In Christopher Nolan’s cinematic portrayal of the notorious inventor of the nuclear weapon, Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy was recognised as the best actor at the 96th Academy Awards, making him the second individual from Ireland, following Daniel Day-Lewis, to achieve that accolade for a leading role.
The film, Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and backed by Dublin’s Element Pictures, was successful in converting four out of its 11 nominations into victories, enabling lead actress Emma Stone to secure her second Oscar. Oppenheimer had a significant presence at the awards ceremony with no major upsets, and secured the highest honours with seven wins including the coveted best picture and best director for Nolan.
From the stage, Murphy addressed his director and producer, Chris Nolan and Emma Thomas, crediting them for his 20 year journey in the industry: “It’s been the most adventurous, stimulating and artistically rewarding journey I’ve embarked upon due to you guys. My debt to you is immeasurable.”
He went on to express his profound love and adoration for his partner in life and art, Yvonne McGuinness, and their two sons, Malachy and Aran. He proudly acknowledged his Irish heritage and dedicated his award to the peacekeepers worldwide whilst stating – “For better or for worse, we’re living in Oppenheimer’s world”.
The celebrated actor from Cork is only the fourth from his home country to win an Oscar for acting and notably, the first born there to clinch the best actor award. This recognition follows thirty years of acclaimed appearances by an artist who has always shied away from the limelight, but is now likely to be highly sought-after.
In what was seen as an unpredictable contest for the best actress award, Lily Gladstone of Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ was predicted to slightly outrun Emma Stone from ‘Poor Things’. Yet, Stone, previously crowned in 2017 for her work in ‘La La Land’, was stunned to hear her name announced as the winner. Her outstanding portrayal of Bella Baxter, a woman brought back to life post-suicide, initially sparked widespread acclaim at the Venice Film Festival last fall.
She expressed her unease about possibly winning when she remarked, “Yorgos advised me not to get ahead of myself and he was correct.” “This award symbolizes the successful collaboration of a team that created something more magnificent than its individual components. I feel extremely privileged to share this award with everyone who contributed their creativity and passion to this film,” she added.
Robert Downey Jr., acclaimed for his role as tormentor to J Robert Oppenheimer, had been consistently successful in pre-award events during the winter. Hence, it was unsurprising when he secured the best supporting actor award. Demonstrating the confidence of a man who had waited forty long years for this moment, his acceptance speech began with him expressing gratitude to his difficult upbringing and then to the academy. Downey Jr., who overcame substance abuse struggles early in his career, thanked his wife, Susan Downey, in a light-hearted manner by calling her his ‘veterinarian.’ “She rescued me, a growling wreck, and nursed me back to health. The truth is this career needed me less than I needed it,” he truthfully admitted.
In a night filled with predictable outcomes, Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s success as the best supporting actress for ‘The Holdovers’ was possibly the most foreseen. In accordance with the tradition of announcing this category first, an emotional Randolph benefitted even before her name was officially called. “I never imagined this career path for myself,” she disclosed. “I spent a significant amount of time wishing for something different. Now, I understand that all I needed to do was embrace who I am. I appreciate being seen,” she ended on a grateful note.
During the highly anticipated Oscar ceremony, the acclaimed Barbenheimer contention that prevailed the previous summer was surprisingly inconsequential. Whilst Oppenheimer dominated with major awards, Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, only secured victory with the best original song award. The melodic piece, What Was I Made For?, was heartrendingly performed by Billie Eilish early on in the night. However, another song from the same movie received the grandest presentation.
Ryan Gosling sang I’m Just Ken, accompanied by an ensemble of 65 dancers. The performance was both emotionally moving and comedically entertaining, reminiscent of classic performances.
Eilish, the first Oscar winner born in the new millennium, added another Oscar to her collection at only 22 years old. Previously, she won the same award for the song No Time to Die in 2022. Expressing her surprise and gratitude, she said, “”I had a haunting dream about this last night. I never anticipated this. My gratitude to Greta for this song, this film, and the emotions it stirred in me.”
Other awards ended up being snatched by Poor Things, which outdid Barbie in areas such as production design, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling.
There was rampant speculation on whether the victors would address the ongoing Gaza conflict, which has thus far been largely unaddressed at award shows. Only Jonathan Glazer, the British director who won the best international film for the holocaust narrative The Zone of Interest, spoke openly about the matter. His comments about the co-opting of Jewish identity and the Holocaust to justify conflict and occupation were met with warm applause, if not overwhelming.
Some attendees, among them Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, and Billie Eilish, manifested their support for a ceasefire by wearing red pins. Youssef, from the cast of Poor Things, used his red carpet spot to voice out calls for an immediate and enduring ceasefire in Gaza, as well as a wish for lasting peace and justice for Palestinians.
The Zone of Interest finally managed to clinch the United Kingdom its first ever victory in the category previously known as best foreign language film. Further defying expectations, The Zone of Interest even outdid Oppenheimer, securing the award for best sound due to its exceptional portrayal of Auschwitz, largely unseen.
The ceremony was more perfunctory than thrilling. Jimmy Kimmel, who was hosting for his third time, was received with mixed responses to his witty remarks. Jokes regarding Downey’s tumultuous history didn’t seem to resonate well with the actor. Kimmel’s most memorable moment occurred at the finale, where he read a post from a cryptic critic on Truth Social. The critic questioned Kimmel’s effectiveness as an Oscars host and criticised his opening performance. In response, Kimmel jestingly thanked the person behind the post, hinting it to be Trump and playfully insinuated that it was time for the former president to serve his jail sentence.
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