Update (March 9, 2023): More presenters were announced for this weekend’s 95th Academy Awards over the last couple of days, and there’s a new trio of Latines in the mix. First, Salma Hayek was added to the lineup on Tuesday (March 7). The actress was nominated for an Oscar herself for her role as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 biopic Frida. On Thursday, two more talented Latines were announced and will join her on the stage that evening: Pedro Pascal and Eva Longoria. Let’s hope Pascal brings Grogu as his plus 1.
On Thursday (March 2), producers of the 2023 Oscars announced the first slate of awards presenters, and Zoe Saldaña (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) made the cut.
Other presenters joining them include Samuel L. Jackson (Avengers: Endgame), Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam), Michael B. Jordan (Creed III), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Janelle Monáe (Glass Onion), and more.
More presenters will be announced in the next few days leading up to the Oscars ceremony, which is less than two weeks away. We’ll hold out hope that since the number of Latine nominees was low this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will make sure there is more Latine representation during the telecast. They can always pair up Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza for a second round of glorious deadpan humor, although Ortega will probably be tired after hosting Saturday Night Live the night before.
This year, the lone Latine actor to be nominated in an acting category is Ana de Armas, who landed the first Oscar nomination of her career for her portrayal of cultural icon Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s polarizing Netflix film Blonde. It’s the first Best Actress nomination for a Latina since Yalitza Aparicio earned one in 2018 for Roma.
Other Latine talent who have been nominated this year for an Oscar are two-time Oscar-winning director and producer Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) in the Best Feature Animated Film category for his version of Pinocchio; and four-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón (Roma) for producing the Best Live-Action Short Film Le pupille. The country of Argentina also picked up a nomination in the Best International Film category for its historical drama, Argentina, 1985.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, and air live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
