Oscar nominations 2022: Fun facts and trivia

The nominations for the 94th Academy Awards were announced Feb. 8. As usual there were some surprises (Oscar loves to be fickle), but there were also some records made. Here, then, is a look at some fun facts about this year’s crop of Oscar nominees. (The awards ceremony will be held March 27 in Hollywood. As usual, I’ll have a predictions column.)

To see the full list of nominees, go to www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2022.

• At a minute shy of three hours long, Japanese import “Drive My Car,” about a renowned stage actor and director grieving the unexpected death of his wife, is the third-longest best picture nominee of this decade. THREE HOURS??!! I can’t do ANYTHING for three hours.
• Denzel Washington’s nomination for best actor in Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” about, well, the tragedy of MacBeth, makes him the most nominated Black actor in Oscar history, with ten nominations and two wins (supporting actor for “Glory” and lead for “Training Day”).
• Washington is also now tied in third as the most-nominated male actor with nine acting nominations (he received one for producing “Fences.” He ties with Spencer Tracy, Al Pacino and Paul Newman. Only Laurence Olivier (with 10) and Jack Nicholson (with 12) have more.
• At 87, supporting actress nominee Judi Dench (”Belfast”) is the third-oldest acting nominee of all time, behind only Christopher Plummer (”All the Money in the World”) and Gloria Stuart (”Titanic”).
• If Jane Campion wins for directing “The Power of the Dog,” which isn’t really about dogs, she will become only the second female director to do so, alongside Kathryn Bigelow (who won for ”The Hurt Locker”). Overall, only seven women have been nominated for best director. This is Campion’s second nomination (she was nominated for directing “The Piano” and won for its original screenplay).
• Ari Wegner is only the second woman to be nominated for best cinematography (for “The Power of the Dog”), following Rachel Morrison (”Mudbound”). If Wegner wins, she will become the first woman to do so.
• Supporting actress nominee Ariana DeBose (”West Side Story”) is the first Afro-Latina and openly gay acting nominee in Oscar history. If she wins, it will be for the same role that won Rita Moreno a supporting actress Oscar. Moreno also stars in the new version of “West Side Story.”
• Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”) is the first openly gay best actress nominee at the time of her nomination.
• Troy Kotsur (”CODA”) is the first deaf male actor to receive an Oscar nomination. He’s also the first deaf nominee since his “CODA” co-star Marlee Matlin won best actress for 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God.”
• Steven Spielberg (”West Side Story”) ties Billy Wilder as the third most-nominated director with eight. Behind only Martin Scorsese (with nine) and William Wyler (with 12). “West Side Story” also gives Spielberg his 11th nomination as a producer, the most of anyone (but he already held that record so he just beat himself — way to go!).
• With his nomination for producing and writing “Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh now has been nominated in seven different categories (picture, directing, original screenplay, adapted screenplay, live-action short, lead actor and supporting actor). Stop being such an underachiever!

This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 4:07 AM with the headline "Oscar nominations 2022: Fun facts and trivia."