From Jennifer Lawrence to Meryl Streep, A Look Back at 12 Nominees' First Time at the Oscars

Then: Lawrence received her first Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone, a gritty indie in which she played a teenage girl fighting for her family’s survival in the Ozarks. At the awards, Lawrence, a newcomer to most, stunned in a skin-tight dress, talked about food, and made a reporter feel super awkward. Not much has changed since then.

Now: Lawrence is a three-time nominee up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in American Hustle. She’s a regular on the red carpet, a media darling, and America’s reigning Sweetheart.

Then: It’s unfathomable to think that Bale’s first time at the Oscars wasn’t until 2011, when he was won Best Supporting Actor for his turn in The Fighter. If all was right in the world, Bale would’ve been in the audience two years earlier for The Dark Knight, helping to support one of the biggest snubbed films in Oscar history. Still, accepting his award in 2011, Bale made up for lost time, poking fun at himself — “I’m not gonna drop the F-bomb… I’ve done that plenty” — and taking a moment to promote the real Dicky Eklund’s career, directing everyone in the audience to the boxing trainer’s website, URL and all.

Now: Bale’s nod for American Hustle comes just three years later, and while he isn’t expected to take home the prize — it wasn’t even sure that he’d be nominated — his nod marks the ever-changing career of one of the most talented actors working today.

Then: Roberts was just 22 when she received her first Oscar nomination, for her performance as a diabetic bride in the tear-jerking dramedy Steel Magnolias. She lost to Brenda Fricker for My Left Foot, but was nominated again just one year later for Pretty Woman.

Now: A winner for 2001’s Erin Brockovich, Roberts, up this year for a supporting turn in August: Osage County, has earned a total of four nominations. At 46, she may have grown out of the title of America’s Sweetheart, but that famous smile has helped give Roberts a nearly three-decade long career.

Image: TriStar Pictures

Then: Thirty-six years ago, Dern was a Supporting Actor nominee for Coming Home, the Best Picture-nominated film about a love triangle between a Marine (Dern), his wife (Jane Fonda), and a wounded veteran (Jon Voight). Dern lost to Christopher Walken for The Deer Hunter.

Now: After decades in the business, Dern has finally gained Hollywood’s attention, thanks to an incredible performance in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Playing a confused man convinced he’s won a $1 million sweepstakes, Dern rightfully earned his nomination for Best Actor.

Image: United Artists

Then: After years of starring in crowd-pleasers like Miss Congeniality and While You Were Sleeping, Bullock finally earned an Oscar nod in 2011 for a decidedly not funny film — The Blind Side, a tear-jerking drama. In her acceptance speech, Bullock reminded us all why we love her, asking, “Did I really earn this, or did I just wear you all down?” and complimenting fellow nominee Meryl Streep on being ”such a good kisser.” She also gave a special shout-out to “all the moms that take care of the babies and the children, no matter where they come from,” which we would soon learn also included herself; Bullock had secretly adopted a son the month before.

Now: Just 10 days after the Oscars, it was reported that Bullock’s husband, Jesse James, had cheated on her, and in April, she filed for divorce and chose to raise her son alone. Hopefully, this year’s awards, for which Bullock is up for Best Actress for Gravity , will be a much more drama-free occasion.

Then: Cooper, an actor then known best for comedic roles in movies like The Hangover and Wedding Crashers, surprised everyone with his Oscar-nominated turn as a man with bipolar disorder in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook. He lost to Lincoln’s Daniel Day-Lewis.

Now: A Supporting Actor nominee for American Hustle, Cooper’s proven that his stint as “real actor” wasn’t just a one-time thing. He’s not expected to win — Jared Leto’s got that race covered — but in a jam-packed year for male actors, Cooper has showed that he can hold his own against some of the best.

Then: Blanchett’s Oscar-nominated role in Elizabeth was her breakthrough, garnering the Australian actress worldwide attention. She may have lost Best Actress to Shakespeare in Love’s Gwyneth Paltrow, but her gorgeous John Galliano gown was the real winner of the night.

Now: One win and four other nominations later, Blanchett is up once again for Best Actress for her role in Blue Jasmine. With a Golden Globe, SAG Award, and practically every other honor possible so far, Blanchett is the frontrunner to take home the trophy. Now, the one thing fans are questioning? Whether she’ll reference embattled director Woody Allen.

Image: Gramercy Pictures

Then: A relative unknown despite nine previous movies, Adams earned her first Oscar nomination for Junebug, an acclaimed indie in which she played a sweet, pregnant girl only weeks away from labor. Adams lost Best Supporting Actress to The Constant Gardener’s Rachel Weisz, but the nod gave her career a major boost.

Now: If it’s a high-quality movie, there’s a good chance Adams is in it. A five-time nominee with over 30 films under her belt, Adams is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses. If Blanchett doesn’t win Best Actress this year for Blue Jasmine, American Hustle’s Adams is expected to take her place.

Image: Sony Pictures Classics

Then: Hill became an unlikely Oscar nominee for his performance in Moneyball, opposite Brad Pitt. But you already knew that. Because he talks about it all the time.

Now: He’s no less annoying, but a little more respected, thanks to a second Supporting Actor nod for this year’s The Wolf of Wall Street. We’re still having trouble getting used to “two-time Oscar nominee Jonah Hill.”

Then: Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, an up-and-coming actress named Meryl Streep received her first Oscar nomination, for a movie called The Deer Hunter. She didn’t win, but it’s okay — she’d have her chance just a few more times over the years.

Now: Is there an award Streep hasn’t won, or a record she hasn’t broken? The most nominated actor in Oscar history (18 times and counting) is up again this year, for her role as a cruel, dying matriarch in August: Osage County.

Image: Universal

Then: The actress had been working for nearly four decades by the time she received her first Oscar nomination. Up for Best Actress in Mrs. Brown, Dench lost to As Good as It Gets’ Helen Hunt, but just one year later, she’d be a Supporting Actress winner for Shakespeare in Love.

Now: Dench’s Philomena nod is her seventh overall, making her one of the most highly-acclaimed and respected actors of all time.

Image: Miramax