Hollywood’s biggest stars hit the red carpet for 96th Academy Awards

Louise Talbot
Mar 11, 2024, updated Mar 11, 2024

Singer Ariana Grande presented an award on Oscar night. Photo: Getty

Hollywood icon Jamie Lee Curtis was an early arrival on the red carpet for this year’s 96th Academy awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

She was joined by Barbie‘s Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Eva Longoria, Past Lives director, Celine Song, and Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) to celebrate the best performances in film at the Oscars ceremony.

The annual event, hosted by late night talk show comedian Jimmy Kimmel for the fourth time, is expected to turn into a toast to blockbuster atomic bomb drama Oppenheimer.

Gosling, singer Ariana Grande and Anya Taylor Joy (Furiosa) are among the stars presenting awards on Monday.

As stars began arriving to walk the red carpet, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters angered by the Israel-Gaza conflict shouted and slowed traffic in the blocks surrounding the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

“While you’re watching, bombs are dropping,” one sign read.

“The Oscars are happening down the road while people are being murdered, killed, bombed,” said 38-year-old business owner Zinab Nassrou.

Meanwhile, Gosling, who brought along his mother Donna, sister, Mandi, and stepfather Valerio Attanasio, arrived in an open-necked shiny collared shirt with gold necklaces, and, in a nod to Barbie, pink socks.

Nominated for best supporting actor for his role playing Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, he’s also expected to perform his movie hit “I’m Just Ken” at the ceremony.

Australian actress and Barbie actress and producer, Margot Robbie, 33, Zendaya (Dune 2) and Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) were among stars wearing sparkling outfits, with Robbie opting to wear black instead of pink, a gown worn by supermodel Claudia Schiffer in 1994.

The shimmering theme felt appropriate for the biggest night in showbiz, but unusually for the Academy Awards, no one major trend dominated celebrity outfits.

Her shimmering strapless outfit was straight off Versace’s Milan Fashion Week runway, and was a more understated ensemble for Robbie, who has spent much of the last year recreating classic Barbie outfits on the red carpet.

Zendaya, 27, wore a shimmering outfit of an iridescent purple dress with a black sparkling bodice and palm tree-inspired detailing, from Armani Prive.

Emily Blunt, 41, who is nominated for the supporting actress gong for her role in Oppenheimer, wore a fashion label which has dominated the red carpet for this awards season: Schiaprelli.

Emma Stone, 35, was one of the celebrities opting against sparkles on the red carpet. Her awards season fashion has been heavily inspired by the 18th-century costuming of her character Bella Baxter in Poor Things, which has earned her a nomination for the best actress gong.