The Golden Globe nominations are out, and Black creatives are once again being recognized for some of the most exciting and impactful work of the year. This year’s list highlights standout performances, strong direction, and memorable music across film and TV from black creatives.
Below is the list of the Black nominees, the projects that earned them a spot on the list, and how many nominations each received.
1. Tessa Thompson — Hedda
Category: Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
Nominations: 1
Tessa Thompson stars as Hedda Gabler in the 2025 adaptation directed by Nia DaCosta, a reimagining of the classic Ibsen play. Set in 1950s England, Thompson’s Hedda is a newlywed navigating a complex world of social expectations, desire, and personal ambition. The film updates the character through a modern lens, presenting her as biracial and queer, with relationships and identities reworked to add new layers of conflict and intrigue.
Thompson’s performance has been praised for its magnetic and unsettling quality, portraying Hedda as both manipulative and vulnerable. The story focuses on a single dramatic evening where tensions, jealousy, and societal pressures come to a head, highlighting Hedda’s struggle for control and the emotional cost of her actions.
2. Dwayne Johnson — The Smashing Machine
Category: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
Nominations: 1
Dwayne Johnson stars in The Smashing Machine as real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr, a former UFC heavyweight fighter known for his dominance during the early, raw days of mixed martial arts. The film explores both Kerr’s professional triumphs in the octagon and his personal struggles, including addiction, pressure, and the emotional toll of fame. It offers a humanizing look at the fighter, showing the vulnerabilities and challenges behind the public persona of a sports icon. To embody Kerr, Johnson underwent a dramatic physical transformation, altering his physique, appearance, and training regimen to match the real fighter’s build.
3. Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
Category: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
Nominations: 1
Michael B. Jordan stars in Sinners as twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore in a 1932 Mississippi setting. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the story follows the twins as they return home to open a juke joint for their community, only to face a supernatural evil that turns their hopeful venture into a fight for survival. The film blends Southern Gothic, horror, period drama, and music, creating a unique, genre-defying experience.
Jordan’s performance has been praised for bringing distinct personalities to each twin, making their dynamic both believable and emotionally engaging.
4. Cynthia Erivo — Wicked: For Good
Category: Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Nominations: 1
Cynthia Erivo stars as Elphaba Thropp in Wicked: For Good, reprising the role of the green-skinned young woman who becomes the legendary Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba is a powerful, gifted outsider who faces prejudice while grappling with her identity, longing for acceptance, and navigating complex emotions.
Erivo’s performance has been widely praised for adding depth and humanity to the character, showcasing vulnerability, grief, love, and rage alongside her magical abilities. The film also features a new song that highlights her vocal talent and emotional range, making her portrayal both powerful and nuanced, and a standout in a story filled with larger-than-life characters. Ariana Grande was also a cast member in the movie.
5. Chase Infiniti — One Battle After Another
Category: Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Nominations: 1
Chase Infiniti stars as Willa Ferguson in One Battle After Another, playing the fearless daughter of a former revolutionary, whose disappearance sets the film’s central conflict in motion. Her character drives the emotional core of the story, forcing her father back into danger and fueling the narrative’s tension.
Infiniti prepared extensively for the role with six months of training in martial arts, weapons handling, and theater, bringing authenticity and intensity to her performance.
6. Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
Category: Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Nominations: 1
Teyana Taylor stars as Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another, a complex revolutionary and mother whose story explores emotional turmoil, trauma, and difficult choices. As part of the resistance group “French 75,” her character plays a central role in the film’s tension and narrative, impacting the arcs of other main characters.
Taylor’s performance has been praised for its rawness, authenticity, and emotional depth. Critics and co-stars note her improvisational energy and the way she fully embodies Perfidia’s flaws and struggles.
7. Ryan Coogler — Sinners
Categories:
- Best Director — Motion Picture
- Best Screenplay — Motion Picture
Nominations: 2 - Ryan Coogler describes Sinners as a deeply personal film inspired by his family roots, Southern Gothic culture, and blues music. Set in 1932 Mississippi, the movie blends horror, period drama, and music to tell a story that is both atmospheric and culturally rich. Coogler intentionally designed it as a self-contained narrative, emphasizing storytelling, heritage, and Black ownership over franchise potential. Coogler has highlighted that the film’s originality comes from its genre-blending approach and its focus on authentic, emotionally resonant characters.
8. Raphael Saadiq — Sinners
Category: Best Original Song — Motion Picture
Song: “I Lied to You”
Nominations: 1
Raphael Saadiq co-wrote the signature song “I Lied to You” for Sinners alongside composer Ludwig Göransson, creating a central musical and emotional highlight of the film. Drawing from blues, gospel, and Black musical traditions, Saadiq described the process as reconnecting with his musical roots, blending raw emotion and cultural authenticity to match the film’s Southern Gothic and supernatural tone.
9. Sterling K. Brown — Paradise
Category: Best Actor in a TV Series — Drama
Nominations: 1
Sterling K. Brown stars as Xavier Collins in Paradise, a sci‑fi political thriller set in a massive underground bunker. Xavier, a U.S. Secret Service agent, must uncover the truth behind the President’s murder while navigating suspicion, secrets, and high-stakes intrigue, all while trying to protect his family. Brown’s performance has been praised for showcasing a tougher, more intense side of his acting, moving beyond his familiar “sensitive‑dad” roles.
10. Ayo Edebiri — The Bear
Category: Best Actress in a TV Series — Musical or Comedy
Nominations: 1
Ayo Edebiri stars as Sydney Adamu in The Bear, a sous-chef working in a chaotic Chicago sandwich shop who becomes a key part of transforming the kitchen into a fine-dining establishment. Her character navigates high-pressure culinary challenges while balancing teamwork, creativity, and personal growth throughout the series
11. Tramell Tillman — Severance
Category: Best Supporting Actor on Television
Nominations: 1
Tramell Tillman stars as Seth Milchick in Severance, a floor manager at Lumon Industries where employees’ personal memories are surgically separated from their work memories. Milchick is outwardly calm and professional, but Tillman’s nuanced performance reveals a simmering complexity beneath the surface, embodying the character like “a duck on water”—smooth above while tense underneath.
Tillman’s portrayal has been widely praised for its subtle menace and emotional depth, making Milchick one of the show’s most compelling characters. His work earned him the 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first Black man to win in this category.
12. Ashley Walters — Adolescence
Category: Best Supporting Actor on Television
Nominations: 1
Ashley Walters stars as DI Luke Bascombe in Adolescence, a detective investigating the murder of a 13-year-old’s classmate. His character balances professional duty with a personal, fatherly perspective, adding depth to the investigation and highlighting the emotional stakes of the case.
Walters has said the role personally affected him, prompting reflection on parenting and screen time for his own children. Filmed in a tense, single-take style, the series’ intensity pushed Walters to deliver one of his most gripping and realistic performances
13. Kevin Hart — Kevin Hart: Acting My Age
Category: Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television
Nominations: 1
In his 2025 stand-up special, Kevin Hart: Acting My Age, on Netflix, Hart reflects on life in his 40s, tackling midlife challenges, family dynamics, aging, and the humorous realities of getting older. Using his signature high-energy and self-deprecating style, he delivers observations that resonate with audiences navigating similar stages of life, blending humor with candid personal insight. Kevin Hart, a top comedian of his generation, has built a career across stand-up, film, and television. Known for his energetic performances, quick wit, and relatable humor, he is famous for comedy specials, blockbuster films like Jumanji, Night School and Central Intelligence, and his own production ventures.
