95th Oscars as star-studded as ever — and no one has misbehaved
We are all winners!
MANILA, Philippines — Jamie Lee Curtis, a daughter of Hollywood, articulated it better when she accepted her Best Supporting Actress Oscar on Sunday evening (early Monday morning in Manila) at the Dolby Theater for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once (EEAAO).
“My mother and my father were both nominated for Oscars in different categories, I just won an Oscar.”
Jamie is a proud, self-described Nepo Baby. Her parents are screen legends Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.
“To all of the people who have supported the genre movies that I’ve made for all these years, the thousands and hundreds and thousands of people, we just won an Oscar, together,” she exclaimed.
The 95th Oscar celebration returned to form this year after the violence that marred last year’s edition.
It was a quiet affair, but that doesn’t mean the show was less than spectacular. It was as star-studded as ever — and no one misbehaved.
And The Philippine STAR was given backstage in-person access again this year.
The show opened with a classic montage showing the making of the nominated movies. It was followed by a jet flyby, Top Gun-style, before host Jimmy Kimmel landed on stage from a parachute.
Jimmy’s opening monologue was classy and effective. There were a few groans but a lot more cheers. The infamous slap was mentioned as part of a joke on the cast of the Irish film, The Banshees of Inisherin, which was about two friends fighting with each other.
In a break from tradition, Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur, last year’s winners for Best Supporting Actress and Actor, respectively, had jointly presented the trophies this year.
The always ebullient Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in EEAAO. His teary acceptance drew the evening’s first standing ovation inside Dolby.
He dedicated his award to his 84-year-old mother, who brought him to America as a refugee. “Stories like these happen only in the movies, I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is the American Dream!” he exclaimed. “To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”
Backstage, he joked that he would be calling his agent the next day to see if there are projects in store for him.
“You know, somebody asked me this earlier, ‘Do I have anything planned? What am I doing next?’ I don’t know what I’m doing next. All I know is, first thing tomorrow morning I’m going to call my agent because I remember, when I was struggling, I would call my agent. I try not to bother him too much, but I would call him, you know, once every three months, once every six months, and I would say, ‘Hey, is there anything out there for me?’ And the answer would always be the same, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. There’s nothing out there, but I’ll continue to look.’ So, hopefully, when I call my agent tomorrow, he will give me a different answer!”
Ke shared that he lost his health insurance during the pandemic because he could not book any job.
“I remember how difficult it was for me, so that’s why every time I walk on a movie set, I’m so grateful. Never forget where you came from because if you forget that, then all humility goes out the window,” he said.
“Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I love you all. I love you all. I love you, love you, love you, love you.”
It was a convivial affair this year. The audience even sang Happy Birthday to the actor of the Live Action short film winner from Ireland, An Irish Goodbye. The sausage hands from EEAAO and the donkey from The Banshees… even made appearances on stage!
Members of the Academy made a political statement after choosing the daring anti-Putin film Navalny as the Best Documentary Feature of the Year.
The Academy also awarded the German anti-war film, All Quiet on the Western Front, with four Oscars, including the award for Best International Feature Film.
India made a splash this year, winning two Oscars for the global sensation RRR and for the Documentary Short Film, The Elephant Whisperer.
The Best Original Song winner from RRR was the evening’s showstopper! Naatu Naatu brought Dolby down with its joyful, infectious sound. It earned huge applause backstage inside the press room.
Music superstars Lady Gaga and Rihanna also performed their Oscar-nominated songs from Top Gun: Maverick and Wakanda Forever, respectively.
The EEAAO sweep of the Oscars did not begin until the third hour of the show. With the wins for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, the indie hit also added Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Picture.
EEAAO won seven Oscars. No movie has swept the Oscars since Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 with eight wins.
The filmmaking duo behind EEAAO, the Daniels, won three Oscars each.
“This is weird. You, guys, are our heroes!” Daniel Scheinert said when he and Daniel Kwan accepted their award for Best Director.
The Daniels began their career as music video directors. Tonight, they won for writing, directing and producing EEAAO.
The most emotional moments of the evening came, like in the movies, during the climax of the show.
In another break from tradition, Oscar winners Halle Berry and Jessica Chastain jointly presented the Best Actor and Actress awards. Guess who was absent presenting the Best Actress this year, which is traditionally presented by the previous year’s Best Actor winner?
Brendan Fraser earned a huge standing ovation when he was called the winner for Best Actor for his performance in The Whale. He was already in tears before he reached the stage. He delivered another emotional acceptance speech, which has characterized his comeback narrative all Oscar season.
Backstage, he was greeted with a rare standing ovation inside the press room when he entered the room for the traditional post-win Q&A.
“This has been incredibly rewarding and affirming, and it’s given me a lesson in humility and gratitude,” he said during our interview.
And then, there’s Michelle Yeoh! The current queen of Hollywood!
The Dolby Theater waited more than three hours for her coronation, and I cannot tell if the standing ovation came even before her name was announced as the year’s Best Actress winner. But this, I am sure: She received the longest ovation of the evening.
“Thank you. Thank you. For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibility. This is proof that dreams do come true. And, ladies, don’t let anybody ever tell you, you are ever past your prime. Never give up,” she said after receiving her Oscar.
Michelle had to pause and gather herself while delivering her speech. She shared her win with her co-stars and with the Daniels. She also dedicated her award to her mom, who lives in Malaysia.
“I have to dedicate this to my mom — all the moms in the world because they are really the superheroes, and without them, none of us will be here tonight. She is 84, and I’m taking this home to her.”
Backstage, this writer asked her to describe the past year from the time EEAAO premiered at South by Southwest film festival in March last year, and where the support for the movie and for her started.
“It’s been quite a marathon, hasn’t it? To be honest, when we did South by Southwest, it was the first actual — not streaming, not virtual — festival. And we were so blessed that everyone came, and we were blown away,” she responded before thanking all the journalists in the press room.
“I swear to God, it’s you, all of you, because you made it interesting. You made it wild and wacky to people who hadn’t had an opportunity to watch it. You made it so interesting. You propelled our little gem of a film. Yes, we had a huge beating heart. But you propelled us to the skies, and the world embraced us,” Michelle added.
“So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart because this movie has helped in some healing process. This movie has helped to open hearts between families, whether it’s husband and wife, daughters and mothers, daughters and fathers, but just simply family. And we never give up on each other. So, I thank all of you for helping us do that.”
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