Taylor Swift is finding success in yet another corner of the entertainment industry, as the Grammy Award-winning singer is now officially a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Swift made her directorial debut with All Too Well: The Short Film back in 2021 and she has plans to direct a feature-length movie following her world tour. According to Variety, the organization in charge of delivering the Oscars during the yearly ceremony has added around 400 new members to its ranks, allowing remarkable people from the business to vote in next year’s Academy Award selection process. Swift is joined by several other notable names, such as Paul Mescal, Keke Palmer, and Joseph Kosinski. After bringing the best of their talents to the big screen last year, they all deserved to be recognized as new members of the Academy.
Bill Hader was another addition to the class of 2023, as the actor has been busy with the making of the final season of Barry. After four seasons of a former marine becoming an assassin for hire, it was time for Barry (played by Hader himself) to face the consequences of his actions. He evidently forced a vulnerable Sally (Sarah Goldberg) to run away and have a kid with him, while his former acting teacher, Mr. Cousineau (Henry Winkler), fled the country to get away from him. Nevertheless, the characters were never meant to have a happy ending as long as they were directly connected to Barry.
After Everything Everywhere All At Once made an incredible impact on the industry last year, two of its main cast members were added to the ranks of the Academy. Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu were a part of the list, expanding their history with the organization after being nominated for multiple categories during this year’s ceremony. Daniel Kwan, one of the directors behind the exhilarating feature, was also invited to become a member of the AMPAS. These additions shouldn’t come as a surprise after the number of nominations — and wins — obtained by the heartfelt adventure through the multiverse.
Austin Butler Has Entered the Building
Another artist that was highlighted during this year’s ceremony that wasn’t a part of the Academy until now, was Austin Butler. His performance as the “King of Rock and Roll” in Elvis earned him a nomination in the Best Actor category and, while he didn’t take the award home, he won the hearts of the audience with his voice, dance moves, and emotions. The enigmatic star will be seen on the big screen once again, when Dune: Part Two premieres in theaters later this year. The sequel to one of 2021’s biggest blockbusters is ready to raise the bar of what can be expected from Arrakis.
You can check out Collider’s interview with Sadie Sink below, where the performer discussed working with Swift in the singer’s directorial debut: