Actors being snubbed at the Oscars for a nomination is hyperbolically perceived as a crime.
So when the 96th Academy Awards announced the 2024 contenders on Tuesday and left Margot Robbie out of the running for a Best Actress in a Leading Role nomination for Barbie, fans thought the glaring omission constituted a criminal offense.
Robbie's portrayal of "stereotypical Barbie" was hailed by critics and moviegoers alike, as was Barbie director Greta Gerwig, whose name was also noticeably missing in the Best Director category.
In response to the injustice, the Australian police joked they were "investigating" Robbie's Oscar snub in a hilarious Facebook post.
The Victoria Police in Robbie's homeland of Australia rallied behind the actor on her behalf and sent out the following APB to citizens.
"POLICE INVESTIGATE AS MARGOT ROBBIED: Police are investigating after a former resident of Ramsay Street was allegedly robbed of an Oscar nomination for best actress."
The tongue-in-cheek statement actually doubled as an opportunity to encourage people to use the department reporting tool to report non-urgent crimes.
It continued:
"We'd like to take this opportunity to remind all current residents of Ramsay Street and the rest of Victoria, to consider reporting any non-urgent crime, such as theft, via our online reporting tool."
"It’s a convenient and easy way to submit a report with us any time of day."
"Alternatively, you can report non-urgent crimes by calling our Police Assistance Line on 131 444."
"If you or someone else needs immediate police assistance or the crime is happening now, call Triple Zero (000)."
Aside from the Facebook post misidentifying Robbie in one of the images forSex Education actor Emma Mackey, users commended Victoria police for their overall humorous attempt.
Victoria Police/Facebook
Victoria Police/Facebook
Victoria Police/Facebook
Victoria Police/Facebook
Victoria Police/Facebook
Victoria Police/Facebook
The actors who did make the nomination list were Annette Bening for Nyad; Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon; Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall; Carey Mulligan for Maestro; and Emma Stone for Poor Things.
Nominations in the Best Direction category included Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall; Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon; Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer; Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things; and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest.
Barbie wasn't entirely ignored by the Academy.
The popular fantasy comedy film was nominated for eight awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and two nominations for Best Original Song for "I'm Just Ken" and "What Was I Made For."
While congrats are in order for all of the nominees and regardless of the outcome, Barbie will still be remembered as the highest-grossing live-action comedy film of all time, earning a total of $1.446 billion.
Barbie was also named by the National Board of Review and American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2023.
It also tied with 1972's Cabaret for the second-most nominations in the history of the Golden Globe Awards, ultimately winning two awards for Best Original Song (for "What Was I Made For") and the inaugural Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Robbie and Gerwig may not be up for Oscars this year for their all of their contributions to Barbie, but they remain known for being talented, venerated and empowering female forces in the entertainment industry.
And for those impressive accolades alone, they are Kenough.
