Why Tom Cruise Wasn't At the Oscars

The Top Gun: Maverick star didn't turn up for the big awards night, despite the film's multiple nominations.

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The long-awaited sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun , Top Gun: Maverick , became a must-watch film in 2022. But while the blockbuster garnered five Academy Award nominations, including a nod for Best Picture, along with Best Adapted Screenplay, sound and film editing, visual effects and Best Original Song, one major player was missing from the festivities tonight: the franchise's star, Tom Cruise.

Despite starring in both the original film, as well as the long-anticipated sequel, Cruise did not make an appearance on the red carpet at the 2023 Oscars tonight. Though the film became an awards show darling, Cruise himself did not receive any Academy Award nominations for his performance. Nonetheless, it was expected by many that the star would turn up for any potential wins for the film.

On Sunday, however, a representative for Cruise told People that Cruise would not be in attendance on the big night due to scheduling obligations for Cruise's currently in the works sequel known as Mission Impossible 8 . According to the publication, producer Jerry Bruckheimer is slated to accept the award if Top Gun: Maverick recieves the Best Picture Nomination

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Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

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Where is Tom Cruise? Why the 'Top Gun' star skipped the 2023 Oscars

Despite "Top Gun: Maverick" being nominated for six honors, including best picture, the film's star Tom Cruise was not in attendance for the Academy Awards on March 12 in Hollywood.

His absence from the iconic Dolby Theatre on Sunday did not go unnoticed by host Jimmy Kimmel, who called out both Cruise and "Avatar" director James Cameron for skipping the event during his lengthy monologue at the beginning of the broadcast.

After quipping that Cameron might have skipped the ceremony after not being nominated for best director, Kimmel then launched into Cruise.

"Everyone loved 'Top Gun' I mean, everyone." Kimmel said. "Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene? ... Hubba hubba!"

"Tom Cruise and James Cameron didn't show up tonight. The two guys who insisted we go to the theater didn't come to the theater."

Kimmel went on to joke that Cruise might actually be in the theater dressed as actor Judd Hirsch in a "Mission Impossible" mask. As the camera panned to Hirsch, the "Fabelmans" star pantomimed pulling his face off like a mask.

Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun.

A spokesperson for Cruise confirmed to People that the actor had to miss the awards ceremony because he is filming "Mission: Impossible 8" overseas. Entertainment Tonight reports that if "Top Gun" wins best picture, producer Jerry Bruckheimer will accept the award.

The film, which is a sequel to the original "Top Gun" released in 1986, was also nominated for best adapted screenplay, best film editing, best original song, best visual effects and best sound.

Hosted by  Jimmy Kimmel for the third time , the  2023 Oscars  are broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, with the  red carpet starting earlier . The 2023 Oscars are  available to watch on ABC  and various streaming platforms. 

Leading the list of nominees  include “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “The Banshees of Inisherin.” The  list of performers and presenters  includes Rihanna, following her  Super Bowl halftime show , and the viral  Telegu-language hit “Naatu Naatu .”

Follow  TODAY.com  for complete Oscars coverage,  including this year’s winners  and unexpected moments.

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Sam Kubota is a senior digital editor and journalist for TODAY Digital based in Los Angeles. She joined NBC News in 2019.

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Oscars 2023: The 95th Academy Awards

By Tori B. Powell, Mike Hayes, Matt Meyer and Seán Federico O'Murchú, CNN

Why Tom Cruise and James Cameron aren't at the Oscars

From CNN"s Lisa Respers France

Tom Cruise attends the Oscars nominees luncheon on February 13. 

Two of the people being credited with getting audiences back in the theater apparently have skipped the biggest night that celebrates movies.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned in his opening monologue that both Tom Cruise and James Cameron were not in attendance, though he joked that perhaps Cruise was there, dressed as nominee Judd Hirsch.

While Cruise's blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" is nominated for best film, Deadline reported the star was skipping the show because of work.

Meanwhile, Kimmel mentioned there was some speculation that Cameron sat this one out because he had not been nominated in the directing category for "Avatar: The Way of Water," which is also nominated for best film.

"Avatar" producer Jon Landau said on the red carpet (which was really champagne-colored ) that Cameron was not coming for “personal reasons."

Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" wins the award for best animated feature

“Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio”

Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" took home the Academy Award for best animated feature. It was the first award announced of the night.

"Animation is ready to be taken to the next step," Del Toro said while accepting the award. "We are all ready for it. Please help us. Keep animation in the conversation."

The filmmaker, who used stop-motion animation to create the latest "Pinocchio" adaptation, went on to thank his family and Netflix.

Jimmy Kimmel jokes he's protecting himself this year after last year's slap

From CNN's Marianne Garvey

Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel jokes that if any audience member wants to incite violence or "get jiggy with it," in a reference to Will Smith's song, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," he's got backup.

Kimmel joked that they would have to get through Michelle Yeoh, Michael B. Jordan, Steven Spielberg and many others to get to him on stage.

Background: During 2022’s ceremony, Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock, who was presenting at the time, after he made a joke about Smith’s wife’s shaved head.

Smith  later apologized , but The Academy sanctioned the actor by  banning him from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.

Jimmy Kimmel says this year "the world finally got out of the house" to see movies in the theater

Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage. 

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel opened the show by declaring this the year "when the world finally got out of the house" to see the nominated films the way they were intended to be seen: in a theater.

The host entered the stage for his opening monologue via parachute, in a reference to his opening "Top Gun" skit , cracked a joke about adjusting his "danger zone" and teased Nicole Kidman for her viral AMC Theatres campaign .

Kimmel noted there are 16 first-time nominees at this year's Oscars.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel's "Top Gun" call sign is Meatball

Jimmy Kimmel arrives by parachute to host the Academy Awards.

Jimmy Kimmel first appeared at the 95th Oscars ceremony in a skit where he pretended to be in the "Top Gun" movie franchise.

Sitting behind Tom Cruise in a fighter jet, he pulls off a helmet labeled with the call sign "Meatball." Cruise advised him to eject from the plane, then Kimmel dropped on to the stage via parachute.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is nominated in several categories this evening.

The 2023 Oscars are underway

Jimmy Kimmel opens the show.

The 95th Academy Awards have begun at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the event for a third time.

It's time to see which of Hollywood's biggest stars take home the honors.

Photos: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” on the red carpet

From CNN Style’s Stephy Chung

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads the Oscars with 11 nominations. And the genre-defying movie’s cast turned up in style.

Michelle Yeoh was among the night’s best-dressed celebrities in a white-feathered Dior gown, while James Hong arrived on the champagne-colored carpet wearing one of the night’s boldest accessory: a blue bowtie adorned with — in a nod to the film — a pair of googly eyes.

See the pictures below, and more of our red carpet coverage here .

James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis

Here's who's nominated for Academy Awards

Oscars statuettes are on display backstage in 2020.

The 95th Academy Awards is set to take place at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre tonight. Here's a look at the nominees:

Best picture

  • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
  • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
  • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
  • “The Fabelmans”
  • “Top Gun: Maverick”
  • “Triangle of Sadness”
  • “Women Talking”

Actress in a supporting role

  • Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
  • Hong Chau, “The Whale”
  • Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
  • Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Actor in a supporting role

  • Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway”
  • Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans”
  • Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Actor in a leading role

  • Austin Butler, “Elvis”
  • Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
  • Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”
  • Bill Nighy, “Living”

Actress in a leading role

  • Cate Blanchett, “Tár”
  • Ana de Armas, “Blonde”
  • Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
  • Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”
  • Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

See the full list of nominees here .

A-listers arrive on the red carpet in white

Stars are arriving dressed-to-the-nines at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 95th Academy Awards. One of the trends to emerge this year is the color white — with stars like Michelle Yeoh and Halle Berry embracing the trend.

The Oscars are one of the most anticipated nights of fashion. Check out our red carpet coverage here . 

Halle Berry

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Our top headlines in style, culture, and more, in your inbox, daily, we respect your privacy. all data captured will be used in accordance with our privacy policy, this is why tom cruise and james cameron didn’t attend the 2023 oscars.

Both Tom Cruise and filmmaker James Cameron opted out of the 2023 Oscars despite their respective films being nominated for multiple awards. By Hayley Peppin

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

TWO OF THE MOST nominated people at the 2023 Oscars seemingly gave this year’s ceremony the flick. Tom Cruise of Top Gun: Maverick and James Cameron, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Avatar: The Way of Water , didn’t attend the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12 — in spite of their insistence for people to return to the movies.

“The two guys who insisted you go to the theatre, didn’t go to the theatre,” 2023 Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked during his monologue.

Cruise, who just a month earlier attended an Oscars nominee luncheon at the Beverly Hilton hotel, was absent from cinema’s biggest night due to overseas production on his eighth Mission: Impossible instalment. While Top Gun was up for six awards, it won just one category — that being Best Sound. While Everything Everywhere All At Once won Best Picture , the 60-year-old actor and producer reportedly planned for producer Jerry Bruckheimer to accept the award on his behalf if Top Gun: Maverick emerged victorious. The film, which Steven Spielberg said in a viral video “saved Hollywood’s ass ,” grossed $1.43 billion at the box office.

Related : ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ sweeps 2023 Oscars including Best Actress and Best Picture

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Meanwhile, Cameron, who was nominated as a producer of Avatar: The Way of Water , also didn’t show up despite the sci-fi hit being the No. 3 highest-grossing movie of all time — garnering $2.93 billion globally. While a rep didn’t confirm his absence, his producing partner and fellow nominee Jon Landau told The New York Times he opted out due to “personal reasons.” Rumours suggest he was unhappy he didn’t receive acknowledgement in the best director category.

Kimmel played into such speculation during his opening monologue, quipping, “Some of the cynics are saying James Cameron isn’t here because he didn’t get a Best Director nomination. And while I find that very hard to believe about a man of such deep humility, he does have a point. I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed  Avatar ? What do they think he is, a woman?”

Avatar: The Way of Water earned four nominations but won just one with, unsurprisingly, Best Visual Effects. Back in 2010, the original Avatar won the same category, along with Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.

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Why Wasn't Tom Cruise At the 2023 Oscars?

I'll give Hollywood an impossible mission: get Tom Cruise to show up at your awards show.

preview for What to Know About "Top Gun: Maverick"

It turns out that Cruise is too busy filming Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning, Part II in the UK , Entertainment Tonight reports . He's doing what he loves, folks—making movies for us. Cruise previously teased his upcoming Mission Impossible stunt where he jumps a motorcycle off of a cliff . Here's hoping he tries to blast into space next. Next time the man is up for more trophies, I'll give Hollywood an impossible mission: get Tom Cruise to show up at your awards show.

Still, that doesn't mean the Cruise jokes stopped at the 95th Academy Awards. "Everyone loved Top Gun , everyone," Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked at the beginning of the show. "Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene? L. Ron Hubba Hubba!” Scientology bits! A classic Hollywood gag. "Tom (Cruise) and James Cameron didn’t show up tonight," Kimmel continued, after parachuting into the venue as part of a Top Gun skit. "The two guys who insisted we go to the theater, did not show up at the theater." I'm sure some folks at home were wondering if jokes like these were the real reason Cruise didn't show up tonight. Either way, Cruise certainly isn't feeling down. Top Gun: Maverick received six nominations at the Oscars tonight, including Best Original Song, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.

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Tom Cruise  will not be at the 95th Academy Awards.

ET has confirmed the  Top Gun: Maverick  star's absence is due to him already being back on set overseas for Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part II  in the United Kingdom. Top Gun: Maverick  is nominated for six Oscars. Should the film win the night's biggest category (Best Picture), producer Jerry Bruckheimer will accept the award. 

Besides Best Picture, the film is also nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Film Editing, Sound, Music (Original Song) and Visual Effects.

News that Cruise will not be in Hollywood for the event comes just hours after it was revealed Lady Gaga will, in fact, perform her Oscar-nominated Top Gun: Maverick single, "Hold My Hand." It had previously been reported she would not be able to make the event, but plans changed and she'll now not only attend but also perform her hit song.

Initially, Oscars producer Glen Weiss said Gaga was invited to perform but was unable to make the commitment at the time. 

Because she's in the middle of shooting a new movie, Weiss said Gaga didn't feel like she could deliver a performance at the caliber that she's used to doing at the annual awards show.  

That movie, of course, is  Joker: Folie à Deux , a sequel to  2019's  Joker , which started production at the end of 2022. 

Earlier this year,  Jay Ellis  spoke with ET and reflected on the film's massive success at the box office and the opportunity to work with Hollywood royalty.

"It's wild, man. It's wild," Ellis said at the premiere of his new film,  Somebody I Used to Know , explaining that when they all first started working on the sequel four years ago, "We just wanted people to go see it. We just wanted to work with Tom Cruise. We just wanted to work with [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer and [director] Joe Kosinski." 

He added, "This is a dream." 

The  2023 Academy Awards  hosted by Jimmy Kimmel will air live on Sunday, March 12 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, keep checking back into  ETonline.com  for complete  Oscars coverage .

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Tom cruise, james cameron skip 2023 oscars.

The pair are in the Oscar race for 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' respectively

By Aaron Couch

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Tom Cruise James Cameron

Tom Cruise and James Cameron, two champions of the theatrical experience behind the biggest movies of 2022 skipped the 2023 Oscars.

“The two guys who insisted you go to the theater, didn’t go to the theater,” host Jimmy Kimmel quipped during his monologue.

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Cameron, meanwhile, is nominated as a producer of Avatar: The Way of Water , the No. 3 highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.93 billion globally. He did not receive a best director nod for his work on the sequel. His producing partner and fellow nominee Jon Landau told The New York Times on the carpet that the absence was due to “personal reasons.”

Maverick is considered a dark horse candidate for best picture, but the feature was widely credited with helping get audiences back to theaters, with Steven Spielberg telling Cruise at the 2023 Academy Luncheon that he saved theaters .

Though Cruise was treated as royalty at that event as well as at the PGA Awards , he was mocked at the Golden Globes and the DGA Awards .

“I like to see people do well. I know that things don’t just happen. I know it’s not just luck. You have to create that luck. You have to will it into existence. I want you to know that I’m always rooting for you. I’m rooting for all of you,” Cruise said while accepting the David O. Selznick Achievement Award during the  2023 PGA Awards .

Top Gun: Maverick is nominated for six Oscars, including best song for Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand.” Cruise will return to theaters with Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One , which arrives in theaters July 14.

Avatar: The Way of Water earned four nominations. A sequel is due out Dec. 20, 2024.

See the star-studded Oscars red carpet arrivals .

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Mission Impossible: Why Tom Cruise, James Cameron, and Chris Rock Weren’t at the Oscars

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

By Savannah Walsh

James Cameron Tom Cruise and Chris Rock.nbsp

A slew of A-list stars attended the Oscars 2023 —and walked that surprisingly chic  champagne carpet —in celebration of the  95th Academy Awards , where  Everything Everywhere All at Once  was the night’s big winner. But celebrities cannot, in fact, be everywhere all at once—and several major players were missing from Sunday’s ceremony as well.

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Host  Jimmy Kimmel  noted a few of these absences during  his monologue , where he joked, “You know, Tom Cruise and James Cameron didn’t show up tonight. The two guys who insisted we go to the theater didn’t come to the theater.”

There were a few surprise attendees Sunday, including Cocaine Bear, Jenny the Donkey, and  Lady Gaga . But if you’re wondering where some of those missing major players were instead of the 2023 Oscars, read on. 

Cruise, nominated as a producer for best-picture-contender Top Gun: Maverick, has been largely missing from the awards circuit this year—outside of the  Oscar Nominees Luncheon , where  Steven Spielberg   reportedly  told him he “saved Hollywood’s ass.” But his absence at the 95th Academy Awards was unexpected, as Kimmel  told  The Hollywood Reporter that Cruise would attend. Alas, a representative for the actor later told  People that Cruise was overseas filming  Mission: Impossible 8, making any appearance at the Oscars—well, impossible. Kimmel took Cruise’s truancy as an opportunity to make a Scientology joke. “Tom Cruise with his shirt off? L. Ron Hubba Hubba,” he quipped.

James Cameron

Cameron, whose blockbuster epic Avatar: The Way of Water was nominated for best picture, didn’t attend because of “personal reasons,” his fellow producer  Jon Landau   told   The New York Times ’  Kyle Buchanan. But Kimmel seemed to suggest that Cameron’s failure to secure a directing nod was a contributing factor in his nonattendance. “I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed  Avatar ?” Kimmel asked. “What do they think he is, a woman?” (Only seven women have been nominated for best director in the Oscars’ 95-year history—and zero in 2023.)

Glenn Close

The eight-time Academy Award nominee, who has yet to win an Oscar, continued her unlucky streak with the organization by  testing positive for COVID ahead of the ceremony, as reported by the  Associated Press . Close was meant to reunite with  Harrison Ford, her costar in 1997’s  Air Force One, to present best picture. While Close isolated and rested, Ford went it alone for the night’s biggest award. At least Close’s Oscars history will always have “ Da Butt .” 

The two men at the center of the  biggest scandal in Oscars history were unsurprisingly not in attendance at Sunday’s ceremony, although  jokes about the incident were littered throughout the telecast. During the show, Rock, who declined the Oscars hosting job in favor of speaking out via his own  live Netflix special , was spotted at a Miami viewing party. As seen in a  video posted to Twitter , comedian  Whitney Cummings  appears shocked to see Rock, excitedly declaring, “Chris Rock is in the fucking building!” before raising a glass. 

Tradition has it that last year’s best-actor Oscar winner presents the best-actress trophy at the following ceremony, but all of that changed when  Smith slapped Rock onstage . Instead of an invite to present,  Smith got himself banned from attending the Academy Awards for a decade. It was last year’s best-actress winner,  Jessica Chastain,  and  Halle Berry, who in 2002 was the  first Black woman to win best actress, who  jointly presented the honor this year instead. Smith, who  resigned from the Academy days after his actions,  reportedly spent the weekend taking his family to see  Jay Shetty, life coach to the stars,  at an event in Los Angeles. 

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why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

They saved cinema – so why weren’t Tom Cruise and James Cameron at the Oscars?

Jimmy Kimmel joked: ‘The two guys who insisted we go to the theater didn’t come the theater.’ So where were Cruise and Cameron?

They were the two men credited with saving cinema, getting bums back on seats in cinemas around the world after months and months of Covid-19 lockdowns. And yet neither James Cameron or Tom Cruise showed up to the 2023 Oscars.

Cruise’s film Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 hit, grossed $1.4bn at the global box office. Its huge success was widely considered a sign that the industry had recovered after months of uncertainty, showing Covid-wary audiences were willing to return for the right film.

Cruise is the star of Top Gun: Maverick, but also a producer, which meant he was nominated in the best picture category, alongside Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer.

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On Sunday, a representative for Cruise confirmed the actor is filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II, the action franchise’s upcoming eighth instalment, in Europe. Bruckheimer was prepared to accept the Oscar if the film had won best picture, which instead went to Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Top Gun: Maverick only won one of the six awards it was up for: best sound. It was the dark horse nominee for best picture, but has been widely credited with luring back audiences who wanted to see the big-budget action flick on a cinema screen.

Last month, director Steven Spielberg was filmed telling Cruise at the 2023 Academy Luncheon: “You saved Hollywood’s ass, and you might have saved theatrical distribution. Seriously, Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry.”

Cameron, meanwhile, was nominated as a producer of best picture nominee Avatar: The Way of Water, which is now the No. 3 highest-grossing movie of all time, having taken $2.29bn at the global box office . Avatar: The Way of Water was nominated for four Oscars including best picture, but only won one, for best visual effects.

Cameron’s producing partner and fellow nominee Jon Landau told The New York Times that his absence was due to “personal reasons”. Cameron had attended two Oscars functions in the days before the ceremony.

This year’s Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked about their absences, saying: “You know, Tom [Cruise] and James Cameron didn’t show up tonight. The two guys who insisted we go to the theatre didn’t come the theatre.”

“Everyone loved Top Gun, everyone! I mean, Tom Cruise with his shirt off and that beach football scene? L Ron hubba hubba,” Kimmel joked, referring to Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard.

He also addressed the possibility that Cameron had not attended due to not being nominated for best director, saying: “Some of the cynics are saying James Cameron isn’t here because he didn’t get a best director nomination. And while I find that very hard to believe about a man of such deep humility, he does have a point. I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed Avatar? What do they think he is, a woman?”

“You know a show is too long when even James Cameron can’t sit through it,” he added, in reference to Avatar: The Way of Water’s 192-minute running time.

Cruise will next be on screens in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part I in July, while the next Avatar film will be released in December 2024.

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Why Wasn't Tom Cruise at the Academy Awards?

The actor didn't attend sunday's award show where his movie, "top gun: maverick," was nominated in six categories, by charlotte edmonds • published march 12, 2023 • updated on march 13, 2023 at 4:37 am.

"Top Gun" was without its Maverick at the 95th Academy Awards .

The sequel to the 1986 classic took the theaters by storm this past year, grossing nearly $1.5 billion -- second to only "Avatar: The Way of Water." Its success wasn't limited to the box office as the movie established itself as a regular during awards season as well.

At the Oscars on Sunday, however, there was one notable absence -- Tom Cruise , who reprised his role as the titular character, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

Where is Tom Cruise during the Academy Awards?

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Cruise is overseas filming the latest edition of the "Mission: Impossible" series. Titled "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part II," Cruise is returning to his role as Agent Ethan Hunt in what is believed to be the eighth and final installation of the hit spy series.

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What academy awards is 'top gun: maverick' nominated for.

"Top Gun: Maverick" received six nominations at the 95th Academy Awards -- Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song by Lady Gaga.

In addition to starring in the movie, Cruise also served as one of four producers.

What is the release date for 'Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part II'?

The eighth "Mission: Impossible" is set to be released on June 28, 2024.

This comes nearly two years after the film's initial release date of Aug. 5, 2022. It was delayed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic before reaching the current release date.

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why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Why Tom Cruise Isn't At The Oscars, Despite Top Gun: Maverick's Big Nominations

He has a good reason.

Top Gun : Maverick is nominated for six Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards , but if it does capture an Oscar, its big star/producer won't be there to accept it. Tom Cruise did not attend the biggest night at the movies, but there's a good reason why he won't be there. Surprise, he's working on the set of another movie. 

Tom Cruise isn't taking a day off for an awards show and is instead in the U.K. working on the set of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II, according to Entertainment Tonight . While Hayley Atwell can take a break from filming for a beautiful vacation , apparently Cruise didn't want to step away from the thrilling scenes they're no doubt filming each day on set. 

While Tom Cruise didn't attend the Oscars despite his nominations, he did take a break from filming to attend the nominees' luncheon weeks ago. Perhaps he was planning to attend originally but opted out and decided to prepare for some epic stunt he's filming ? 

While Tom Cruise is away, Top Gun: Maverick hasn't had any trouble getting nods at The Oscars. In fact, the actor made a cameo via footage of the movie shown at the opening, which spliced in Oscars' host, Jimmy Kimmel . Kimmel also later poked at Cruise's strong ties to Scientology, so he's still getting a good deal of mentions despite his absence. Kimmel also credited Cruise as one of the reasons the movies bounced back after pandemic lockdowns but noted that achievement made his skipping the Academy Awards ironic. 

Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for Best Picture, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Film Editing, Sound, Music (Original Song), and Visual Effects. In the event that the movie does win Best Picture, it's reported that producer Jerry Bruckheimer will accept the award. 

While Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood's most celebrated actors, he has yet to win an Oscar in his long career. To date, he's received two nominations for Best Actor for Jerry Maguire and Born on the Fourth of July , as a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Magnolia . Top Gun: Maverick marks his fourth nomination, though it is one for Best Picture. 

If winning awards won't play a part in Tom Cruise's legacy, it's safe to say his legacy will be solidified in the work he's put in on the Mission: Impossible franchise. Moviegoers are as psyched to see Ethan Hunt on the big screen as they've ever been, so credit to the A-lister for keeping at work and ensuring that folks keep turning up to movie theaters for big blockbusters.  

CinemaBlend is all hands on deck during the 95th Academy Awards and keeping tabs on all of the big winners for the night . Of course, we'll also be reporting on other big moments as well, and all the jokes that will undoubtedly be made at Will Smith and Chris Rock 's expense. 

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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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Why Tom Cruise Was A No-Show At The 2023 Oscars

Maverick waering green flight suit

"Top Gun: Maverick" soared into the Oscars with six nominations, but Tom Cruise wasn't in attendance to see how well the film fared on the biggest night of the year for movies.

Deadline  was the first to confirm that Cruise would not be attending the 95th Academy Awards event because the actor returned to work. The report also stated that he had been working in Sicily and the United Kingdom and that his commitments to his craft and career forced him to miss the prestigious affair. Cruise has taken on the arduous endeavor of completing his work on "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two," the follow-up to the expected upcoming 2023 summer, a film which many hope will have the same effect on the box office that the Oscar-nominated "Top: Gun Maverick" had when it grossed over $1 billion in 2022. And its exceptional run didn't end there, as the film also earned high-flying scores on Rotten Tomatoes . In addition to its successful flight in theaters, the critically acclaimed blockbuster was nominated for Best Picture, as well as several other honors, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Film editing, and Best Visual effects. Cruise himself even recieved an Oscar nod as one of the film's producers. 

While Cruise may not have in the audience to see how well the "Top Gun" sequel did, the Oscars were obsessed with the superstar skipping the event. 

Jimmy Kimmel called out Tom Cruise for skipping the ceremony

While Tom Cruise is hard at work delivering his next big screen spectacle, Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel couldn't help but point out how the superstar skipped the ceremony. During his opening monologue, Kimmel called out the "Top Gun: Maverick" actor and "Avatar: The Way of Water" director James Cameron for not showing up to the year's biggest celebration of cinema, despite being the two most vocal supporters of the theatrical experience. "The two guys who insisted we come to the theatre, didn't come to the [Dolby Theatre]," Kimmel said to applause and laughter.

Kimmel continued his monologue by jokingly suggesting that Cruise disguised himself as "The Fabelmans" nominee Judd Hirsch, à la "Mission: Impossible." The host wrapped up his time by pointing out Cruise's athletic body in "Top Gun: Maverick"... and tying it into his belief of Scientology. "Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene? L. Ron Hubba Hubba!" Kimmel said. 

Cruise may not have been at the Oscars but Lady Gaga certainly was, delivering a mighty and powerful rendition of her Oscar-nominated track "Hold My Hand" from the "Maverick" soundtrack.

Lady Gaga performed 'Hold My Hand' at the Oscars

It was previously reported that Lady Gaga would be skipping the event due to her commitments to producing the Joker sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux." Hours before the 2023 Oscars,  Variety confirmed that the pop sensation would on the stage, ready to sing "Holy My Hand."  

Like the film, the song received significant amounts of critical acclaim, with Variety calling it an Oscar front-runner early on, and it was well received by fans, especially considering the music video for the song has over 155 million views on YouTube . And as far as honors go, the song has already received some awards attention with a nomination from the Grammy  Awards for Best Song Written for Media, and the soundtrack for the film itself was also nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. While it didn't win either of those accolades, it did have a chance to win at the Oscars, and there is no denying having Lady Gaga perform the track in person will add to the enjoyable experience viewers are in for when they tune in to see the big winners.

"Top Gun: Maverick" fans will likely agree that not having Tom Cruise in the mix is a bit of a bummer, but many viewers will agree Lady Gaga is a solid backup to represent the sequel at the 95th Academy Awards.

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5 Reasons Why Tom Cruise Has Never Won An Oscar

He’s been nominated three times – as Best Actor for ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ and ‘Jerry Maguire’ and as Best Supporting Actor for ‘Magnolia’.

Yet Tom Cruise, arguably the biggest movie star of the last 20 years, has never actually got his hands on a little gold man, but why?

He’s ‘too mainstream’

Only occasionally does Oscar really intersect with the blockbuster community. ‘Titanic’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ are some of the few recent smash hits which also got some awards love. Tom Cruise – despite an incredibly varied and interesting filmography, is the very definition of mainstream.

- Infamous Oscar Losing Faces - Guess The Oscar Legend’s Offspring - 10 Big Errors In Oscar-Winning Movies

People forget that he’s worked with everyone from Paul Thomas Anderson and Michael Mann to Martin Scorsese and Stanley fricking Kubrick. What they do remember is ‘Top Gun’, the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, ‘The Firm’…

Popular actors who became “award-worthy” ones generally had to do so in a film which pitched itself as Oscar bait. Unfortunately for Cruise, he doesn’t seem to have shaken off the stink of $20 million success.

He was robbed for ‘Magnolia’

Speaking of Paul Thomas Anderson, it’s a travesty that Cruise didn’t win for Anderson’s masterpiece ‘Magnolia’, where he played a charismatic women-hating pick-up artist with deep-seated personal issues (see above).

Made at the height of Cruise’s fame and box office power (he filmed it before ‘Mission: Impossible II’) it played with our perceptions of Cruise’s charisma and showed off hitherto unseen acting prowess.

He stole the film from acting greats like Julianne Moore, Jason Robards and Philip Seymour Hoffman and it was the kind of flashy star-playing-against-type supporting role that Oscar voters love.

Yet Cruise was beaten by Michael Caine’s perfectly respectable - but far less memorable - turn in old fashioned yarn ‘The Cider House Rules’. This was Cruise’s best chance to win an Oscar… and he missed it.

His best work isn’t noticed

But at least he was nominated. The other strange thing looking back at Cruise’s CV is that several of his best performances weren’t even noticed by the Academy. There are many that (with another actor) would be swamped with awards love.

Think the calculating but charming hitman in ‘Collateral’, the cocksure Naval lawyer in Aaron Sorkin-penned ‘A Few Good Men’, Lestat in ‘Interview With The Vampire’ (a performance so good author Anne Rice took out an ad in Variety to praise it).

These are roles that with an “award-friendly” actor attached would mean at least a nom, if not the prize itself. But maybe he’s just too effective as a leading man. You expect him to be good, he’s part of our cinematic canvas and as such he doesn’t get the recognition.

His co-stars get all the glory

There’s a school of thought that it’s actually way harder to play the straight man than it is the more obvious showy role. In other words, lots of people (us included) think that Cruise was far more deserving of an Oscar for his brilliant work in ‘Rain Man’ than Dustin Hoffman was for his mannered, yet eye-catching performance.

He was nominated for playing Jerry Maguire, but it was Cuba Gooding Jr who walked off with the prize for his shouty presence as Jerry’s client.

Cruise was hilarious and displayed a surprising lack of vanity as megalomaniacal studio head Les Grossman in ‘Tropic Thunder’, but it was Robert Downey Jr – on the comeback trail and playing ironic blackface – who scored the nom.

And as for ‘The Colour Of Money’? Well, what are you gonna do if you’re starring opposite Paul Newman when one of the elder statesmen of the industry is just due recognition.

His personal life

Any journalist who’s met Tom Cruise will tell you what a nice, professional bloke he is. He understands what being a megastar entails and has been known to show up at his premieres three hours early just so he can interact with as many fans as possible.

But his enthusiasm has also got the better of him – the couch-jumping incident on Oprah being a prime example. That little escapade probably set his career back a few years, as did coming out the loser in the post-divorce PR battles with Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes.

- 11 Oscar Winners And Their Lesser Known Siblings - Stars Who Turned Down Oscar-Winning Roles - Biggest Ever Oscar Upsets

And then there’s Scientology. Cruise is one of its most important members and he has credited the religion with helping him get to where he is in Hollywood (he can be seen opening a new church-affiliated building in Spain below).

But it’s possible that the stories (whether they are true or not) about silent births, ex-communicating family members and Navy-style teen boot camps has tarnished Cruise in the eyes of Oscar voters, who tend to be more conservative.

It’s possible Tom Cruise will end up being another iconic actor who never gets awards recognition. He wouldn’t be the first (see: Peter O’Toole, Harrison Ford, etc.)

Or maybe as his blockbuster life seemingly begins to fade, which some are predicting after the comparative failures of ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’, the Cruiser will finally delve headlong into the kind of compelling character parts which sees him finally take to the Oscar stage as a winner.

Photos: Moviestore/Rex/Snap Stills/giphy/portable.tv/imgur/PA

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Why did Tom Cruise not attend the Oscars after being hailed for ‘saving’ cinema with Top Gun: Maverick?

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TOP GUN; MAVERICK 2022 Paramount Pictures film with Tom Cruise

Last night’s Oscars was, like always, a star-studded affair, with Hollywood’s biggest names turning out for its most glamorous night.

But two of the biggest names in film, both of whom have been heralded for ‘saving cinema’, didn’t attend: James Cameron and, crucially, Tom Cruise .

Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water , already one of the highest-grossing films ever, was nominated for best picture, but it lost to Everything Everywhere All at Once .

Meanwhile, Cruise’s film, Top Gun: Maverick, was also defeated in the best picture category, but did leave with the prize for best sound.

However, Maverick, a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, was a huge success at the box office and has been credited by many in the industry with ‘saving cinema’.

Since the pandemic, many who work in film have been greatly concerned that enthusiasm for watching films on the big screen has significantly decreased.

Top Gun, Tom Cruise

Steven Spielberg was shown talking to Cruise at the 2023 Academy Luncheon: ‘You saved Hollywood’s a**, you might have saved theatrical distribution.’

Maverick, which Cruise, 60, both starred in and produced, passed the $1 billion mark, and was still being shown in cinemas months after its original release.

But on Sunday, Cruise didn’t show his face at the Oscars, which left many viewers wondering why the man dubbed the ‘saviour of cinema’ was absent.

95th Annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon

Why wasn’t Tom Cruise at the Oscars?

Cruise missed the awards show due to being tied up with filming the upcoming instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Dead Reckoning Part 2.

Dead Reckoning Part 1, which is due out this summer, is the first Mission: Impossible film since 2018’s Fallout, also produced by Cruise.

At the Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once made history with seven awards , including best picture, best actress, and best original screenplay.

Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian actress and just the second non-white woman in history to win in the best actress, after Halle Berry’s win in 2001.

Berry, 56, presented the award to Yeoh, 60, whose co-star Jamie Lee Curtis also walked away with the prize for best supporting actress.

During the ceremony, Jessica Chastain received praise for wearing a mask , with the actress currently performing in a play in New York City.

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Why Wasn’t Tom Cruise at the Oscars 2023? Find Out Why the ‘Top Gun’ Actor Was Absent

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Tom Cruise   didn’t make an appearance  at the  95th annual Academy Awards , even though his film  Top Gun: Maverick   was  nominated for six awards.  Keep reading to find out why the actor will not be attending the 2023 Oscars. 

Why Wasn't Tom Cruise at the 2023 Oscars?

Tom was absent from the March 12 ceremony as he’s currently in the United Kingdom filming for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part II, according to Deadline . 

The news of Tom’s absence follows reports that Lady Gaga , who was nominated for Best Original Song for Top Gun: Maverick’s concluding track, “Hold My Hand,” will be performing at the Oscars following initial reports of a scheduling conflict. 

Reps for Tom did not immediately respond to In Touch ’s request for comment. 

Tom was, indeed, in the U.K. recently, as he was spotted celebrating Sir  Michael Caine ’s 90th birthday in London two days after the awards show.  

How Many Oscars Was Top Gun: Maverick Nominated For?

Top Gun: Maverick  was nominated for six awards; Best Picture, Film Editing, Sound, Music (Original Song), Visual Effects and Adaptive Screenplay.  The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound. 

The sequel’s many nominations were a delightful surprise to fans as Tom and the production crew put in countless hours to create the thrilling aviation action. 

When speaking with Screen Rant in May 2022, the Edge of Tomorrow actor  explained that creating the action movie was his “dream.” 

“Listen, the whole point of making films and the beauty of it is that you get to travel the world and see other cultures and be part of communities,” he told the outlet when explaining why going above and beyond with filming huge action shots was necessary. “To look and walk in someone else’s shoes and feel what they are [feeling]. Making movies, you’re constantly learning. You have to constantly work to become more and more competent in many different fields. And I want to tell them, that’s the beauty of making movies. That’s why I’ve always pushed my films to go international, around the world and in different communities. And to be part of that right from the beginning.”

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Distractify

Why Didn't Tom Cruise Attend the Oscars? Inside His Rumored Mini Feud With This Comedian

Mar. 14 2023, Published 12:31 p.m. ET

The annual Academy Awards ceremony is typically regarded as Hollywood's biggest night out, but there were some actors and actresses who didn't join in the fun. Notably, actor Tom Cruise , whose beloved '80s sequel Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for Best Picture, did not attend the 95th Oscars.

Why wasn't Tom Cruise at the Oscars? Keep reading for the rumored reasons behind his uncharacteristic absence.

Why wasn't Tom Cruise at the Oscars?

Although Tom Cruise has not formally given a reason for his absence at the Oscars, a new report from Variety alleges some behind-the-scenes drama that may have led to the absences of multiple actors and actresses during Hollywood's biggest night. Jimmy Kimmel, the host, claims he had more jokes reserved in his Oscars monologue specifically for Tom Cruise, but had to pivot when Tom did not show up.

Molly McNearney, Jimmy's wife and Oscars executive producer, said, "Jimmy loves Tom. Tom had just been on the show the week before. And they talked about seeing each other and Jimmy was excited to tell him that we got real Navy pilots to do the flyover at the top of the Oscars. Jimmy was really disappointed he didn’t come."

The reason for Tom's absence, allegedly, is over concerns that Jimmy collaborated on jokes with Judd Apatow, who infamously made a series of scathing remarks at Tom's expense while hosting the DGA Awards, mostly aimed at Tom's practice of Scientology . Judd is not the first comedian to make jokes about Scientology, of which Tom has been a member for at least three decades.

Molly claims that Judd was not involved in Jimmy's Oscars writer's room, saying, "Jimmy tends to send his monologue to a group of people he trusts, comedy writers and comedians. They don’t help with the monologue. They just tell him like that joke’s working, that joke’s not working. No, Judd was not writing or doing anything for the monologue."

Tom Cruise has not addressed his absence from the Oscars. He did, however, attend the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon, which took place on Feb. 13, 2023.

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Tom Cruise missed Best Actor, but still got his first Oscar nomination in 23 years for Top Gun: Maverick

The global superstar landed major recognition for his work in the action sequel.

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

The Academy didn't recognize Tom Cruise with a Best Actor nod, but the global superstar still landed a major Oscar nomination for Top Gun: Maverick anyway.

For his work as a producer on the blockbuster sequel that has grossed nearly $1.5 billion to date , the 60-year-old scored his fourth career Oscar nomination as the film appeared Tuesday morning among the Academy's 10 Best Picture nominees.

Tuesday's nomination marks the fourth time the Academy has recognized Cruise throughout his lengthy career. He was previously nominated for his work as an actor for 1989's Born on the Fourth of July , 1996's Jerry Maguire , and 1999's Magnolia .

Top Gun: Maverick , which follows Cruise as the returning Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a U.S. Navy captain and test pilot who faces his conflicting past as he leads a new team of Top Gun graduates into the air, also earned 2023 Oscar nominations for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Original Song (Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand"), Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.

Cruise made the Joseph Kosinski -directed movie — Paramount's long-awaited continuation of the original 1986 Top Gun film — alongside veteran Hollywood producers Jerry Bruckheimer , David Ellison, and Christopher McQuarrie, who also co-wrote the movie with Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer.

The 95th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. See the full list of 2023 Oscar nominations here .

Check out more from EW's The Awardis t , featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films.

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Why Tom Holland Skipped the 2024 Oscars

Here’s hoping for a Tomdaya appearance next year

preview for The Best Oscars Dresses of All Time

Though understandably disappointing for Tomdaya fans everywhere, who were looking to enjoy some adorable red-carpet moments between the sweetheart couple (ahem: me!), Holland’s absence isn’t much of a surprise. The Crowded Room star was not nominated for an Academy Award tonight, nor was he slated to present or perform. In fact, Holland has attended the Oscars only once, in 2018. (Zendaya was also present that year, but they walked the carpet separately and had not been romantically linked yet.)

The “Replay” singer is not up for any nods either, but she joins a star-studded group of presenters. The A-list roster includes the likes of Lupita Nyong’o , Michelle Yeoh , Emily Blunt , America Ferrera , Ryan Gosling , Ariana Grande , Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence , Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino, Octavia Spencer, Anya Taylor-Joy , and many others. Although Zendaya has yet to clinch an Oscar nomination, she has attended the event quite a few times over the years: She made her debut in 2015 and returned in 2018, 2021, and 2022. However, the lovebirds both skipped last year’s ceremony to enjoy some quality time together in London.

Zendaya might have made her entrance alone, but she gave us a lot to obsess over. When it comes to fashion, the pop icon simply never misses . She dropped our jaws again in a metallic pink and gray one-shoulder gown covered in illustrations of palm trees.

Holland and Zendaya were last spotted together in February , when they stepped out for a rare public date night in London following the world premiere of Dune: Part Two . They coordinated in sleek black looks and looked so loved-up for the occasion. Here’s hoping our 2025 bingo cards include an Oscars debut from the pair.

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Top 10 actors who surprisingly haven’t won an Oscar yet

From tom cruise to sigourney weaver these talented actors have missed out on winning a prestigious academy award.

Oscars are displayed at "Meet the Oscars", an exhibit featuring the 50 Oscar statuettes that will be presented at the 78th Academy Awards, at Hollywood and Highland on February 10, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

In the competitive world of Hollywood, the Academy Awards stand as the pinnacle of achievement, celebrating the exceptional talents of actors, directors, and filmmakers. 

While snagging an Oscar is a career-defining moment for many, an astonishing number of revered actors have yet to receive this prestigious accolade. 

These performers have demonstrated their prowess across a range of roles, earning critical acclaim, fan adoration, and numerous nominations, yet the golden statuette remains elusive. 

Here, we explore ten such actors whose absence from the winners' list might surprise you.

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Tom Cruise at the Mission Impossible 7 premiere in London

Tom Cruise , a megastar who has become synonymous with blockbuster hits, has seen Oscar nominations for both his acting and producing roles. Despite his critical and commercial success, including a nod for Top Gun: Maverick,"Tom has yet to take home the award.

Amy Adams smiling on a red carpet

Amy Adams , with her captivating performances in both lead and supporting roles, has been a perennial Oscars favorite, amassing six nominations. From her breakout role in Junebug to her powerful portrayal in Vice, Amy's versatility and depth have consistently impressed, yet an Oscar win has frustratingly eluded her.

samuel l jackson

  • Samuel L Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson , an icon of cinema known for his charismatic and powerful performances, has surprisingly only been nominated once for an Oscar. His role in Pulp Fiction remains legendary, yet it didn't secure him a win. Despite this, Samuel's contribution to film was recognized with an honorary Academy Award, underscoring his indelible impact on Hollywood.

glenn close 1

Glenn Close

Glenn Close stands out for her eight nominations without a win, showcasing her incredible talent and range in films like Fatal Attraction and The Wife. Glenn's gracious perspective on the awards, emphasizing the honor of nomination itself, reflects her class and respect for her peers.

ralph fiennes 1

Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes, celebrated for his captivating performances in Schindler's List and The English Patient has been nominated for Oscars but has not yet won. His profound contributions to cinema, however, remain unquestioned.

Ian McKellen smiling

  • Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen , a revered actor with a distinguished career in both film and theater, made history as the first openly gay male actor nominated for an Oscar. His roles in Gods and Monsters and The Lord of the Rings series have cemented his legacy, despite not winning.

Angela Bassett at the 81st Golden Globe Awards

  • Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett , with two nominations to her name, has broken barriers and set records with her roles, including a historic nod for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Angela's honorary Oscar recognizes her vast contributions beyond specific roles.

Edward Norton smiling

Edward Norton

Edward Norton has thrice been in the running for an Oscar, demonstrating his exceptional talent in films like Primal Fear and Birdman."Despite not securing a win, Edward's compelling performances continue to draw acclaim.

Michelle Williams at Cannes Film Festival

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams , a nuanced and emotionally resonant actress, has received five Oscar nominations for her roles in critically acclaimed films such as Brokeback Mountain and My Week with Marilyn" Her dedication to her craft shines through in each performance.

sigourney weaver 1

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver , a trailblazer in the science fiction and action genres, has been nominated three times, including a rare double nomination in 1989. Although she hasn't won, Sigourney's contributions to film, especially in roles that have redefined female characters in cinema, are undeniable.

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The Oscars failed to nominate the best movie of the year in any category — and I'm livid

Zero nominations for 'John Wick: Chapter 4' is a travesty

Keanu Reeves as John Wick, with spotlights behind him, in John Wick: Chapter 4

"John Wick: Chapter 4" was the best movie I saw in 2023. Not "Oppenheimer" and not "Poor Things," which combined for a whopping 24 Oscar nominations. Both those films were great, but they simply could not outdo the art that is Keanu Reaves in black fighting his way through the Parisian night.

Well, at least I thought they couldn't. The cowards at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disagreed, giving the latest installment in the "John Wick" franchise a total of zero 2024 Oscars nominations . 

Seriously? Zero ?

Look, part of me knew this would happen. The movie was a commercial success — the 9th-highest-grossing film domestically and 12th-highest-grossing film worldwide in 2023 — but the Oscars don't inherently honor that. In fact, sometimes it can hurt the movie's Oscars odds if it's considered too mainstream, as many action and superhero movies can attest to.

It's also not like the franchise has been honored by the Academy in past years. The franchise overall has brought in a total of zero nominations across four films to date. This is despite each installment being critically acclaimed and commercially successful, though as mentioned before, that last part doesn't necessarily help.

But this movie was worthy . It's the highest-rated of the four on Rotten Tomatoes , for what that's worth, with a 94% fresh rating from critics and a 93% fresh rating from audiences. It scored an average of 8.1 out of 10 from critics and 4.6 out of 5 from audiences. I gave it a 5 out of 5 on Letterboxd . If you compare that to the 10 Best Picture nominees, it stands up to them, exceeding a few in certain aspects.

So clearly, I'm not alone in lauding this masterpiece as a cinematic achievement. As someone who has seen this movie — and many of the Oscars nominees — I have found a few places where the Academy could have appropriately given this movie its due. Here's what 'John Wick: Chapter 4' should have been nominated for at the 2024 Oscars.

Spoilers for "John Wick: Chapter 4" to follow

'John Wick: Chapter 4' deserved these four Oscars nominations

Best Picture

Obviously, as my choice for best film of the year, I think "John Wick: Chapter 4" should get a Best Picture nomination. I haven't seen "Past Lives," "The Zone of Interest" or "Anatomy of a Fall" yet, largely due to their streaming availability, but I've seen the other seven nominees for the Oscars' most prestigious award.

"Maestro," though, is the easy cut for me here. While the Bradley Cooper-directed biopic about composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein has several incredible moments, the movie is incohesive at times. 

"John Wick: Chapter 4" may run a bit long at 169 minutes, but at no point does it get lost in its own plot. And the entire sequence of John Wick making his way to Sacré-Cœur to face the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) stands its own against anything from a Best Picture nominee this year. I'm not saying that I'd expect it to win, but I genuinely can't see how voters thought "Maestro" was the better film.

Best Directing

"John Wick: Chapter 4" is filled with incredible action sequences and gorgeous cinematography. The choreography of the hand-to-hand combat, with pistols or otherwise, is balletic in its execution. Some of the performances will stand the test of time, from Reeves's Wick to Lawrence Fishburne as The Bowery King.

To pull that all together though, you need a great director. And when it comes to action movies, Chad Stahelski is among the best. As Reeves's stunt double in "The Matrix," Stahelski has a deep connection with not only his star actor but what makes for great stuntwork.

In scenes like the one above, this deep connection pays off. The choreography of the hand-to-hand combat, the camerawork as we follow John weaving through traffic and the musical score behind it all blend perfectly. Then there's the cutting back and forth between the fight scene and the conversation between the Marquis and Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson).

With so many moving parts it'd be an easy scene to not land effectively. For that alone, Stahelski would deserve to be nominated, but it's just one of several such sequences in the movie. 

Unfortunately, that means someone needs to be bumped from the list, and while I liked "Killers of the Flower Moon" well enough, Martin Scorsese's nomination this year feels akin to a lifetime achievement award. I'd have easily bumped him for Greta Gerwig's directing in "Barbie" let alone Stahelski's masterclass in "John Wick: Chapter 4."

Best Actor in a Leading Role

This one is tough. The five actors nominated for Best Actor are deserving, including Colman Domingo's critically beloved performance in an arguably flawed "Rustin." And Paul Giamatti in "The Holdovers" is incredible.

But it's time we give Keanu Reeves his due for embodying a character fully. An original character by the way — not replicating a historical figure and being nominated for how realistic that copy appears. Reeves is John Wick, the mythical assassin who strikes terror in the hearts of the kings and queens of the criminal underworld.

This is all the more impressive given that Reeves has an acting range that allows him to be completely believable in performances from "Always Be My Maybe." Spoiler alert, that's a very different performance from Reeves' master assassin in the "John Wick" franchise.

The physicality of the role is also worthy of praise. Not every actor can perfectly execute action scene after action scene like a perfectly choreographed dance. Watch Liam Neeson in "Taken" or even Matt Damon in the Jason Bourne movies. The physical acting that Reeves can achieve is simply on another level, though I'll freely admit Damon comes close.

In terms of who makes way for Reeves, for me, it's the two actors doing historical cosplay. Full disclosure, I actually think truly embodying a historical figure takes real acting skill as well, and deserves praise, but often we simply give that praise because of how similarly the actor looks like their real-world counterpart. 

To me, while Cillian Murphy is great in "Oppenheimer," he simply doesn't embody the character in the same way as Reeves in "John Wick: Chapter 4" or even Bradley Cooper in "Maestro." It's a good performance with incredible moments, but it feels almost paint-by-numbers at times.

Best Cinematography

Look, while the Academy may not love the "John Wick" franchise, it should have had some love for Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen. While he's never received recognition for the Wick movies, he has received Oscars nominations for his work on "The Shape of Water" and "Nightmare Alley." He's someone the Academy should feel comfortable nominating.

And for scenes like the one above, he'd deserve it. This scene is from the larger sequence in the lead-up to the Sacré-Cœur duel is incredible and probably my favorite from any movie in 2023. The decision to shoot overhead with a drone is brilliant, giving the movie an almost video game-like feel. And the synergy between the cinematography and the choreography feels seamless. 

Much like with Best Actor, it's tough to find an easy candidate to cut, and I have yet to see "Napoleon." But if I give that movie the benefit of the doubt — I've heard that the battle scenes are stunning — then "Maestro" once again gets cut for me. While it's aesthetically pretty to watch, I just don't recall anything about how it was shot being all that memorable. 

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Malcolm McMillan

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.

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  • COLGeek Sorry, but John Wick: Chapter 4 was an awful movie. Certainly not Oscar-worthy. Entertaining, but mindless violence and predictable outcomes does not make for an award winning performance. Reply
  • JRod8340 Hey man. While I totally appreciate your passion for John Wick. I have to respectfully disagree with JW4 deserving a best picture or actor nomination. The movie was pretty good. But...taking the movie seriously....I have a really hard time doing. The complete believability of the action scenes and what these characters were doing and enduring? Just wasn't realistic. Fun...but not realistic. However, I do 100% agree with you that the Academy needs to expand their horizons when it comes to different genres. Including horror, which gets completely ignored more than any other genre. But yes, just cause a movie makes a lot of money shouldn't disqualify it from contention. So...do you think he's dead? I think he is. And it was the correct ending. He won his freedom and is vindicated, loses his life but gets to be with his wife now hopefully. Reply
  • Osobear84 I am not sure you should be rating movies at all if you think John Wick 4 is worthy of a Best Picture nomination. I agree it is highly entertaining movie and technically proficient in many area, such as cinematography, but Best Picture... I best you think the Fast and Furious serious has had oscar snubs too... Reply
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Tom Cruise Flashes His Abs While Scaling the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles

Tom Cruise was seen hanging from the beams of Los Angeles' famous Hollywood sign while accompanied by a film crew on Saturday

NATO / BACKGRID

Tom Cruise appears to have found a new iconic location to pull off his famous stuntwork.

On Saturday, Cruise, 61, was seen with a film crew at the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills as the Top Gun: Maverick star scaled the famed landmark.

The actor wore an all-black t-shirt, pants and shoes for the shoot and at one point flashed his abs from underneath his shirt. Largely thanks to his long-running Mission: Impossible series, Cruise has become synonymous with the dangerous stunts seen in the action-packed films.

A representative for Cruise did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment Monday. It's unclear what Cruise was filming on Saturday.

Cruise last appeared onscreen in Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning , which brought back his character Ethan Hunt for a seventh entry in the long-running Mission: Impossible series. The movie made $172 million at the domestic box office and also received two nominations at the recent 96th Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

A title for the eighth film in the series has not yet been announced.

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Cruise also has several other projects in development. In February, PEOPLE confirmed that he will star in the next movie from filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu ( The Revenant, Birdman ), and The Hollywood Reporter reported in January that Top Gun 3 is in development at Paramount, with Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski in talks to direct a follow-up to 2022's highest-grossing movie.

The actor has also been planning to film a movie in outer space for a number of years now as part of a project first announced by NASA back  in 2020. Doug Liman, the filmmaker with whom Cruise made 2014's  Edge of Tomorrow  and 2017's  American Made , is directing that movie . Universal Pictures executive Donna Langley shared in a 2022 BBC news interview that Cruise plans to become the " first civilian to do a space walk outside of the [International] Space Station " as part of the untitled film.

“We’ve been working on it diligently,” Cruise told Variety in July 2023, when asked for an update on the project. “We’ll see where we go.”

Oscars 2024 Winners: Full List of the 96th Academy Awards Winners!

The Oscar winners 2024 complete list posted here in real time on Sunday, March 10. See all the winners and nominees below and be sure to watch all the highlights of the night!   OPPENHEIMER earned 7 awards during the ceremony including Best Picture . Director Christopher Nolan and stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. also won big. Emma Stone won for Actress in a Leading Role for POOR THINGS while  Da'Vine Joy Randolph took home Oscar for her work in THE HOLDOVERS.   The 96th Oscars was held on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and was televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. Watch the full Oscars 2024 ceremony , The Oscars Red Carpet Show and Countdown to Oscars: On the Red Carpet Live! on demand for a limited time. Be sure to watch on the  ABC app  from your smartphone and tablet ( iOS  and  Android ), computer on  ABC.com  and connected devices (Roku, AppleTV and  Amazon Fire TV ).

OSCAR WINNERS & NOMINEES 2024 BY CATEGORY - 96th AWARDS

Best picture.

AMERICAN FICTION Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers ANATOMY OF A FALL Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers BARBIE David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers THE HOLDOVERS Mark Johnson, Producer KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers MAESTRO Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

OPPENHEIMER  **WINNER** Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers PAST LIVES David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers POOR THINGS Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers THE ZONE OF INTEREST James Wilson, Producer

Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper in MAESTRO Colman Domingo in RUSTIN Paul Giamatti in THE HOLDOVERS

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Actor in a Supporting Role

Sterling K. Brown in AMERICAN FICTION Robert De Niro in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in NYAD Lily Gladstone in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Sandra Hüller in ANATOMY OF A FALL Carey Mulligan in MAESTRO

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Actress in a Supporting Role

Emily Blunt in OPPENHEIMER Danielle Brooks in THE COLOR PURPLE America Ferrera in BARBIE Jodie Foster in NYAD

why does tom cruise not go to the oscars

Animated Feature Film

THE BOY AND THE HERON   **WINNER** Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki ELEMENTAL Peter Sohn and Denise Ream NIMONA Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary ROBOT DREAMS Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal

Cinematography

EL CONDE Edward Lachman KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Rodrigo Prieto MAESTRO Matthew Libatique OPPENHEIMER   **WINNER** Hoyte van Hoytema POOR THINGS Robbie Ryan

Costume Design

BARBIE Jacqueline Durran KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Jacqueline West NAPOLEON Janty Yates and Dave Crossman OPPENHEIMER Ellen Mirojnick POOR THINGS    **WINNER** Holly Waddington

ANATOMY OF A FALL Justine Triet KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Martin Scorsese OPPENHEIMER   **WINNER** Christopher Nolan POOR THINGS Yorgos Lanthimos THE ZONE OF INTEREST Jonathan Glazer

Documentary Feature Film

BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp and John Battsek THE ETERNAL MEMORY Maite Alberdi FOUR DAUGHTERS Kaouther Ben Hania and Nadim Cheikhrouha TO KILL A TIGER Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL   **WINNER** Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath

Documentary Short Film

THE ABCS OF BOOK BANNING Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic THE BARBER OF LITTLE ROCK John Hoffman and Christine Turner ISLAND IN BETWEEN S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien THE LAST REPAIR SHOP    **WINNER** Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers NǎI NAI & WàI Pó Sean Wang and Sam Davis

Film Editing

ANATOMY OF A FALL Laurent Sénéchal THE HOLDOVERS Kevin Tent KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Thelma Schoonmaker OPPENHEIMER   **WINNER** Jennifer Lame POOR THINGS Yorgos Mavropsaridis

International Feature Film

IO CAPITANO Italy PERFECT DAYS Japan SOCIETY OF THE SNOW Spain THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE Germany THE ZONE OF INTEREST    **WINNER** United Kingdom

Makeup and Hairstyling

GOLDA Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue MAESTRO Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell OPPENHEIMER Luisa Abel POOR THINGS   **WINNER** Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston SOCIETY OF THE SNOW Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé

Music (Original Score)

AMERICAN FICTION Laura Karpman INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY John Williams KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Robbie Robertson OPPENHEIMER   **WINNER** Ludwig Göransson POOR THINGS Jerskin Fendrix

Music (Original Song)

"The Fire Inside" from FLAMIN' HOT Music and Lyric by Diane Warren "I'm Just Ken" from BARBIE Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt "It Never Went Away" from AMERICAN SYMPHONY Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson "Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" from KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Music and Lyric by Scott George "What Was I Made For?" from BARBIE   **WINNER** Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

Production Design

BARBIE Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis NAPOLEON Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff OPPENHEIMER Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman POOR THINGS    **WINNER** Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek

Short Film (Animated)

LETTER TO A PIG Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter NINETY-FIVE SENSES Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess OUR UNIFORM Yegane Moghaddam PACHYDERME Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius WAR IS OVER! INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC OF JOHN & YOKO   **WINNER** Dave Mullins and Brad Booker

Short Film (Live Action)

THE AFTER Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham INVINCIBLE Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron KNIGHT OF FORTUNE Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk RED, WHITE AND BLUE Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR    **WINNER** Wes Anderson and Steven Rales

THE CREATOR Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic MAESTRO Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor OPPENHEIMER Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O'Connell THE ZONE OF INTEREST   **WINNER** Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

Visual Effects

THE CREATOR Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould GODZILLA MINUS ONE    **WINNER** Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould NAPOLEON Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco and Neil Corbould

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

AMERICAN FICTION   **WINNER** Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson BARBIE Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach OPPENHEIMER Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan POOR THINGS Screenplay by Tony McNamara THE ZONE OF INTEREST Written by Jonathan Glazer

Writing (Original Screenplay)

ANATOMY OF A FALL   **WINNER** Screenplay - Justine Triet and Arthur Harari THE HOLDOVERS Written by David Hemingson MAESTRO Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer MAY DECEMBER Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik PAST LIVES Written by Celine Song

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Oscars 2023: The 95th Academy Awards

By Tori B. Powell, Mike Hayes, Matt Meyer and Seán Federico O'Murchú, CNN

Why Tom Cruise and James Cameron aren't at the Oscars

From CNN"s Lisa Respers France

Tom Cruise attends the Oscars nominees luncheon on February 13. 

Two of the people being credited with getting audiences back in the theater apparently have skipped the biggest night that celebrates movies.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned in his opening monologue that both Tom Cruise and James Cameron were not in attendance, though he joked that perhaps Cruise was there, dressed as nominee Judd Hirsch.

While Cruise's blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" is nominated for best film, Deadline reported the star was skipping the show because of work.

Meanwhile, Kimmel mentioned there was some speculation that Cameron sat this one out because he had not been nominated in the directing category for "Avatar: The Way of Water," which is also nominated for best film.

"Avatar" producer Jon Landau said on the red carpet (which was really champagne-colored ) that Cameron was not coming for “personal reasons."

Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" wins the award for best animated feature

“Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio”

Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" took home the Academy Award for best animated feature. It was the first award announced of the night.

"Animation is ready to be taken to the next step," Del Toro said while accepting the award. "We are all ready for it. Please help us. Keep animation in the conversation."

The filmmaker, who used stop-motion animation to create the latest "Pinocchio" adaptation, went on to thank his family and Netflix.

Jimmy Kimmel jokes he's protecting himself this year after last year's slap

From CNN's Marianne Garvey

Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel jokes that if any audience member wants to incite violence or "get jiggy with it," in a reference to Will Smith's song, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," he's got backup.

Kimmel joked that they would have to get through Michelle Yeoh, Michael B. Jordan, Steven Spielberg and many others to get to him on stage.

Background: During 2022’s ceremony, Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock, who was presenting at the time, after he made a joke about Smith’s wife’s shaved head.

Smith  later apologized , but The Academy sanctioned the actor by  banning him from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.

Jimmy Kimmel says this year "the world finally got out of the house" to see movies in the theater

Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage. 

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel opened the show by declaring this the year "when the world finally got out of the house" to see the nominated films the way they were intended to be seen: in a theater.

The host entered the stage for his opening monologue via parachute, in a reference to his opening "Top Gun" skit , cracked a joke about adjusting his "danger zone" and teased Nicole Kidman for her viral AMC Theatres campaign .

Kimmel noted there are 16 first-time nominees at this year's Oscars.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel's "Top Gun" call sign is Meatball

Jimmy Kimmel arrives by parachute to host the Academy Awards.

Jimmy Kimmel first appeared at the 95th Oscars ceremony in a skit where he pretended to be in the "Top Gun" movie franchise.

Sitting behind Tom Cruise in a fighter jet, he pulls off a helmet labeled with the call sign "Meatball." Cruise advised him to eject from the plane, then Kimmel dropped on to the stage via parachute.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is nominated in several categories this evening.

The 2023 Oscars are underway

Jimmy Kimmel opens the show.

The 95th Academy Awards have begun at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the event for a third time.

It's time to see which of Hollywood's biggest stars take home the honors.

Photos: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” on the red carpet

From CNN Style’s Stephy Chung

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads the Oscars with 11 nominations. And the genre-defying movie’s cast turned up in style.

Michelle Yeoh was among the night’s best-dressed celebrities in a white-feathered Dior gown, while James Hong arrived on the champagne-colored carpet wearing one of the night’s boldest accessory: a blue bowtie adorned with — in a nod to the film — a pair of googly eyes.

See the pictures below, and more of our red carpet coverage here .

James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis

Here's who's nominated for Academy Awards

Oscars statuettes are on display backstage in 2020.

The 95th Academy Awards is set to take place at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre tonight. Here's a look at the nominees:

Best picture

  • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
  • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
  • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
  • “The Fabelmans”
  • “Top Gun: Maverick”
  • “Triangle of Sadness”
  • “Women Talking”

Actress in a supporting role

  • Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
  • Hong Chau, “The Whale”
  • Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
  • Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Actor in a supporting role

  • Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway”
  • Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans”
  • Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Actor in a leading role

  • Austin Butler, “Elvis”
  • Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
  • Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
  • Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”
  • Bill Nighy, “Living”

Actress in a leading role

  • Cate Blanchett, “Tár”
  • Ana de Armas, “Blonde”
  • Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
  • Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”
  • Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

See the full list of nominees here .

A-listers arrive on the red carpet in white

Stars are arriving dressed-to-the-nines at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 95th Academy Awards. One of the trends to emerge this year is the color white — with stars like Michelle Yeoh and Halle Berry embracing the trend.

The Oscars are one of the most anticipated nights of fashion. Check out our red carpet coverage here . 

Halle Berry

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    Tom Cruise arrives at the 95th Oscars nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. "Top Gun" was without its Maverick at the 95th Academy Awards. The sequel ...

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    While Tom Cruise is away, Top Gun: Maverick hasn't had any trouble getting nods at The Oscars. In fact, the actor made a cameo via footage of the movie shown at the opening, which spliced in ...

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  17. Tom Cruise Will Not Attend Oscars 2023 as He Films Overseas

    The Oscars air live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET. Tom Cruise is absent from the Oscars 2023 as he is currently overseas filming Mission: Impossible 8, a rep confirms to PEOPLE.

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