Why Wes Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio and More Stars Were MIA From the Oscars

Michelle Pfeiffer, Leonardo DiCaprio and Wes Anderson, who was not present to accept his first Academy Award, where among those who missed the 2024 Oscars March 10.

By Hayley Santaflorentina Mar 11, 2024 1:30 PMTags
Watch: 2024 Oscars Recap: Naked Surprises, Wardrobe Malfunctions & More Must-See Moments!

It might be film's biggest night, but there are always stars who can't attend the Oscars.

And this year was no exception, with a number of the biggest names in Hollywood including Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Pfeiffer and new Oscar winner Wes Anderson absent from the March 10 ceremony.

But while The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar director was unable to accept his award for Best Live Action Short Film in person, he shared a statement celebrating the cast and crew, including stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Ben Kingsley.

"If I could have been there, I (along with Steven Rales) would have said ‘Thank you' to: the family of Roald Dahl; the team at Netflix; our cast and crew," the director said in a statement to E! News. "And also I would have said: if I had not met Owen Wilson in a corridor at the University of Texas between classes when I was 18 years old, I would certainly not be receiving this award tonight—but unfortunately Steven and I are in Germany and we start shooting our new movie early tomorrow morning, so I did not actually receive the award or get a chance to say any of that."

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2024 Oscars: Candid Moments

Wes isn't the only celebrity for whom filming schedules conflicted with the Oscars: sources told E! News that Leo, who starred in the Best Picture nominee Killers of the Flower Moon, was shooting his new Paul Thomas Anderson film that same day. 

Kate Green/Getty Images for Netflix & Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AFI

Other celebrities whose absences were noted include Gigi Hadid, who fans hoped would make her red carpet debut with boyfriend and Maestro nominee Bradley Cooper, Taylor Swift and Tom Holland.

Gigi reportedly stayed at home with her 3-year-old daughter Khai, while Taylor just wrapped the international leg of her tour in Singapore. And for Tom's part, though he wasn't nominated himself, fingers were crossed he would appear alongside his girlfriend Zendaya, who was one of the evening's presenters, on the red carpet.

One absence also prevented a much-anticipated reunion. When Al Pacino came onstage to present the award in the evening's Best Picture category, he did so alone, despite being originally expected to appear alongside his Scarface costar Michelle. While the pair had been listed as presenters ahead of the evening, Michelle was unable to attend the Los Angeles ceremony as she was on the East Coast for personal family reasons, according to Deadline.

But despite the absences, it was night full of stars, a group of whom walked away with an Academy Award. Keep reading for a full breakdown of the 2024 Oscar winners. 

Best Picture

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
WINNER: Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening, NYAD
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
WINNER: Emma Stone, Poor Things

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
WINNER: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, NYAD
WINNER: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
WINNER: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Best Directing

Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese
WINNER: Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan
Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer

Best Animated Feature Film

WINNER: The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

 

Best International Feature Film

Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society of the Snow, Spain
The Teachers' Lounge, Germany
WINNER: The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom

Best Documentary Feature Film

Bobi Wine: The People's President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
WINNER: 20 Days in Mariupol

 

Best Documentary Short Film

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
WINNER: The Last Repair Shop
Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó

Best Live Action Short Film

The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
WINNER: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Best Animated Short Film

Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
WINNER: War Is Over! Inspired by The Music of John & Yoko  

Best Production Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
WINNER: Poor Things

Best Original Song

"The Fire Inside," Flamin' Hot
"I'm Just Ken," Barbie
"It Never Went Away," American Symphony
"Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)," Killers of the Flower Moon
WINNER: "What Was I Made For?," Barbie

Best Original Score

American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
WINNER: Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Sound

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
WINNER: The Zone of Interest

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
WINNER: Poor Things
Society of the Snow

Best Costume Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
WINNER: Poor Things

Best Original Screenplay

WINNER: Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives

Best Adapted Screenplay

WINNER: American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects

The Creator
WINNER: Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

 

Best Film Editing

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
WINNER: Oppenheimer
Poor Things

 

Best Cinematography

El Conde,
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
WINNER: Oppenheimer
Poor Things

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