#Oscars Nominations 2021: Riz Ahmed, Trent Reznor, H.E.R, and More

The 2021 Oscar nominations are in. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross picked up nominations for their work on Mank and Soul, while both Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The United States vs. Billie Holiday received nods. It was also a landmark day for Riz Ahmed, who stars as a punk-metal drummer in Sound of Metal. That one’s up for Best Picture, and Ahmed is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The other Best Picture nominees are The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

In the Best Original Score category, Reznor and Ross were nominated for both Pixar’s Soul (with a little help from Jon Batiste) and David Fincher’s Mank; Terence Blanchard was recognized for his work on Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods; and Minari (Emile Mosseri) and News of the World (James Newton Howard) also picked up nominations. Ludwig Göransson, who won for his Black Panther score in 2019, was shut out for his work on Christopher Nolan’s time-bending blockbuster Tenet.

For Best Original Song, H.E.R. was nominated for the Judas and the Black Messiah song “Fight for You”—a career-first for the singer-songwriter. The other nominees are Daniel Pemberton and Celeste’s “Hear My Voice” (The Trial of the Chicago 7); Savan Kotecha, Rickard Goransson, and Fat Max Gsus’ “Húsavík” (Eurovision Song Contest); “Io Si (Seen)” by Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, and Niccolò Agliardi (The Life Ahead); and Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth’s “Speak Now” (One Night in Miami). 

That means there were no Best Original Song honors for Janelle Monáe (“Turntables” from All In: The Fight for Democracy), Justin Timberlake (“Just Sing” from Trolls: World Tour), Reznor and Ross (for their songs for Mank), or Brandi Carlile (the Onward song “Carried Me With You”).

In Best Actress in a Leading Role, Viola Davis and Andra Day were nominated for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The United States vs. Billie Holiday, respectively.

Read Pitchfork’s interview with Steven Yeun, who is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in Minari. He is the first Asian American actor to be honored in the category.

Watch Riz Ahmed rate Eminem, Paddington Bear, and more: