And there are also some just-barely visible strings between this year’s ceremony and its mid-aughts counterpart. For one, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind earned a win for Best Original Screenplay at the 2005 ceremony. Years later, Ariana Grande—nominated at the 2025 ceremony for Best Supporting Actress after playing Glinda in Wicked—wrote an album honoring the film, which is one of her favorites, with 2024’s eternal sunshine.
As for the Best Picture nominees, Timothée Chalamet was somewhat right when he admitted in his SAG acceptance speech for Best Actor in A Complete Unknown that the biopic genre could be “perhaps tired.” After all, the 2005 lineup included one in their own shortlist, Ray, which examined the life of the formidable soul musician Ray Charles. The win in 2005 went to Million Dollar Baby, but Ray scooped up two awards for Best Actor and Best Sound Mixing.
The ball is still in anyone’s court when it comes to the 97th ceremony, but 20 years later, movie buffs clearly haven’t grown completely tired of the biopic yet—just look at last year’s Best Picture winner.
In anticipation for tonight’s ceremony, keep reading for more highlights from the 2005 Academy Awards…