The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which distributes the Oscars each year, is extending invitations to a prestigious handful of talented artists and executives. 395 members of Hollywood's elite, including some of the hottest names in the industry, are being inducted into this prestigious organization.

Each year, the Academy invites the cream of the crop to join their ranks. In 2020, 819 people were selected for admission, while in 2019 it was 842, and in 2018 it was 928, their largest list of invitees in years. Though in 2021 the quantity is half that of previous years, the quality remains the same.

Many of the most recognizable actors of the past year are gaining access to this distinguished club. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Trial of the Chicago 7, Watchmen), Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Harriet), Steven Yeun (Invincible, Minari), Robert Pattinson (The Devil All the Time, Twilight), and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians, A Simple Favor) are just a few of the incredible talent that has been nominated in 2021. Aside from actors, directors like Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), musicians such as Jon Batiste (Soul), and plenty of video editors, producers, and documentarians have also received the nod from the Academy higher-ups.

As with previous years, diversity has remained a priority in the selection process. This latest wave of invites comes in the wake of a fiasco in which Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor despite many believing that the late Chadwick Boseman would receive the award (with the Academy even including an NFT tribute to Boseman in the Oscar nominee gift bags). Hopkins himself was asleep when his victory was announced, presumably because he assumed Boseman would win.