Ralph Fiennes has said he is "thrilled" to receive a best actor Oscar nomination for his role in pope drama Conclave.
This year's announcement saw Spanish-lanuage musical Emilia Perez lead the way with 13 nominations while director Edward Berger’s film, about cardinals voting to elect the next pope, secured eight nods.
Fiennes, who was last nominated in 1997 for his leading role as a Hungarian pilot and desert explorer in The English Patient, which came after his first nod in 1994 for war drama Schindler's List, in which he played an Austrian Nazi official, will face off against Adrien Brody for immigrant tale The Brutalist, Timothee Chalamet for Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and Colman Domingo for Sing Sing, about prisoners becoming part of a theatre group, at the Oscars ceremony in March.
Sebastian Stan is also up for the category for playing Donald Trump before he became the US president in The Apprentice.
"I’m thrilled to be nominated and to be celebrating the other nominations for Conclave," Fiennes said.
"Edward Berger brought an extraordinary cast and crew together – he is an inspirational director with rare insight and a unique vision which lies at the heart of this film."
Watch: Conclave's Isabella Rossellini, Ralph Fiennes, and Stanley Tucci discuss the Vatican thriller.
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Also nominated is his co-star, Italian actress Isabella Rossellini, who reflected on how filmmaker David Lynch, who died earlier in the month, made an impact on her understanding of acting.
"When I was young, I was always identified as the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini.
"As I’ve gotten older, this doesn’t happen as frequently; and, I miss it especially today.
"I wish my parents were alive to celebrate with me this great honor.
"And, also, today, with this joy, my mind can’t help lingering in the beyond to David Lynch.
"Our collaboration was key to my understanding of the art of acting. It is my past, all that I have in me, that I brought to my interpretation of Sister Agnes in the film Conclave, working under the clear, sharp direction of Edward Berger his incredible cast and crew, especially the incomparable Ralph Fiennes.
"Thank you to the Academy. I am very honored."
Screenwriter Peter Straughan added that it was an "enormous honour" and said his thoughts were "with the people of LA at this terrible time", amid the wildfires.
The nominations for the 97th Oscars were announced on Thursday at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Los Angeles, after being postponed twice amid the wildfires in the region.
The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on 2 March at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with first-time host Conan O’Brien taking the helm this year.
Source: Press Association
.svg)