi and our producers saw fit to have me play the part; being asked to co-write and perform the song in the film was the icing on an already wonderful cake. I continue to feel overwhelmed with gratitude today to the Academy for recognizing my performance and our song 'Stand Up'."

Joaquin Phoenix

"I feel honored and humbled to have been nominated by my fellow actors," the Joker star and Best Actor in a Leading Role nominee said via a statement. "The Academy's encouragement helped ignite and sustain my career and I am incredibly grateful for that support. I'd like to also congratulate my fellow nominees for being recognized for their inspiring performances that have enriched our art form."

 

Adam Sandler

"Bad news: Sandman gets no love from the Academy. Good news: Sandman can stop wearing suits. Congrats to all my friends who got nominated, especially Mama," he tweeted alongside a photo of Kathy Bates.

Laura Dern

"It is such an honor to be acknowledged by one's peers in this extraordinary way. I am so proud of the brilliant writing, directing and the magnificent cast of Marriage Story," the Best Actress in a Supporting Role nominee said via a statement. "I thank the Academy for this profound moment today."

 

Robert De Niro

"Bringing The Irishman to the screen was a 12-year saga, which I wanted to make with my friends and work again with Marty, Joe and Al. It was a story that Jane, Emma, Marty and I wanted to tell," The Irishman star said via a statement. "It's great that the picture has been embraced by audiences and is now getting this recognition from the Academy. I'm very happy for everyone involved in the film."

Jonathan Pryce

"I didn't expect to be quite as emotional as I was when I heard the news," the Best Actor in a Leading Role nominee and Two Popes star said via a statement. "To be acknowledged by your peers is just the best thing. I am so grateful to them. I am thrilled too for my fellow Pope Anthony Hopkins. We had such a good time together. We both thrived on Anthony McCarten's superb script and the inspirational direction of Fernando Meirelles. Huge thanks for the support of Netflix, Tracey Seaward and everyone who worked on the production of this very special film."

Kathy Bates

"Thank you to the Academy for this wonderful recognition," the Best Actress in a Supporting Role nominee stated via a statement. "I am very proud of this film and it was truly an honor to work with the legendary Clint Eastwood on bringing the truth of Richard Jewell to light, along with the incredible Paul, Sam, Olivia, Jon, Nina, Ian and Niko. My hope is that this film brings the justice and peace Richard and Bobi Jewell deserve by shining a light on their story and his heroism."

Todd Phillips

"Joker began as an idea, an experiment really— could we take an 'indie approach' to a studio film by inverting it into a character study to reflect the world around us? Explore what we're seeing and feeling in society, from the lack of empathy to the effects of the absence of love. I am deeply honored by the overwhelming recognition of the Academy this morning, and I want to thank the genius that is Joaquin Phoenix, and all my incredible collaborators. We are beyond humbled that our peers in the filmmaking community have embraced the film and its message," the Best Directing nominee said via a statement.

Tom Hanks

"I'm honored to be included with the caliber of actors such as Anthony Hopkins, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino and Brad Pitt. It will be a grand night," the Best Actor in a Supporting Role nominrr and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood star said via a statement.

Saoirse Ronan

"I'm just so thrilled that our Little Women has been recognized by the Academy," the Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee said via a statement. "Greta [Gerwig] made something so special that I'm just thankful to have been a part of, let alone nominated for. Thank you to my academy peers for loving and appreciating this film that is so close to my heart."

Martin Scorsese

"I'm honored that our work on The Irishman has been honored by the Academy with these nominations," the Best Directing nominee said via a statement. "We put all of ourselves into this picture, a true labor of love, and to be recognized in this way means a great deal to all of us."

Jamie Lee Curtis

"And the @OSCAR nominees are in.... @knivesout @riancjohnson BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY!!!" the actress wrote via Instagram.

Amy Pascal

"We are profoundly overwhelmed and honored to have received all these nominations from the Academy, and to have made history by being only the third movie ever to be nominated for Best Picture that's written, directed and produced exclusively by women," the Little Women producer said in a statement. "This film is a testament to the brilliance of Greta Gerwig. She is the most brilliant creative talent working in our industry today, and we are thrilled that she and our beautiful film have been recognized."

Florence Pugh

"Before the moment.. the exact moment #nominated #foraf--kingoscar!!!!!!," the Best Actress in a Supporting Role nominee wrote on Instagram alongside side-by-side photos of the before and after moment.

 

Rian Johnson

"That is a helluva list of writers, very honored & proud to be up there with them. Love & so much gratitude to my fellow writers in
@TheAcademy. Mostly though this sums up my reaction," the Best Original Screenplay nominee tweeted along with a surprised GIF. 

Barack Obama

"Oscar nominations came out today and I'm glad to see American Factory's nod for Best Documentary," the former president wrote on Instagram. "I like this film for its nuanced, honest portrayal of the way a changing global economy plays out in real lives. It offers a window into people as they actually are and it's the kind of story we don't see often enough. This is exactly what Michelle and I hope to achieve through Higher Ground. Congratulations to the incredible filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, and the entire team!

 

Diane Warren

"I am genuinely blown away by this nomination for 'I'm Standing With You' from Breakthrough," the Best Original Song nominee said via a statement. "I feel that the message of the song is so timely, and Chrissy Metz's performance of it is so powerful and moving. I am extremely grateful to the Academy for this recognition."

Chrissy Metz

"Congratulations, @warren_diane on your 11th Oscar Nomination for Best Song!" the This Is Us star wrote via Instagram. "Thank you, @devonfranklin for putting us together and making dreams come true! And a HUGE thank you to @theacademy for this incredible honor! @breakthroughmovie #imstandingwithyou."