The people helping decide who wins an Oscar in 2026 will include Wicked star Ariana Grande; Sebastian Stan, who played Donald Trump in The Apprentice; and Aubrey Plaza, known for Emily the Criminal.
All three have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year. On Thursday, the Academy announced it had invited 534 actors and executives to join its group of more than 10,000 members. While many were invited, some noticed the absence of Emilia Perez star Karla Sofía Gascón. Gascón, who played the lead role, made history by being the first openly transgender person nominated in an Oscars acting category.
Oscar nominees are automatically considered for Academy membership, but not all are invited. Each branch—like actors or writers—makes suggestions, but the final decision is made by the 55-member Board of Governors. Gascón’s exclusion comes five months after she drew backlash for comments about her fellow nominee, Fernanda Torres from I’m Still Here, and for social media posts that included offensive remarks about Islam.
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Still, Emilia Perez was a hit with critics and earned 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress, and the film also won Best Original Song.
EW has reached out to the Academy and Gascón’s team for comment. Meanwhile, actors like Torres, Kieran Culkin (Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain), Mikey Madison (Best Actress for Anora), and Margaret Qualley (The Substance) were invited to join.
Other well-known names on the list include Gillian Anderson, Jason Momoa, Naomi Ackie, Jodie Comer, Jeremy Strong, and Danielle Deadwyler.
We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy. Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.
Kramer and Janet Yang, president of the Academy, gave a statement
Source: EW