With its brand-new set inside Los Angeles’ Union Station, altered running order and a surprise ending that saw an absent Anthony Hopkins snag the Best Actor Oscar over the heavily tipped Chadwick Boseman, the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony was truly like no other. As the prizes were distributed, we took up residence in the virtual Oscars press room to ask the winners—from Daniel Kaluuya and Youn Yuh-jung to Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell—our most burning questions. From regrets to future plans, here are our 10 biggest takeaways.
1. Daniel Kaluuya is having second thoughts about his acceptance speech
After winning his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Judas and the Black Messiah, Kaluuya was asked about his reference to his parents having sex in his speech. “Is that going to live on?” he asked, looking worried. “I think my mum is probably going to text me some stuff about that, but here we are. I probably shouldn’t have said that. I’m going to avoid my phone for a bit. My mum’s not going to be very happy [laughs], but she’s cool. She’s got a sense of humour.” When asked what this win means for the family of Fred Hampton, the revolutionary Black Panther leader Kaluuya plays in the film, he said, “More people are going to watch Chairman Fred’s story. It’s about telling the truth.”
2. Youn Yuh-jung did not smell Brad Pitt—because she’s not a dog
The legendary Korean actor took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Minari, Lee Isaac Chung’s lyrical family drama. “It’s not happened just like that, because I’ve had a long career,” she said. “I’ve built on my career, step by step, so it’s not like ‘bam’!” Would she want to be in a movie with Brad Pitt, who was an executive producer on Minari and presented her with the Oscar? “That would never happen,” she replied. “With my English and my age [73]. I don’t dream an impossible dream.” She added that Pitt must have practised saying her name because he didn’t mispronounce it. Another reporter asked what Pitt smelled like. “I didn’t smell him,” she laughed. “I’m not a dog.”
3. Chloé Zhao would love to get Kathryn Bigelow’s email address
When she scooped the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland, her meditative road movie which also won Best Picture, Zhao became the first woman of colour and only the second woman in history to secure the prize after Kathryn Bigelow’s 2010 win for The Hurt Locker. “I’m fortunate to do what I love for a living and if this win helps more people like me to live their dreams, I’m grateful,” she said. When asked if she’d spoken to Bigelow, Zhao replied, “I had a group dinner with Kathryn Bigelow once and definitely fangirled big time. I’d love to talk to her if you have her email.”
4. Emerald Fennell is open to making more “poison popcorn” films
The victor for Best Original Screenplay for her powerful thriller Promising Young Woman, Fennell was amazed by the weight of her Oscar. “It’s very heavy!” she said. “But maybe I need to go to the gym or maybe I can use him as a weight. I’ve only ever held a pretend one.” She was asked about having described Promising Young Woman as a “poison popcorn” film, and if she’d continue to make films in the same vein. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I hoped to make something that people would want to go and see. Part of it was that it felt glossy and feminine, but it was discussing some very difficult and dark subjects. I think, probably, that is something I will do in the future.”
5. H.E.R. has hopes of earning an EGOT
Alongside songwriters Dernst Emile II and Tiara Thomas, Grammy-winning artist H.E.R. picked up the Best Original Song Oscar for Fight for You from Judas and the Black Messiah. When a reporter mentioned she was halfway to an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award), she said, “There’s going to be an EGOT in my future hopefully. I’m super passionate about acting as well, so you may see me up here as an actress.” She added that her presence on the Oscars stage was “a message to all the young Black or Filipino girls that you can be up here too.”
6. A stage version of Pixar’s Soul could be on its way
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, the recipients of the Best Original Score Oscar for the animated epic Soul were asked if they would want to do a Broadway musical version of the film. “I wouldn’t say no,” said Batiste, and Reznor replied, “I love it. Let’s do it. We’re going to start on that tomorrow.”
7. The Father was a project close to Florian Zeller’s heart and a difficult one to adapt
Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for their drama about dementia, The Father, an adaptation of Zeller’s 2012 play Le Père. “I was raised by my grandmother who started to suffer from dementia when I was 15,” Zeller explained. “It’s a painful process that makes you feel powerless, but I knew I wasn’t the only one [to have experienced it]. I wanted to share my emotions.” When asked about the difficulties he faced in adapting his work Zeller said, “What we didn’t want to do was film a play. The challenge was to do something that was as cinematic as possible. We had to find a visual way to turn this into an immersive experience.”
8. Sound of Metal is designed to make hearing people feel like they are the minority
Mikkel EG Nielsen walked away with the Best Editing Oscar for Sound of Metal, the visceral story of a drummer who is losing his hearing. He described the film as a “passion project” and added, “The director [Darius Marder] told me that he wanted to give a deaf person the ability to see the movie as a whole, and for me as a hearing person to feel like a minority. I loved that idea.”
9. The creators of My Octopus Teacher have a message for the human race
The Oscar for Best Documentary Feature went to Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster for My Octopus Teacher, the heartwarming tale of a filmmaker who forges a bond with an octopus. When asked if they had a message for the human race, Ehrlich replied, “This was a unique opportunity to tell a story about love, respect and awe between human beings and the natural world. Our planet is in trouble and human beings are losing hope some of the time. It was about finding a more hopeful way of engaging with the planet. I hope that message came through.”
10. The makeup and hair team from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom know what their win means
Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson looked over the moon after receiving the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the barnstorming August Wilson adaptation. The latter two made history as the first Black women to win in the category. “Everybody benefits from diversity,” says Neal. “Everybody wants it. People aren’t afraid to speak up. I don’t sense any resistance in moving forward.” Lopez-Rivera added, “We look forward to a time when these questions are moot”, to which Neal said, “Exactly, and that is coming.”
