awards season

The Academy Gifts Two Couples His and Hers Oscar Noms

Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Getty Images

This year’s Oscar nominations gave “power couple†a whole new meaning. Spanning across all four acting categories, husbands-and-wives Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons and Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem received nods as Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. Cruz played one of the definitive sad moms of Oscar season in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers, while her husband Bardem was lauded for his role as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos. “I couldn’t be happier to share this celebration with my talented wife, Penelope, for her work in Parallel Mothers,†Bardem said in a statement. Dunst and Plemons were recognized for their strong performances as a rancher couple in Jane Campion’s Power of the Dog, for which Campion made history with her second Best Director nomination. “To be honored by The Academy is a truly humbling experience,†Dunst said in a press release. “For both Jesse and I to get our first nominations together is beyond our wildest dreams.†Wow, love is real and there are no reasons to be jealous at all. Couple Oscar nominations are a longstanding tradition; Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach joined the list in 2020, while Brangelina received nominations in both lead-acting categories in 2009. The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, the day after a less romantic kind of history is made at the Razzies.

The Academy Gifts Two Couples His and Hers Oscar Noms