Wicked stars and Wallace And Gromit team among early arrivals for Oscars
The 97th Academy Awards, will see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande,
Wicked stars Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, Bowen Yang and Ethan Slater – and the team behind hit British family franchise Wallace And Gromit – are among the early arrivals at the 2025 Oscars.
The musical’s co-stars – British star Cynthia Erivo, 38, and US pop star Grande – are nominated for best actress, and best supporting actress, respectively, for the prequel to The Wizard Of Oz.
The 97th Academy Awards, will see Erivo – who played the green witch Elphaba in the film – and Grande, 31, among the performers at this year’s ceremony.
On the red carpet, Goldblum – who plays the Wizard – had on a flamboyant cream suit with a purple flower, while Slater, who plays the Munchkin character Boq, wore a simple black suit.
Their co-star Grande – who had the role of Glinda the good witch in the musical – wore a cream gown with a tight bodice and flowing tulle fabric, while Erivo opted for a dramatic dark velvet dress with a ribbon style.
Erivo told ITV that “green was necessary” as she explained her outfit choice was a nod to the film’s fictional setting, the Emerald City.
“I wanted something that felt very old Hollywood, and that’s what this feels like,” she said.
“I look very, very special in it. We took a long time to plan it, and this is it.”
Also among those at the event are the Aardman Animations team Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek.
Their film Wallace And Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which aired over Christmas on the BBC, is up for best animated feature film.
They have previously won the same Oscar prize for Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, and picked up the best short film gong for Wallace And Gromit: The Wrong Trousers.
US star Timothee Chalamet, who is up for best actor for Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, arrived wearing an all-yellow suit, while Demi Moore, a best actress nominee for The Substance, went with a sparkly outfit.
Also on the red carpet were The Brutalist stars Joe Alwyn, and Felicity Jones, British actor Joe Locke, and US stars Whoopi Goldberg, and Emilia Perez actress Zoe Saldana.
On the red carpet, best supporting actress nominee Jones told ITV that she “cannot believe that we’re all here tonight”, as the immigration story’s star Adrien Brody is up for best actor, its director Brady Corbet is up for the directing award, and the movie is up for best film.
Jones, who previously was nominated for a leading actress Oscar for The Theory Of Everything, added that she “really did not think I would be back” so she is “enjoying every minute of it”.
Locke was there along with his fellow Heartstopper stars including Kit Connor and Yasmin Finney.
Netflix musical Emilia Perez leads this year’s nominations with 13, but has also hit the headlines after social media posts made by star Karla Sofia Gascon about Islam, the death of George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars resurfaced following the musical’s release.
The Spanish language movie, which also stars US actresses Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez, is directed by Jacques Audiard and tells the story of a Mexican cartel boss who enlists the help of a lawyer to assume a new identity as a woman.
This year’s ceremony takes place following the wildfires which ravaged parts of Los Angeles in January.
The ceremony will be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien, and will also see performances from US rapper Doja Cat and British singer Raye.
Presenters include British stars Andrew Garfield, and Alwyn, Irish Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Scarlett Johansson, Gomez, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
A representative for Indiana Jones film star Harrison Ford confirmed that he would not be attending the ceremony to present due to having the infectious and painful rash shingles.
