America Ferrera, whose inspiring speech about the demands of womanhood was at the heart of last year’s blockbuster “Barbie,” is a surprise nominee for best supporting actress in this year’s Academy Award race.

She’s nominated alongside Emily Blunt of “Oppenheimer,” Danielle Brooks of “The Color Purple,” Jodie Foster of “Nyad” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph of “The Holdovers.”

On the supporting actor side, the contenders are Sterling K. Brown of “American Fiction,” Robert De Niro of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Robert Downey Jr. of “Oppenheimer,” Ryan Gosling of “Barbie” and Mark Ruffalo of “Poor Things.”

The nominations were read Tuesday morning by actor Zazie Beetz of “Deadpool 2” and Jack Quaid of “The Boys” from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California.

The 96th Academy Awards will air earlier than usual, at 6 p.m. March 10 on WLS-Channel 7 following a half-hour preshow. The ceremony also will stream at abc.com and on the ABC app.

Jimmy Kimmel will host for the fourth time.