Meet the Marylanders competing against each other at the Oscars

It’s Montgomery County vs. Montgomery County at the Academy Awards on Sunday, as two powerful Hollywood names with local ties battle each other to take home the gold in the best animated feature film category.

And the Maryland representation doesn’t stop there.

Actress and producer Natalie Portman, who attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, is among four filmmakers nominated for their work on “Arco,” an animated science/fantasy flick about a boy who time travels from the future and needs help getting home.

Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush, who grew up in Gaithersburg and graduated from Quince Orchard High School, is one of three nominees for “Zootopia 2,” which he wrote, co-directed and executive produced.

Portman and Bush represent two of the five films nominated in their category. Here are the other locals you can root for.

Germantown’s Rei Ami set to perform hit ‘Golden,’ song up for nomination

The Oscars usually invites performers from all five best original song nominees. This year, only two were selected and they both have local ties.

Rei Ami, who grew up in Germantown and attended the University of Maryland, is set to perform her hit song “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters,” along with fellow singers EJAE and Audrey Nuna.

Although “Golden” is nominated, Ami won’t receive an Oscar if it wins — that award is bestowed on songwriters, not singers.

She did, however, nab her first Grammy nomination this year for best pop duo/group performance, an award that went to Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked.” “Golden” won best song written for visual media, though that award also went to the songwriters.

This Oscars performance comes just days after Billboard announced the “Golden” singers would be named Billboard’s 2026 Women of the Year. They’ll share that honor with previous recipients including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Madonna and Grande.

Netflix also announced Thursday that “KPop Demon Hunters” will be getting a sequel. The streaming giant has not confirmed that all the original voice actors and singers will return. The Banner contacted representatives for Netflix and Ami for comment.

Jayme Lawson to perform after viral Baltimore-DMV debate

Jayme Lawson, who played Pearline in the record-breaking 16-time-nominated film “Sinners,” raised eyebrows this week after an interview clip went viral of her claiming Baltimore was part of the DMV.

“I’ve gone to Baltimore too much to say that it’s not [part of the area],” said Lawson, who was born in D.C., according to her publicist. She also attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in D.C. and grew up performing at theaters in and around Maryland, including the Publick Playhouse in Prince George’s County.

Lawson will join “I Lied to You” singer Miles Caton and writer Raphael Saadiq onstage during their performance — the second of the two best original songs the Academy plans to showcase.

That performance is also slated to include country/hip-hop singer Shaboozey (from Woodbridge, Virginia), singer Alice Smith (who attended Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in D.C.) and ballet dancer Misty Copeland (who previously danced for the Washington Ballet).

Lawson previously received a 2026 Grammy Awards nomination for best song written for visual media for her performance in “Pale, Pale Moon” from “Sinners.” The award went to the songwriters of “Golden” — another Maryland face-off this awards season.

Tené Wilder also represents Maryland and ‘Sinners’

Tené Wilder, a Baltimore-born hairstylist, received a nod for her work on “Sinners” in the best makeup and hairstyling category.

She previously won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021 for the FX series “Pose.” Wilder also worked on the Baltimore-based show “House of Cards” and “Wonder Woman 1984,” which filmed primarily in D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Speaking to The Banner last December, she reflected on her journey from styling hair at age 12 to landing a nomination for the highest honor Hollywood has to offer.

“I’ve always believed in myself,” Wilder said. “I said, ‘It’s either going to work or it’s not.’ But, if you keep pushing forward, it will work.”