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Award season is currently underway. Recently, there was the Palm Springs gala and the Golden Globes. On Thursday, the National Board of Review honored recipients. The upcoming event for this weekend is the Critics Choice awards.
Each one holds their own level of prestige. Additionally, each one serves as an opportunity to be considered for an Oscar nomination. The way nominees conduct themselves on the red carpet, interact with others in the room, gracefully accept defeat or endearingly celebrate a win, is closely observed by voters who have yet to cast their votes for the most prestigious award of the season.
The general public may be aware that there is little spontaneity in selecting a nominee’s dress, but they may not realize the extensive planning and preparation that goes into their 60-second speech of gratitude on stage.
According to Steven Gaydos, executive editor of Variety, speeches play a significant role in shaping one’s reputation and storytelling. They require careful consideration and are not a casual or random occurrence.
Nominees with less public attention may have more freedom in expressing gratitude, but those involved in a strategic and well-funded campaign can anticipate their speeches being carefully monitored and controlled before being approved.
Several Academy Awards have been determined by a successful or unsuccessful appearance on stage just weeks prior. In 1996, Emma Thompson solidified her win for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility by captivating the audience at the Golden Globes with a diary entry written in the persona of Jane Austen, as if she had actually attended the ceremony.
Last year, Austin Butler’s somber and subdued Bafta acceptance speech for his role as Elvis may have boosted Brendan Fraser’s chances at the Oscars two weeks later. Similarly, Joaquin Phoenix’s powerful anti-racism speech at the Baftas in 2020 may have swayed voters to give him another platform at the Oscars, where he addressed veganism.
In 2018, Lady Gaga may have jeopardized her chances by speaking for 13 minutes after receiving the best actress award for A Star Is Born at the National Board of Review gala. During her speech, she repeated lines that had already been heard multiple times on the awards circuit. According to studio publicist Nate Jones, this caused people to hesitate in giving her another award.
In the year mentioned, Olivia Colman took home the award for her role in The Favourite. Her uniquely British charm swayed voters to choose her over the expected frontrunner, Glenn Close. Colman showed her appreciation by giving an unforgettable acceptance speech at the Oscars.
Having a lively and humorous personality, and also being diligent like Thompson, is always highly valued. Similarly, having enough effortless self-assurance to ease any concerns from Oscar voters (who may still remember Will Smith) is also important for a successful night.
Robert Downey Jr is taking a different approach this year as he is currently the top contender for the supporting role in Oppenheimer. During the Globes, he appeared relaxed and somewhat modest, using the opportunity to promote a new storyline for himself as the “most improved player”. Gaydos notes that his carefree and cheerful demeanor was quite alluring.
The most highly debated competitions of this year involve Downey’s colleague Cillian Murphy and Paul Giamatti, who stars in The Holdovers, for the award of best actor. Additionally, the best actress category includes Lily Gladstone from Killers of the Flower Moon and Emma Stone from Poor Things.
Each of the four recipients won awards at the Globes, where the lead performance categories are divided into comedy and drama. However, in all other ceremonies, there can only be one winner.
In the competition for best actress, Stone’s previous award (for La La Land) may have less impact on her chances compared to the Academy’s awareness of the importance to improve its image following the #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite movements.
According to Gaydos, the Academy is still primarily concerned with “virtue-signalling.” This means attempting to portray Hollywood as caring, even though there has been little improvement in opportunities for women and minority film-makers, and Hollywood remains predominantly white, elitist, and male.
During her speech in Palm Springs, Stone expressed her desire to challenge a statement made by an agent that suggested female actors have short-lived careers compared to their male counterparts. Gaydos states that this statement was not just about politics, but also a personal matter. He goes on to say that anyone who disagrees with this notion is considered a negative individual.
Challenging Gladstone’s victory presents additional issues. During her speech at the Globes, Gladstone made sure to highlight the past attempts by Hollywood to overlook Indigenous individuals, and emphasized the significance of her win – hinting at the potential for future successes.
Last year, Michelle Yeoh used a similar strategy as she beat out Cate Blanchett for all the major awards, except for the best actress Bafta, for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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The recent attention on Gladstone has overshadowed her co-stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, as well as director Martin Scorsese. The film is being marketed as a commentary on the mistreatment of Native Americans and is being strategically promoted for awards consideration based on its message.
Giamatti’s recent speeches have given weight to The Holdovers, a witty comedy in which he portrays a grumpy teacher of classical subjects. However, the film may seem less significant when compared to a lengthy explanation of the origins of atomic warfare. Giamatti has managed this by drawing on his own family’s background as educators and emphasizing the significance of the teaching profession.
This serves as a prime illustration of effectively intertwining the plot of the film – its creation and significance to society – with your personal backstory. Gaydos states that the 14-minute rendition of Giamatti’s brief speech at the Golden Globes, given the night before in Palm Springs, was “exactly what you would expect: heartfelt, captivating, meaningful, and influential.”
The article delved into intimate details, emphasizing the importance of evoking empathy through a dramatic narrative. Additionally, the fact that Giamatti himself experienced a significant Oscar snub 20 years ago for another Alexander Payne film, Sideways, can only benefit his current situation.
However, what may have solidified his victory was the actor’s post-ceremony visit to a fast food restaurant for a burger. This was captured by amazed onlookers. Gaydos comments, “When I saw the picture of Giamatii at In-N-Out, I thought to myself, ‘Well, he definitely just won an Oscar.’ Many in Hollywood have gone directly to In-N-Out after attending the Oscars or the Globes. After these awards shows, you are usually quite hungry. It’s something that many people can relate to.”
Targeting the audience in the seats is a top priority. In her Palm Springs address, Greta Gerwig shared her experience of being brought to the movies as a kid to watch a re-release of The Muppets Take Manhattan. When the movie ended, she excitedly ran towards the screen and attempted to climb into it.
She stated that she would continue to do what she’s been doing for as long as possible because she was proud to work with those in the entertainment industry. The use of this outdated term made her more likable to the older generation, who still make up the majority of voters, despite efforts to increase diversity in recent times.
Gerwig’s chief competition for best director this year is either Scorsese, whose own campaign is being muted for his leading actress, or Oppenheimer’s Christopher Nolan. As the Hollywood Reporter’s awards pundit Scott Feinberg noted, all the acceptance speeches for that film last Sunday seemed geared around warming up voters to Nolan, who has historically been perceived as a bit aloof.
According to Murphy, Nolan is a “visionary” and a “master”, while Downey praised his work as “a goddamn masterpiece”. Upon receiving the best drama award, Emma Thomas (Nolan’s producer and wife) expressed her joy in Nolan’s recognition, stating that his work is unique and incomparable to anyone else’s.
However, according to Gaydos, the most intelligent speech of the current season did not come from a famous actor, but from The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri. During her Golden Globes acceptance speech, she made sure to express gratitude not only to her co-workers and agent, but also to the assistants of her agents and managers. She thanked them for their help in responding to her numerous emails.
This sentence not only seems like it was written specifically for the character she portrayed to win the award – a hardworking woman who supports a famous chef in the kitchen – but it also earned her instant admiration in every Hollywood workplace.
According to Gaydos, no one has ever done that before. He thought it was a very clever move, and it was well-received by the audience. This was confirmed by one of the many shots of Taylor Swift during the event. She could be seen nodding and smiling, which seemed to be the first time she had done so that night.
Source: theguardian.com
