As the Oscars loom closer, we’re starting to get more info on the night’s proceedings. Like last year Jimmy Kimmel is going to be hosting Hollywood’s biggest night (here’s hoping we don’t have another envelope snafu!) and just this morning, the Academy revealed a list of 12 names of performers who will be presenting out categories throughout the night. “Whether returning to the Oscars stage, or gracing it for the first time, each of these artists bring their own distinguishing and energetic appeal,” said telecast producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd in a statement. “Their contributions will make for an unforgettable evening.”
The list included familiar faces like last year’s winners, Viola Davis, Mahersala Ali and Emma Stone, Marvel’s newest heroes Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) and Tom Holland (The Amazing Spider-Man), and awards season staples like Laura Dern, Jennifer Garner and Margot Robbie. But one name had us giddy with excitement: Daniela Vega. The star of Chile’s Oscar-nominated film A Fantastic Woman, unfortunately did not make history by becoming the first trans performer to earn a Best Actress nod as many predicted, but she’ll get to grace the Oscar stage regardless. In a year when Sebastian Lelio‘s film celebrates the strength and stamina of a trans woman and trans director Yance Ford earned a Best Documentary nomination for Strong Island, Vega’s presence on the Dolby Theater will feel all the more historic — a sign, one hopes, that Hollywood is ready to embrace and tell more authentic stories about the “T” in LGBT.
The Academy Awards ceremony will air March 4, 2018 on ABC.