Why are Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie not nominated for the 2024 Oscars for ‘Barbie’?

The arrival of the 96th Academy Awards (Sunday, March 10, 7 p.m. ET) brings with it the usual mix of anticipation, glamour, novelty, and celebrities, along with a dash of controversy. It’s inevitable that the world’s most prestigious film awards stir debate, especially when it comes to the major categories.

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This year, the uproar among fans and cinema enthusiasts has centered on Barbie. Despite the film becoming a viral phenomenon on social media after its release and being, arguably alongside Oppenheimer, the most talked-about movie of 2023, its Oscar nominations have left much of the public dissatisfied.

Barbie’s Nominations at the 2024 Oscars

It’s not that Barbie hasn’t been nominated for the 2024 Oscars; in fact, the production is up for eight awards and is a favorite in some categories. Its most significant nomination is for Best Picture, where it will compete with other heavy hitters, notably its box office rival from 2023, ‘Oppenheimer’.

Ryan Gosling, who played the lead ‘Ken’, the world-famous doll and one of the film’s key characters, has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, a highly coveted award each year. However, his being one of the main faces of the film at the ceremony has sparked controversy online.

His nomination is added to by that of America Ferrera, who portrays Gloria, a mother and Mattel employee, who has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Barbie, delivering one of the film’s standout moments in a monologue that went viral and moved many viewers.

But the two women’s names everyone expected to see on the nominations list were instead snubbed...

Why Aren’t Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie Nominated for Any Oscars?

The true mastermind behind this undeniable box office and audience success is none other than Greta Gerwig, an accomplished director who has previously secured Best Picture nominations for ‘Lady Bird’ in 2017 and ‘Little Women’ in 2019, and a Best Director nod for the former, but has been overlooked in the directing category for Barbie.

And then there’s Margot Robbie, the Australian actress who took on the title role and enchanted audiences. Her absence from the Best Actress award has caused a stir on social media and sparked debate over why the filmmaker and actress were not nominated.

The public quickly speculated that because Barbie is a comedy, a “toy movie,” the Academy has overlooked it, a trend observed in other years. However, the film is nominated for Best Picture, and many fans have directly criticized the lack of recognition for Gerwig and Robbie in particular.

Gosling and Ferrera disappointed

Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera expressed gratitude for their nominations in statements but were surprised and disappointed by the omission of their colleagues, with Gosling remarking: “there’s no Ken without Barbie, and no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie.”

The value attributed to Barbie and whether its director and lead actress deserved nominations is ultimately subjective. The Academy has not commented on the matter, and the other nominated directors and actors undoubtedly have their own merits for being in their respective categories. Nonetheless, Robbie and Gerwig will still have a chance to share in the success: the filmmaker in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, having co-written the Barbie story with Noah Baumbach, and the actress, a co-producer of the film, who would be credited in the Best Picture nomination.