The 95th Annual Academy Awards are this Sunday, with The Academy slowly unveiling some of its presenters, performers, and what people can expect come showtime. A list of performers was released today, sharing that Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas would be presenting some awards.
The list of presenters includes various members that have a significant history with The Academy, and have made or are about to make their mark on the industry. These include Halle Bailey, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver.
Previous presenters that were announced include Zoe Saldaña, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Jennifer Connelly, and Ariana DeBose.
While many of these presenters have been nominated for Oscars themselves, others are involved in exciting Hollywood projects, showing an accurate picture of what The Academy looks like today.
Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek have been friends for a long time, with both rising to fame in Hollywood at around the same decade. They’ve made several movies together, including “Desperado,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” and more. This past year, the two collaborated on the film “Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish,” which earned an Oscar nomination for best animated film.
“Well, we practically started together in the industry here in America,” said Banderas of their relationship in an interview with “The Today Show.” “We were coming from our own countries, so we met each other at the beginning of this road.” After watching a still of the two at the set of “Desperado,” Hayek said: “Oh my God, Antonio. We were hot!”