This year’s Academy Awards will be filled with a lot of firsts

ATLANTA — This year’s 97th Academy Awards will have several firsts playing out at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

The major awards show is marking a first for 13 acting nominees.

Adriana Grande was moved to tears for her first-time supporting actress nod in “Wicked.”

This year is the first time two musicals, “Wicked” and “Emilia Perez,” have been nominated for Best Picture since 1969.

Karla Sofia Gascon and Zoe Saldana also received first-time acting nods for their roles in “Emilia Perez.”

“It’s a musical but it’s also like, you know, suspicion, and yet people like it and I’m so grateful because it says a lot about us as people that, one, we’re looking for things that are fresh and different and outside boxes, and we’re also looking to be challenged,” Saldana said.

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Mikey Madison’s breakout performance in “Anora” earned her a nomination for Best Actress.

Her co-star Yura Borisov is the first Russian star to be honored with an Academy Award nom in nearly five decades.

“It’s a great moment. I feel that a lot of people are very happy because of this,” Borisov said.

Hollywood star Demi Moore had garnered a first-time Best Actress nomination for “The Substance.”

Monica Barbaro earned a nom for Best Supporting Actress in the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown.”

She shared how quickly she learned how to play the guitar for her role.

“I was not a singer, I didn’t play guitar. But I had some time, initially five months, and then the strikes happened, so I had a little bit more time to get, you know, really into the music,” Barbaro said.

The awards are also marking a first for Oscar host Conan O’Brien.

It all starts Sunday evening with a special edition of Channel 2 Action News at 5. Then, join us for “On The Red Carpet” at the Oscars at 5:30 p.m.

The 97th Academy Awards begin at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Then Monday morning, Channel 2’s Fred Blankenship is getting inside access to “Live! With Kelly and Mark” after the Oscars.

ABC News contributed to this article.