Issa Rae's triple threat triumph: All 3 films in 2023 score Oscar nominations

Is Issa Rae an Oscars catalyst? A good luck charm? Or just very good at picking her big screen projects?

The signs point to yes because all three of her 2023 releases have been nominated for at least one Academy Award.  Last year, the Insecure creator starred in Barbie, American Fiction, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — two of which are currently celebrating Best Picture nominations for the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

While Barbie and American Fiction are set to compete for the top prize, with a total of eight and five nominations respectively, Across The Spider-Verse is in the running for Best Animated Feature. 

Having already heard the good news, Rae celebrated nomination day by sharing a text she received in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. 

“You were in three movies last year and they were all nominated for Oscars,” reads the message captured from her Instagram story. “NO BIG DEAL.”

The actress liked the text and pasted a laughing emoji below the post, which she captioned, “Congrats to all the real nominees, tho.”

With her travels including Barbie Land and the Spider-Verse, Rae has certainly enjoyed a busy year. She rode a motorcycle across dimensions in the latest Miles Morales film, then went toe to toe with Jeffrey Wright as a rival author in American Fiction. And then there’s the year’s biggest blockbuster, where Rae took on a leadership role as President Barbie — who wins an election, dons a ball gown, and lands the only f-bomb in the movie. 

If only the Oscars had a category for best line delivery, Rae could score a statuette for her comedic intonation when asking Barbie and Ken, “Are you watching The Godfather?” Alas, Barbie’s eight nominations will have to do.

For her part, Rae only has positive things to say about the experience of shooting all three movies — except when it came to the Barbie dance scenes. "I just didn't think the president would have to dance," Rae told EW in 2023.

As if the thought of choreography wasn’t daunting enough, last minute changes meant the actress had to learn a brand new dance upon arriving in Barbie Land. "I learned it that day and in front of everyone. So it was like the first day of school and I was naked."

The 96th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 10, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC. See the full list of 2024 Oscar nominations.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related Content: 

• Issa Rae tried to help her 5-year-old nephew win a popcorn fundraiser and it went very, very wrong
• Listen to all of the 2024 Oscar nominees for Best Original Song
• Margot Robbie doesn't see the need for a Barbie sequel: 'We put everything into this one'