Which New Categories Should Be Added In Oscars 2025? Explored Amid Ryan Reynolds’ Bid For Stunt Category

As a lifestyle expert with decades of experience in the entertainment industry, I wholeheartedly support Ryan Reynolds‘ call for the Oscars to recognize stunt performers with their own category. Having worked closely with numerous talented stunt professionals throughout my career, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible risks they take and the invaluable contributions they make to the success of a film.


Approximately a month before the 2024 Oscars ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced they would introduce a new award category: Best Achievement in Casting, for the first time in nearly 25 years. Prior to the Oscars 2025, actor Ryan Reynolds (known for recent hits like Deadpool & Wolverine) has expressed his support, stating that it’s high time such a category was created to recognize the outstanding work of stunt performers.

Feeling absolutely passionate about the art of stunt work, I took to social media recently to share some incredible snaps alongside the Deadpool and Wolverine stunt performers. Accompanying these images, I penned a heartfelt message: “Stunt work is sadly overlooked at The Oscars, but I sincerely hope that will change one day. This year has seen numerous films push boundaries… Legendary figures like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Chaplin were not just filmmakers, but also masterful stunt performers, who narrated their stories through every fiber of their being.”

Since the first Oscars were awarded in 1929 for cinematic greatness, the Academy has added a new category roughly every two to four decades. This includes the Best Animated Feature, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, among others. More recently, they combined Sound Mixing and Sound Editing into a single category. To those who casually watch the Oscars, this might seem contradictory, but in reality, the Academy has significantly fewer categories than awards shows like the Grammys, Emmys, or Screen Actors Guild Awards, which typically have over 100 categories each.

Honestly, I can’t get enough of those little golden statues! Here’s an idea for the Academy: instead of waiting another 20 years, why not expand the number of categories and give more deserving talents a chance to shine? Here are some potential areas they could explore:

To begin with, it’s high time for the Oscars to introduce gender-neutral award categories. The Academy Awards have been under fire for a long time due to their preference for historical epics and prestige dramas that primarily catered to white American audiences. However, in recent years, the organization has shown a commitment to promoting inclusivity. Taking this inclusion one step further, the Oscars should also consider introducing a category for Best Emerging/Debut Performance, such as Rachel Sennot’s role as PJ in the 2023 teen comedy Bottoms and Greta Lee’s performance as Nora in Past Lives (2023).

In terms of fresh categories, the casting director who skillfully assembles a powerful group of actors will receive the Best Casting award. On the other hand, the Best Ensemble award acknowledges the entire cast in a way similar to the Screen Actors Guild. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer took home the Best Film Ensemble Award at the SAG Awards in 2024.

This year, standout movies featuring extensive ensembles like Oppenheimer, Barbie, Asteroid City, Killers of the Flower Moon, and May December are worth considering. These films offer a rare opportunity to honor expansive casts that rarely fall into the four standard categories.

Moving forward, since the Oscars have introduced a Best Animation Feature category, it would be fitting to acknowledge and appreciate the voice actors who breathe life into the characters on screen as well.

Other categories that should be added to the Oscars and are yet to receive recognition are Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Choreography, and further categorize the vast Best Picture category into Horror, Popular or Box-office hits, Independent, and International.

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2024-09-02 08:42