With the Oscars 2025 just hours away, revisit the 2005 ceremony and all of the former couples including Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bündchen, as well as the mid-aughts movie wins.
The Oscars in 2005 were incredible.
Truly, in addition to Pixar’s now-classic The Incredibles earning several wins at the 77th Academy Awards, several beloved films like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Million Dollar Baby and Hotel Rwanda were also honored at the ceremony 20 years ago.
This year’s ceremony, which will air tonight, March 2, at 7 p.m. ET, will determine which movies—from A Complete Unknown to The Brutalist—will soon become classics in their own right. Indeed, host Conan O’Brien will honor the year’s brightest stars and biggest films, cementing another moment in pop culture history.
But while the 2005 lineup for movies at the time was certainly a robust competition, the pictures flickered in comparison to the star power on the red carpet. After all, Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bündchen attended the ceremony as a couple just months before their breakup later that year. (Gisele, who moved on with NFL star Tom Brady in 2006, later shared in her 2018 memoir that she broke up with the movie star because she was looking to grow out of her partying phase.)
The couple’s final night out marked one of the handful of times the Titanic actor not only attended an award show with a date, but also walked the red carpet at all.
As for other head-turning moments at the mid-aughts event? Beyoncé and Jay-Z attended the ceremony together—Beyoncé performed during the broadcast—in an, even then, extremely rare red carpet moment. Indeed, though the couple began dating around 2000, they had only made their official photo op debut months earlier at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards.
More sweet snippets include Jamie Foxx, who won Best Actor for his performance in Ray, bringing his then-11-year-old daughter Corinne Foxx as his plus one. Kirsten Dunst—who was a presenter at the ceremony—also made it a family affair by bringing along her younger brother Christian Dunst. Meanwhile, Martin Scorsese, who was bested by Million Dollar Baby’s Clint Eastwood in the Best Director category that year, attended the ceremony alongside his wife Helen Morris—adding to the tally of extremely rare date nights at the ceremony.
And there are also some just-barely visible strings between this year’s ceremony and its mid-aughts counterpart. For one, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind earned a win for Best Original Screenplay at the 2005 ceremony. Years later, Ariana Grande—nominated at the 2025 ceremony for Best Supporting Actress after playing Glinda in Wicked—wrote an album honoring the film, which is one of her favorites, with 2024’s eternal sunshine.
As for the Best Picture nominees, Timothée Chalamet was somewhat right when he admitted in his SAG acceptance speech for Best Actor in A Complete Unknown that the biopic genre could be “perhaps tired.” After all, the 2005 lineup included one in their own shortlist, Ray, which examined the life of the formidable soul musician Ray Charles. The win in 2005 went to Million Dollar Baby, but Ray scooped up two awards for Best Actor and Best Sound Mixing.
The ball is still in anyone’s court when it comes to the 97th ceremony, but 20 years later, movie buffs clearly haven’t grown completely tired of the biopic yet—just look at last year’s Best Picture winner.
In anticipation for tonight’s ceremony, keep reading for more highlights from the 2005 Academy Awards…
Leonardo DiCaprio & Gisele Bundchen
In a now-pivotal moment of pop culture history, The Aviator star brought along his then-girlfriend for a night out at the Academy Awards, just months before their breakup.
Hilary Swank
She looked like a Million Dollars, Baby. The 2005 Best Actress winner is all smiles ahead of her big moment.
Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy
This pair was as perfect as a sunrise. The Before Sunrise duo had a reunion to gather sequel Before Sunset‘s flowers.
Manuela Testolini & Prince
The former couple attended the 77th ceremony, two years before their 2007 divorce.
Helen Morris & Martin Scorsese
Partners for life. The couple locked arms as they headed into the Dolby Theatre, then-called the Kodak Theatre.
Beyoncé & Jay-Z
Crazy in love. The pair made a rare red carpet appearance just months after their photo op debut.
Corinne Foxx & Jamie Foxx
Daddy’s girl. The then-11-year-old supported her father on the red carpet ahead of his Best Actor win for Ray.
Kirsten Dunst & Christian Dunst
Siblings make the best plus ones. Over 10 years before tying the knot with now-husband Jesse Plemons, the Spider-Man actress brought along her little brother for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Cate Blanchett
History in the making. The Aviator actress won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn, marking the first time an actress won an Academy Award for playing the role of an Academy Award winner. (The late movie star is a four-time Oscar winner, earning 12 nominations over the course of her career.)
Joan Rivers & Melissa Rivers
Like mother, like daughter. The late Fashion Police host squeezed up with her now-57-year-old daughter on the red carpet.
Scarlett Johansson
The Marriage Story actress went classic in a black dress and red lip at the 2005 ceremony.
Halle Berry & Oprah Winfrey
A bestie moment! The James Bond star and talk show host met up on the red carpet.
Chris Rock
Years before the slap heard around the world, the comedian made his Academy Awards hosting debut at the 2005 ceremony.
Source: www.eonline.com