The Oscars nominated 2 couples in the acting category for the first time ever
- Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons all picked up nominations.
- These are Dunst and Plemons' first Oscar nominations.
Two couples have been nominated for acting Oscars in the same year for the first time in Academy Awards history.
Kirsten Dunst (best actress) and Jesse Plemons (best supporting actor), who got engaged in 2016, were both nominated for their performance in Jane Campion's Netflix western "The Power of The Dog." Penélope Cruz also picked up a best actress nomination for her role in "Parallel Mothers" alongside her husband Javier Bardem who was nominated in the best actor category for "Being The Ricardos."
This is the first time Dunst and Plemons have been recognized by the Academy. Cruz and Bardem, however, are both four-time nominees and one-time winners in the supporting category.
Cruz won in 2009 for Woody Allen's Spanish-set romantic comedy "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and Bardem picked up a gong in 2008 for his performance in the Coen Brothers' acclaimed neo-western "No Country for Old Men."
There have been several instances throughout Oscars history where one couple has been nominated for awards in the same year. Noah Baumbach earned a best original screenplay nomination for "Marriage Story" in 2020, for example, the same year that his partner Greta Gerwig was recognized with a best adapted screenplay nomination for "Little Women."
Bardem and Cruz, however, are only the sixth married couple to be nominated for acting in the same year. Previous nominees include Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner in 1953, Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton in 1957, and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in 1966.
The 2022 Oscar nominations, which were announced early Tuesday morning, produced several historic nominations.
Ari Wegner is the second woman to be nominated in cinematography for her work on "The Power of the Dog." The first was Rachel Morrison, who was nominated for "Mudbound" in 2017.
Campion picked up a best director nomination for "The Power of The Dog" and became the first woman to have more than one nomination in the directing category. She was previously nominated for best director in 1994 for "The Piano."
And Steven Spielberg received his 11th nomination for best picture, a record for an individual producer.
Insider compiled a comprehensive list of all the nominations here.
The 2022 Oscars are set to take place at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre and air live on ABC on Sunday, March 27.